Recent content by Bbunkie01

Okay, I spoke to GLA today. Couple things: GLA rep confirmed that 50psI working pressure is too high. No atomizer should need that much working pressure. So my atomizer is either clogged (unlikely considering it’s not that old), or it’s a defective unit. I’m leaning toward the later. I am...

Drop checker is a nice lime green, though personally, I find them somewhat unreliable. I prefer using the relative pH drop method, along with the livestock stress method, to measure CO2 levels. I eventually got to a very fast stream of bubbles per second. Certainly higher than 5 BPS. I will...

That’s what worries me. I cannot detect any exterior leak. Do you think it’s possible my canister was originally not filled to full capacity?

Have not contacted Green Leaf yet. I’ve seen posts like yours and I just can’t fathom anything lower than 5 bubbles per second in a densely planted 75 gallon. I must be doing something very wrong here. Maybe the issue is my inline atomizer? And it is indeed an atomizer, not a regular...

Hello, all. I’m getting some strange behavior/readings from my regulator. Important details: Regulator: GLA Gro-1 Diffuser: NilocG Inline Atomizer Tubing: Aquatek CO2 Tubing Check Valve: Brass Aquatek check valve in addition to the glass bubble counter/check valve that came attached to the...

Figured as much. Just curious if utilizing sodium bicarbonate for KH would be “killing too birds with one stone,” so to speak, in combating sodium adverse protozoa. I’ve never had luck with Val’s no matter what water I put them in. I know they’re supposed to be pretty easy low tech plants, but...

Figured as much. Just curious if utilizing sodium bicarbonate for KH would be “killing too birds with one stone,” so to speak, in combating sodium adverse protozoa. Trusting your experience, I’m going to try sodium bicarbonate for KH remineralization. Wish me luck!

Good to know. Hard to argue with 11 years of experience. I would imagine no more than 1.5-2tsp of sodium bicarbonate will be sufficient for 30-35 gallons of RODI water, yes? Should raise the KH from 0 to approximately 3. Edit: As an aside, will approximately 7ppm of Na fight common parasite...

I was having much greater difficulties with both algae and plant growth using tap water. I live in the American Southwest, and my tap water is extraordinarily hard and polluted. Trace amounts of lead and uranium. KH 8. GH 18. Lots of phosphate and silica. TDS 500+. My city regularly tops “worst...

SeattleRoy suggests sodium bicarbonate over potassium bicarbonate for KH. What are your thoughts on this? On the K overdose in general, since my nitrate and phosphate levels are both reading high as is (40 and 5ppm respectively), what about cutting down on both KNO3 and KH2PO4 in addition to...

Sound advice. Thank you. I figured I was on the high end of potassium concentration. I didn’t know how much that could/would affect other nutrient uptake, but I figured I was fine (if not low), when plants were still showing pinholes. Though now I see just how much was being overdosed. I’ve...

Again, so reassuring to hear. Thanks again. Will absolutely update this thread in a couple months or so.

Thank you so much for your reply. I do have a single bristlenose pleco in the tank, as well as many snails. I’ve never seen him munch on the h. compacta, but he very well could be. Right now, I am using remineralized RODI water, not tap. So obviously, my KH and GH starts off at 0. I...

Thank you very much for your encouraging words. This is my first hi-tech tank, and I’ve tried to consume as much information as possible to make it a success. I’ve definitely stumbled along the way (including a minor flood when I didn’t put a check valve on an airstone line; lesson learned for...

According to Dennis Wong, the thought basically boils down to this: High, less efficient rate of injection paired with high surface agitation is superior to low, more efficient rate of injection paired with little surface agitation. Wong is of the opinion that gassing off is ultimately...