Changing light and DIY hood

25/6/2014: Just change the light from led to super light Azoo 20 w (25 mm x 580 mm). Can see the different between the light very super duper bright with very low heat.

 

old LED light

New Super light (Azoo 20w)

I also build the home made light hood (DIY)

Spot Nutrient Deficiencies on Aquatic Planted

How to Spot Nutrient Deficiencies

 

Deficiencies

Carbon Dioxide

Symptoms: Plants grow more slowly and water pH begins to rise. Calcium deposits visible on the leaves.
Solution: Refertilize with Co2 and try to limit excess aeration in the tank. Regular maintenance is also important.

Calcium

Symptoms: Can be easily confused for Magnesium overdose. Yellow margins on new leaves, with deformations.
Solution: Water changes to ensure calcium supplies are renewed, some fertilizers and a calcium-rich substrate.

Iron

Symptons: Brittle yellow leaves that become glassy, rot and fall away.
Solution: Regular use of a fertilizer rich with Iron of a substrate which contains iron additives.

Magnesium

Symptoms: Leave that turn yellow with veins that stay green.
Solution: Ensure fertilizers used for the plants also contain extra compounds such as magnesium.

Nitrogen

Symptoms: Old leaves turn yellow, new leaves are small and either yellow or white.
Solution: Rarely seen in aquaria, make sure to use a substrate with all macronutrients your plants will need.

Phosphate

Symptoms: Older leaves turn yellow and fall off quickly. Looks similar to nitrogen deficiency.
Solution: A fertilizer which contains additional phosphates.

Potassium

Symptoms: Yellowing of sections of young leaves near the margin.
Solution: Regular refertilization of the water.

There are two kinds of nutrients your plants need. The first kind of nutrients are macronutrients (Potassium, Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Calcium and Magnesium) and micronutrients such as Boron, Zinc and Selenium.

To ensure you avoid developing deficiencies, or to help cure current problems, regular nutrient dosing is recommended. The more plants, or demanding your plants are, the more you’ll need.

MY DIY CO2

MY DIY Co2

Item Need:

1) 1.5 Liter Soda Bottle
2) 500 ML Mineral bottle
3) Air Tubing
4) Air tubing Valve controller or 
5) Check Valve
6) Aquarium sealant (to seal the hole of the bottle cap to prevent from leak)
7) Diffuser
8) Suction Cup
9) 2 Cup Sugar
10) 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast


DIAGRAM

* Wait about 2 to 12 hours to co2 bubble build up after mix the ingredient (depend on the amount of mix)

Bootle cap hole

1st bottle (soda bottle) : 1 hole

2nd bottle (mineral bottle) : 2 hole

Driftwood, Thing to Know..

Driftwood

Adding natural structures such as driftwood to your aquarium requires some preparation and thought to bring out their best aesthetic qualities. Driftwood and other natural structures make up a large portion of your aquarium. Any adjustments needed can cause significant stress and in some cases require taking apart the aquarium and starting all over. Do it right the first time. With a bit of planning, you can have a beautifully aquascaped aquarium with minimal effort and disturbance.

Driftwood in an aquarium adds natural habitat and hiding places for fishPreparation

Before placing the driftwood in your aquarium, draw a rough sketch of your aquarium and where you want to locate the driftwood. Consider how your aquarium will look with the driftwood positioned vertically as opposed to the conventional horizontal position. Explore different designs on paper to create a unique aquatic landscape. Drawing a rough sketch allows you to experiment and visualize your aquascape without disturbing your aquarium inhabitants in the process.

Cleaning Driftwood

After determining where to place the driftwood, it needs to be cleaned before placement. Use a clean brush to scrub the driftwood thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris. Do not use soap or any chemical cleansers. Any residue will poison your aquarium. The cleaned driftwood will then need to be soaked to saturate and "cure."

Curing Driftwood

Though most driftwood will remain submerged underwater, some driftwood remains slightly buoyant until it is fully saturated and "waterlogged." Soak the driftwood in a large bucket as long as possible making sure the entire piece is completely underwater. A minimum period of 1 to 2 weeks is recommended to allow total saturation.

