jedimasterben's planted tank light build

[DurocShark]

LOL, I always did DIY CO2. The canned CO2 seemed like such a PITA and so many ways to fail in a manner that kills everything in the tank.

 

For small tanks, one juice bottle rotated weekly. For bigger ones, I had up to a 5 gallon bucket. Sugar, water, yeast. That stale beer smell is just awesome when someone screws up and knocks over the bottle/bucket.

 

I had lace plant growing in a 6 gallon tank at one point.

[Horerczy]

Mini puffers are awesome! I once acclimated a green spot puffer to full marine. He lived with a dogface and Hawaiian stars and stripes puffer for over two years in a big a$$ tank together with no issues.

That sounds like fun.

 

That specimen I posted the picture of is a pea puffer. He's fresh water only.

 

One of my LFS got some in and I thought they were the best thing ever. Bunches of little half inch puffers swimming about eating snails.

[gulfsurfer101]

I know, I had a three gallon tetra tank full of them. They are awesome tiny little guys.

[Murphs_Reef]

Substrate is Black Diamond blasting sand (aka coal slag).

 

 

Depends on drive current and the PAR you want. hoppy from TPT has a PAR calculator, just input the LED lumens at the desired current, height, optic angle, and spacing, and it gives you the estimated PAR.

That BBA is going to love LED. You need some flourish excel on that lot.

[jedimasterben]

That BBA is going to love LED. You need some flourish excel on that lot.

Yes, it definitely does lol

 

I trimmed all the BBA leaves off of the plants and the rocks I soaked in ~15% peroxide, the BBA just disintegrated

[Murphs_Reef]

Yes, it definitely does lol

 

I trimmed all the BBA leaves off of the plants and the rocks I soaked in ~15% peroxide, the BBA just disintegrated

Ahh the lovely sight of BBA turning pink after a bleach bath..

Followed by the awful sight of finally having Anubias flower then watching your bristlenose bash past it and nock it off...

[jedimasterben]

Ahh the lovely sight of BBA turning pink after a bleach bath..

Followed by the awful sight of finally having Anubias flower then watching your bristlenose bash past it and nock it off...

Psh, the stuff didn't even turn pink, it just flat out disintegrated!

[Murphs_Reef]

Psh, the stuff didn't even turn pink, it just flat out disintegrated!

Lol cool...

[jedimasterben]

Pretty significant growth for a low tech tank (no water changes, dosing a squirt of Tropica TPN+ all-in-one ferts when I remember every couple of weeks, Excel once every couple of weeks, and topoff with RO/DI)

 

 

No clue what this plant is, but I wish the rest of the leaves had this color!

 

 

[gus6464]

Pretty significant growth for a low tech tank (no water changes, dosing a squirt of Tropica TPN+ all-in-one ferts when I remember every couple of weeks, Excel once every couple of weeks, and topoff with RO/DI)

 

 

 

 

No clue what this plant is, but I wish the rest of the leaves had this color!

 

 

 

 

 

 

To bring out red pigment like that on a low-tech tank spectrum must be really good and not an easy task. You are not even dosing iron so well done sir. 97CRI Vero's are really a wonder on planted tanks.

[jedimasterben]

To bring out red pigment like that on a low-tech tank spectrum must be really good and not an easy task. You are not even dosing iron so well done sir. 97CRI Vero's are really a wonder on planted tanks.

The ferts I'm dosing are Tropica TPN+, which does contain some iron, but it's definitely not on a regular basis. I do have another few red stem plants, and those are pretty red. Can barely see them in the FTS, they're hiding behind the staurogyne

 

 

Those Veros are just gorgeous. Someone on TPT is considering dumping theirs and just using 5600K 90CRI, and I'm trying to convince them not to!

[gus6464]

The ferts I'm dosing are Tropica TPN+, which does contain some iron, but it's definitely not on a regular basis. I do have another few red stem plants, and those are pretty red. Can barely see them in the FTS, they're hiding behind the staurogyne

 

 

Those Veros are just gorgeous. Someone on TPT is considering dumping theirs and just using 5600K 90CRI, and I'm trying to convince them not to!

 

Yeah you gotta be dosing a whole lotta iron to brute force red pigment if you are not running high light.

 

I stopped posting in TPT as people over there are all still obsessed with 660nm red emitters and cheap China special LEDs. People can't seem to comprehend that a 97CRI 3000K Vero has more PAR and PUR than any red led out there.

[jedimasterben]

Yeah you gotta be dosing a whole lotta iron to brute force red pigment if you are not running high light.

 

I stopped posting in TPT as people over there are all still obsessed with 660nm red emitters and cheap China special LEDs. People can't seem to comprehend that a 97CRI 3000K Vero has more PAR and PUR than any red led out there.

I think the PAR at the top is probably pretty high at the peak of the day, probably in the 200 range since peak par at the substrate is ~50. I haven't even bothered raising the peak intensity. I might when Bluefish updates their 'Natural Sun' algorithm soon to be a legit bell curve like the sun

 

Some of the DIY people are slowly seeing the light but until manufacturers switch to using better white LEDs, the masses won't either.

