Re: [APD] Reversing day/night, Tank too hot, CO2 for day & O2 for night

[Vaughn Hopkins <hoppycalif at yahoo_com>]

Hi Tanya
My daughter is named Tanya too!
My suggestions are:  Don't use the undergravel filter or the biowheel  
filter.  Either get a canister filter or add a sponge filter to the  
powerhead, which is what I use.  The UG filter does nothing  
beneficial for the plants, and the biowheel dissipates too much CO2.
The extra two hours with 20 watts of light won't make any difference  
for the plants or fish, but if it makes for more enjoyment for you,  
go ahead.  The maximum temperature your tank reaches is high, but I  
don't think it is too high for either the plants or the fish.  You  
could do as I had to - add a small fan in the hood, directed at the  
water, to cool the water by evaporating some of it.  For me it drops  
the temperature 5 to 10 degrees F.
Since guppies will soon multiply and you will have a lot more than  
you started with, I suggest limiting your fish to the guppies and a  
half dozen other fish, preferably scavenger fish and algae eating fish.

Vaughn H.

On Jun 22, 2006, at 1:57 PM, Feddern, Tanya wrote:

> Hello.  I set up my heavily-planted, 30 gallon freshwater tank about 2
> weeks ago.  I use a 96W bulb 12 hours a day and a CO2 kit.  I have an
> undergravel filter, external biowheel filter, and a powerhead.  I have
> several questions & would appreciate your advice.  :)
>
> 1) I am thinking of putting two different lights on a timer so to  
> have a
> 20W bulb running 2 hours a day (1 hour in the morning, 1 hour in the
> evening) and the 96W bulb running 10 hours a day.  I thought this  
> could
> mimic sunrise and sunset, in a rough way, so the light change won't be
> so sudden for my fish.  Is this a good method?
>
> 2) The water temperature is 27.7C to 28.4C.  Do you have any  
> thoughts on
> how to lower my tank temperature to 25C or 26C?  (Lowering my home air
> conditioning is not an option for me.)  I noticed that the lower
> temperature is generally towards the evening, so I was thinking of
> reversing the day for the tank by wrapping a dark cloth around the  
> tank
> during the day and perhaps having a floor fan angled to blow on the
> front of the tank and using the hood lights at night.  Do you have any
> other ideas?
>
> 3) With my heavily-planted tank, I was thinking of having the  
> following
> fish: 5 Chinese Hillstream Loach (aka: Borneo Sucker, Hillstream  
> Loach,
> Hong Kong Pleco, Butterfly Loach) and 12-15 Guppies.  I'd like to  
> have a
> pair of small Gouramis or a pair of Killifish and a 6-8 member  
> school of
> either Cardinal Tetras or Harlequin Rasboras.  However, would this be
> too much?  Should I just stick to the loaches and guppies?
>
> 4) If I use the CO2 during the day, should I use additional  
> aeration at
> night to increase the oxygen?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Tanya
>
> Tanya Feddern, MLIS, AHIP, MOT, OTR/L
> http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/EBMbib.html
> http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/index.html
> Evidence-Based Medicine Assistant Professor; Reference & Education
> Services Librarian
> University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Louis Calder
> Memorial Library
>
>
>
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