Soaking also allows excess tannins that can darken and discolor the water, to leach out. The discoloration caused by the tannins will not harm your aquarium inhabitants but it will lower the pH slightly over time. Some hobbyists take advantage of this feature and utilize the tannins to achieve soft water conditions preferred by many tropical fish.

Bleeding Heart Tetras Monitor the soaking driftwood regularly to see if the water needs to be changed. As the water darkens, empty all of the water and gently rinse the driftwood. Fill the bucket with clean dechlorinated or RO water and continue soaking the driftwood. As you repeat this process, you will notice that the water will be less "tea-stained." When you no longer notice any significant discoloration for several days in a row, the driftwood is ready for placement.

Boiling Driftwood

Boiling driftwood has several benefits. Just like steeping a tea bag in hot water, boiling driftwood in a large stockpot encourage more tannins to leech out faster, thereby shortening the curing process. More importantly, boiling sterilizes the driftwood, killing algal or fungal spores that can take hold once introduced into the aquarium with the driftwood. Boiling the driftwood for 1-2 hours will sterilize the driftwood.

Once the driftwood has been properly prepared, it is ready for placement. Refer to the sketches you made early to place the driftwood in the ideal location. The most convenient moment to arrange your aquatic landscape is after you have removed some water during a water change. Simply place the driftwood into your aquarium and refill. With a bit of patience and some planning, you can create a beautiful aquatic landscape the first time with minimal stress to you and your aquarium inhabitants.

Things To Consider:

When purchasing driftwood, make sure it is safe for aquarium use. Driftwood sold for reptiles may look ideal for aquariums but it may contain chemicals harmful to fish.

Though tempting, avoid using wood or roots found outdoors. Often times, these pieces have not dried or cured properly and can rot when placed in your aquarium.

Large pieces of driftwood, even thoroughly soaked, can still retain buoyancy. Secure large pieces of driftwood to rocks with monofilament to anchor them.

Plants such as Java Moss or Java Fern can be attached to driftwood to create an aged "natural look." Loosely secure the plants with monofilament (fishing line). The fishing line can be removed once the plants have naturally attached and grown into the driftwood.

Even after the curing/soaking process, some driftwood may still release tannins and discolor the water. Use chemical filter media such as Purigen or activated carbon to clarify your water.

The "tea-stained" effect caused by driftwood simulates Amazonian "Black Water" biotopes where many brightly colored Tetras like Neons, Cardinals, Rummynoses, and Bleeding Hearts. If this is your preference, then only a short soak and scrub is necessary before adding driftwood to your aquarium.

Freshwater Aquarium Water Parameters

Freshwater Aquarium Water Parameters

The following chart is a general guideline of acceptable water parameter ranges for different types of freshwater aquariums, brackish water aquariums, and ponds. The water parameters listed are a general guideline for maintaining each specific type of aquarium or pond. Some species of fish, plants, or invertebrates may have more specific requirements, so please review each individual species description for more information. 

Parameter	Freshwater Community	African Cichlid	Freshwater Plants &Discus	Brackish	Pond
Temperature	72 - 82°F	72 - 82°F	76 - 86°F	72 - 82°F	33 - 86°F
pH	6.5 - 7.5	7.8 - 8.5	6.0 - 7.5	7.5 - 8.4	6.5 - 7.5
Ammonia	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Nitrite	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Nitrate	< 50 ppm	< 50 ppm	< 30 ppm	< 50 ppm	< 50 ppm
Alkalinity (Carbonate Hardness)	4 - 8 KH	10 - 18 KH	3 - 8 KH	10 - 18 KH	4 - 8 KH
General Hardness	4 - 12 GH	12 - 20 GH	3 - 8 GH	12 - 20 GH	4 - 12 GH

(source: liveaquaria.com)

Testing Water Chemistry

To insure success in the planted aquarium you must test certain variables concerning water chemistry to help keep algae at bay and to provide an environment to insure optimum conditions for both the plants and your fish. What are those tests, why we need them, and how they work is the subject of this article. PH, KH (carbonate hardness), GH (general hardness), nitrates (macro that plants need, other form of this would be ammonium), and last but not least phosphate (another macro plants need) will be discussed.