[Mariaface]

 

 

Some of the DIY people are slowly seeing the light but until manufacturers switch to using better white LEDs, the masses won't either.

 

I see what you did there. Puns are beautiful, and no one will convince me otherwise.

 

Also, I'm super jealous of this tank. I need to get some more diverse plants in my planted 10gal... I did manage to buy a jungle val plant, and the leaves coming in at the bottom have a distinct red hue since getting planted in Eco Complete this last weekend. Low tech, Finnex Planted because I am no LED guru, and some Flourish Excel whenever I remember to add it. I'll probably start adding Flourish for trace elements in a couple/few weeks.

[tibbsy07]

Dangit Ben. This tank is making me want a planted tank now. My wife is going to kill me.

[jedimasterben]

 

I see what you did there. Puns are beautiful, and no one will convince me otherwise.

 

Also, I'm super jealous of this tank. I need to get some more diverse plants in my planted 10gal... I did manage to buy a jungle val plant, and the leaves coming in at the bottom have a distinct red hue since getting planted in Eco Complete this last weekend. Low tech, Finnex Planted because I am no LED guru, and some Flourish Excel whenever I remember to add it. I'll probably start adding Flourish for trace elements in a couple/few weeks.

The Fluorish line is pretty expensive for not being very concentrated. Just make your own TPN+ all in one

 

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm

 

Also, I'm gonna leave the staurogyne carpet to grow in for a few more weeks and then it will need a trim, you can have the trimmings if you'd like!

 

Dangit Ben. This tank is making me want a planted tank now. My wife is going to kill me.

Just set one up. This one is 13 gallons, and there is really no maintenance.

[tibbsy07]

The Fluorish line is pretty expensive for not being very concentrated. Just make your own TPN+ all in one

 

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm

 

Also, I'm gonna leave the staurogyne carpet to grow in for a few more weeks and then it will need a trim, you can have the trimmings if you'd like!

 

Just set one up. This one is 13 gallons, and there is really no maintenance.

I have no space and my wife already hates all the stuff I have for the single 10g AIO I have, lol

[khuzdul]

Might I ask what your PH is? In my planted tank, I'm using ADA Amazonia, and my PH is about 6.0 to 6.2. Great for neon tetras, but not so great for shrimp / snails / cory cats. I was thinking of changing the substrate out to something that did not buffer the PH as much.

[jedimasterben]

Might I ask what your PH is? In my planted tank, I'm using ADA Amazonia, and my PH is about 6.0 to 6.2. Great for neon tetras, but not so great for shrimp / snails / cory cats. I was thinking of changing the substrate out to something that did not buffer the PH as much.

Uh. I've never tested it. I have to assume that it is somewhere between 0 and 14

[Mariaface]

The Fluorish line is pretty expensive for not being very concentrated. Just make your own TPN+ all in one

 

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm

 

Also, I'm gonna leave the staurogyne carpet to grow in for a few more weeks and then it will need a trim, you can have the trimmings if you'd like!

 

Crap, you totally reminded me! I had the dry NPK ingredients all set up in a cart and then never bought them.

 

I will not say no to some stauro. Just let me know when I should be paypaling you. Is that a verb? Anyway.

 

 

I have no space and my wife already hates all the stuff I have for the single 10g AIO I have, lol

 

+1 to setting one up anyway. Just build a secret room; everyone's always wanted to take a sledgehammer to a wall.

[jedimasterben]

So, turns out that pretty plant with the red on the leaves is Hygrophila polysperma var 'sunset'. AKA a class II prohibited species in FL.

[Horerczy]

So, turns out that pretty plant with the red on the leaves is Hygrophila polysperma var 'sunset'. AKA a class II prohibited species in FL.

XD

[Mirya]

So, turns out that pretty plant with the red on the leaves is Hygrophila polysperma var 'sunset'. AKA a class II prohibited species in FL.

 

But, but... it grows so well there!

 

 

Like so many other accidental/exotic invasives in Florida.

 

It is also on the Federal Noxious Weeds List, which I didn't even know our government made a list of these things until just now.

[Horerczy]

The government makes a lot of lists. There's a list of fish that you're legally required to kill if you catch one while fishing. Highly invasive things that don't belong in that environment of course.

[gamezawy]

 

Yeah you gotta be dosing a whole lotta iron to brute force red pigment if you are not running high light.

 

I stopped posting in TPT as people over there are all still obsessed with 660nm red emitters and cheap China special LEDs. People can't seem to comprehend that a 97CRI 3000K Vero has more PAR and PUR than any red led out there.

 

so gus6464 you mean if i have 3000k 97 CRI leds in my diy setup i wont need to add 660 deep red leds for my planted tank ?

 

i have 4x vero10 3000k 97 CRI leds over my tank and i was going to buy 660 deep reds and add it to to the setup