[AGA Member] Planted Tank Setup Fish/Flourite

["Steven Jestis" <steven.jestis@verizon.net>]

I am a new AGA member, and would like some feedback on my current setup and
this is my first (too long) post.  I have maintained reef tanks, discus
tanks, and fish only tanks for about 15 years.  After a move to a newer home
I sold all but the one 32 gallon flat-back hex tank I started with.  It is
36? long and 18? deep.  The tank had a full cover and a single 20 watt bulb
when purchased.  Never wanting to hang lights, or deal with the heat I
generated with the metal halides and VHO?s of the reef environment, I always
just had gravel, plastic plants and community fish in this system.  I
started with an Eheim 2213 (116 gph), which I later upped to an Eheim 2217
(264 gph).  

In a visit to a LFS I noticed the Coralife 24? double compact fluorescent
strip light, exactly what I had been wanting for a long time.  Being a
flat-back hex, I can?t put the mounting legs on it correctly if I purchased
the 36? fixture, so I went with the 24? fixture with mounting legs attached
to the tank braces.  The fixture I purchased has two 6700K 65 watt bulbs for
a total of 130 watts.  The plastic tank cover was removed, and the tank left
open top as I would have to have a glass top custom made.  The lights are on
timers, running both bulbs for 12 hour cycle.  It was definitely a big
lighting change from the original 20 watt single bulb to say the least!

I also purchased Flourite Red.  I washed, and washed and washed the first .5
bag in a bucket outside with a garden hose, and finally said the heck with
it as it was still not running clear even after 20 minutes, poured off the
water and looked at it.  It was not exactly ?red? anymore, it looked more
like regular fine gravel with all the red washed off.  So I started thinking
that it seemed kind of silly to pay for a clay based gravel, then wash it so
much you wash all the red off it!  I washed the remaining substrate for
about 5 to 10 minutes per .5 bag, and it certainly did not run clear before
it was added to the tank, but not like the chocolate milk when I started
each wash.  Six bags made a level 4? substrate, no slope or terrace.  Put
two boxes of flourish tabs deep in the substrate as well.

Next I went through the regular partial tank fill, and planting.  Ordered
too many plants, so it definitely was not a sparse planting with no room for
wood or even rocks.  Hooked the heater up, and turned on the Eheim 2217
after changing the floss (but not cleaning the media).  Also hooked up a
Whisper 30 and let it run too.  Then I added the fish back that had been
patiently waiting in an ice chest during this time (with a heater, air line,
and plastic plants).  The water was dingy, but not as bad as I expected it
could have been.  By the next morning it was much improved, but still not
clear.  

I next pulled out my old CO2 regulator, tank, and Sandpoint PH controller.
I had already ordered a new external CO2 reactor, and PH probe.  I cut the
return from the Eheim, and sent the output line through the reactor, and
hooked the CO2 to the reactor as well.  The tank return is an old big return
fitting from a Magnum that I had, which dramatically reduces the pressure of
the return (too strong for the plants I felt with the stock elbow and 264
gph pump) for an output (no spray bar).  It?s situated in a corner about 5?
below the water level causing the water to gently run in a circular pattern
around the tank.  The C02 controller is on same timer as the lights.  I was
putting in about 1 bubble every ½ second, but am now putting in about one
every two seconds.  I add Flourish (every three days), and Flourish  Iron
and Flourish Potassium (daily), and test for phosphate, kh/gh, iron, and use
the multi dip and read strips for nitrite and nitrate.  Nitrate went down
from 20 (tap is 20 also) to 10 after first week.  C02 levels unknown, stick
to the wall CO2 indicator shows green (real precise!)  Plants bubbled a lot
of oxygen first week, less so now.  A slight diatom growth first week, but
nothing too bad.  This was all two weeks ago now.  No fish died, slight
nitrite reading first few days from having the Eheim off and new gravel
that's gone now.  

My main questions are related to water clarity and fish load.  The tank is
not exactly clear when viewed through it lengthwise.  I put a System One
Diatom filter on it last night (kind of strong for a 32 gallon tank, wish
you could dial it down somehow), and ran it for two four hour cycles.
Discard was a little brown but not too bad.  I would say tank improved but
is still not exactly clear when viewed through it lengthwise.  I do kick up
some fluorite dust as I thin the plants out some, and figure the Cory's
might be causing the water to never completely clear as well.  I am
wondering if I leave the plants alone if the dust will settle down into the
substrate, not just on top.  I have no intention of pulling it all apart and
washing it all again until ?clear?.  There are no heating cables to pull it
down and no UGF.

Second question is to fish load.  I have 6 young SAE?s, 7 or 8 Cory?s, 1 old
black neon, 1 old black skirt tetra, 6 young flag fish, and about 20 neon
tetras.  I also have about 25 dime sized nerite snails, and about a dozen
Malaysian snails as well.  I still have the Whisper filter on the tank, set
on a timer that comes on when the lights and CO2 go off.  Turned it off one
night since the plants were bubbling profusely at lights out, and fish were
sucking air by morning with three neon and three SAE fatalities.  I would
like to potentially go down to the Eheim 2213, and remove the Whisper 30
completely, but fear doing so for the sake of the fish.  Do I have too many,
or do they just need time to adjust to the reduced oxygen levels at night?

Comments?

Steven



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