PH

To give you a range PH should ideally be 6.8 to 7.2 for most community fish and plants. Neutral or 7.0 works best if you have the means to achieve this as fish and plants that come from alkaline regions (above 7.0) and fish and plants that come from acid regions (below 7.0) all do well together in a neutral (7.0) PH. We use a neutral PH in the nursery so that we can grow all species together. Your budget for your planted aquarium does play a part in how you can achieve the ideal 7.0 PH, and keep in mind that you can grow aquarium plants even below or above the PH range indicated above by adjusting certain other variables like CO2 (carbon dioxide), nutrient levels, etc.

Ways to achieve a neutral PH

1.) You can purchase an R/O (reverse osmosis, takes all of the minerals like calcium, magnesium, buffers, out of your tap water) unit. Then you would reconstitute (add back) the minerals with a powdered solution to achieve the GH, KH, and PH you desire, or you can combine your tap water with the R/O water to achieve this as well.

2.) You can purchase non - phosphate buffers like Seachem's Acid Buffer (drops PH) or Alkaline Buffer (raises PH) to add to your existing tap water to achieve the desired results.

3.) You can purchase R/O water at your local petshop or purchase distilled water at any grocery store and mix it with your tap water to achieve the desired result.

KH or Carbonate Hardness

Kh can be measured in terms of German Degrees in which we can work with a broad range of minimum 4 degrees, all the way to 8 degrees (again higher and lower values can work, 4 - 8 is the optimal range). If you measure those numbers and want to convert them to parts per million you would multiply those numbers by 17.9, or divide ppm's by 17.9 to get german degrees of hardness. KH (carbonate hardness needs to be a minimum of 3 if we inject CO2 gas to keep the PH from dropping too fast and stressing the fish, a lot of the plant species prefer a minimum of 5 KH, and so that is our target range in the nursery. At a neutral PH of 7.0 and KH of five, your CO2 level would be 14.7 mg/l, determined by a CO2 chart measuring KH against PH which is considered optimal for those values.

GH or General Hardness

General Hardness is basically calcium and magnesium mineral levels. Plants and fish need both to survive! (hence you cannot use straight R/O water in your aquarium) In terms of German degrees I prefer to see it at 6-12 GH (multiply by 17.9 for ppm's), and again other values up or down will work. By achieving an 6 - 12 GH you will provide enough hardness minerals to benefit plants like Echinodorus (sword plants), and yet not be too hard to accomodate other softer water loving species. We maintain GH at 10 in the nursery. (remember when you top off evaporated water in your aquarium you must do it with R/O or distilled water, not tap water as you would be increasing the GH with tap water)

Nitrate

Nitrate or ammonium (this is the pre nitrate form that fish provide by their waste, urine, and is preferred form) is a macro that aquarium plants need. How do we achieve a level of nitrate or ammonium in the aquarium? By providing an adequate fish population and regular feeding to insure those levels are maintained. You can also supplement with additives like Seachem's liquid nitrogen if you find it difficult to achieve those levels with your fish population and feeding schedule. We like to see a range of 5 - 10 mg/l of nitrate in the aquarium to have a ratio of 10 - 1 nitrate to phosphate, all the way to 20 - 1 nitrate to phosphate. We maintain a level of approximately 10 - 1 or 5 mg/l of nitrate, our phosphate levels being .5 mg/l that is explained below in the phosphate column. If you allow the nitrate level to go to zero, algae can then take the existing phosphate and begin to grow in your aquarium (plants need every macro and micro nutrient to continue growing, if one macro or micro is missing then plants will slow and stop growth eventually).

Phosphate

Phosphate is a macro that aquarium plants need. How do we achieve an adequate level of phosphate in the aquarium? By feeding our fish the fish food provides the phosphates to insure those levels are maintained. You can also supplement with additives like Seachem's liquid phosphate if you find it difficult to achieve those levels with feeding your fish population and feeding schedule. We like to see a range of .3 - .5 mg/l of phosphate in the aquarium to have a minimum ratio of 10 - 1 nitrate to phosphate, if phosphate is .5 mg/l then nitrate would be 5 mg/l to achieve that 10 - 1 minimum. You can also have too much phosphate due to tap water that contains phosphate or overfeeding your fish which can then be corrected by using a phosphate sponge or water changes.

Co2 In The Planted Freshwater Aquarium

Co2 In The Planted Freshwater Aquarium

Plants need carbon to create their food (photosynthesize). They obtain carbon from either carbon dioxide (CO2) or some plants can take it from carbonate hardness (KH). It is easier for plants to utilize carbon from CO2, which is naturally present in the aquarium, but not usually at the levels needed. As CO2 levels disappear, plants slow their growth, forcing them to use the carbon from KH, which is the ingredient that holds pH stable. When this buffers content is lowered, pH levels can change dramatically, which may severely stress or even kill fish.

Carbon is the backbone of all life. Every organic molecule of every living organism is predominantly carbon based. Given this simple fact, it becomes clear why carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a pivotal role in the planted aquarium. Aquatic plants extract CO2 from their environment and employ it in a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis combines CO2, water and light energy to produce simple carbohydrates and oxygen (O2).

Growth rates of aquatic plants are strongly correlated with availability of carbon and the plant's affinity for carbon uptake. Studies1 have shown that plants with the greatest carbon affinity have the greatest growth rates, whereas those with lower carbon affinity have correspondingly slower growth rates. Because carbon availability is normally the limiting factor to growth, addition of CO2 to a planted aquarium will always result in large increases in growth (assuming other critical elements are not lacking).

Without additional CO2 the growth rate will be dependent on the rate at which atmospheric CO2 equilibrates into the water. CO2 will dissolve into CO2-free water to a degree that is dependent on the air pressure, temperature, pH and bicarbonate/carbonate content of the water. The final concentration of CO2 in the water depends entirely on those factors. Once that concentration is achieved, the level of CO2 will not change unless the plants remove it or one of the other factors is altered.

Plants remove CO2 at a rate much greater than the rate at which it equilibrates into the water. So at the height of CO2 utilization, the plants limit their own growth by using up all available CO2. Because CO2 is an integral component of the bicarbonate buffer system, a drop in CO2 will necessarily result in a rise in pH. As the pH rises, the influx of additional atmospheric CO2 will be diminished by its conversion to bicarbonate.

This is offset somewhat by hard water plants that can utilize bicarbonate directly. However, without routine water changes or buffer additions (Alkaline Buffer™ or Liquid Alkaline Buffer™), this path will eventually lead to complete depletion of the KH (carbonate hardness) which will result in dramatic pH swings from day to night (5.7 - 9.6).

CO2 injection bypasses this predicament by delivering a constant source of CO2. Because the introduction of CO2 will lower pH, you have two options: 

(1) Monitor and calibrate the rate of CO2 addition to precisely match the usage by the plants or (2) use a pH feedback metering system, such as a pH controller. 

Option (2) is ideal because as the pH falls below a certain point, the CO2 turns off, thus avoiding catastrophic pH drops.

If you are not quite ready for the initial investment in a CO2 injection system but would still like to enjoy some of the benefits of adding additional carbon, there is an alternative: Flourish™ Excel. It provides a simple organic carbon molecule (similar to what is described above in the photosynthesis discussion) that plants can use as a building block for more complex carbohydrates. Because Flourish™ Excel is an organic carbon source, it does not impact pH. Even if you are already using CO2, you can still obtain a cumulative benefit by using Flourish™ Excel in conjunction with CO2.

(By Greg Morin, President and CEO of Seachem Laboratories, Inc)