1st planted aquarium - Cycling CO2 PH advice needed

[vpdanas]

Also, do people split their light-on period to morning and evening? Or just 6/8 hours in one (whatever time of day that might be preferred)

[emma01]

you could get yourself a uv steralisor and run it for 3 weeks there about 26 quid on ebay its a internal filter with a uv light built in i got one myself it does the job if u interested i could give u the item number ..

[vpdanas]

you could get yourself a uv steralisor and run it for 3 weeks there about 26 quid on ebay its a internal filter with a uv light built in i got one myself it does the job if u interested i could give u the item number ..

Thanks , I looked in to UV but first want to see if the new location and better light management....and plants of course....resolve that as a general issue. Wouldn't mind a snidge of algae for the snails and shrimp in the tank. Plus did read UV can kill off beneficial stuff...so i'll defo put that idea in my plan B.

Mostly interested in experience with CO2 and PH and finding that balance

[vpdanas]

Greetings. & welcome

pH won't harm your plants only extremes might detrimental. I have never used Tropica system 60 CO2 kit on my high tech aquariums in the past but I will say that sort of system can be a little unstable, say if your forget to fill the dosing chamber one day. Fertilise daily, better the plants get a constant supply rather than one large hit per week. With injected CO2 you need a total volume of your aquarium to be circulating ten per hour, so might an idea to add a circulation pump. Lights, I wouldn't take them much over six hours for the time being.

Where in the country are you, what species of plants do you have, is your supply soft or hardwater, some test results would help and we like pictures here, @Gingerlove05 is always pestering members for pictures of aquariums ...he says, tongue in cheek.

Thanks so much for the reply. Keen to learn and create best environment from more experienced.
@Martinspuddle I’ll fert 1 squirt daily from now instead of 7 in 1 go. It’s Tropica Premium. Tbh was topping 1 squirt with the water changes Every other so makes sense.
Yes, I intend to get a self-creating co2 supply but delivery was way off so the system 60 was just in the theory of some is better than none. I will defo look in to power head to assist circulation as my filter circulates 770 lph and not 10 times (1000lph) as you recommend.
Plants ... Eleocharis A mini as main foreground carpet, with some Monte Carlo, moss on hardscape; Ech Quadricostarus, Reinecki Rosanervig, Micro Pteropus, crypto undulata as MID Section and Hygro Corymbosa & Reinicki Pink as back section stems. Eleocharis is going a little yellow after a week so hoping better fert distribution will help (thinking of stopping filter for a few mins too in hope it get down to it .. thoughts?)

As I say, drop checker blue but ph low so contradiction there.
I’m in Wirral. Water generally harder but established tank ph around 7.2 but no co2 and an aerator so am I right in thinking with co2 ph will always be a little lower? Or will it up with cycle progression. Should I aerate overnight to ensure o2 for future fish and rid tank of excess co2 not used that day?! Or is that just wasting it? Pic attached as requested.

[emma01]

a uv steralisor does not kill off beneficial bacteria thats just hear say ive used before with fish in and never had a problem but it will defo kill off all kinds of algae but with your algae problem if u got too much light and phosphates in your tap water and too much fertalizor that adds to more algae build up and if u have only a few plants in your aquarium i would not even run co2 but everyone is different..

[emma01]

i would say with your lights 6 hours aday for now until your tank gets established buy your self a timer save you the hassle of turning on and off..

[Stephen]

there is a lot benefit from useing cycle water from a cycled tank cause it has all the beneficial bacteria in the water column to seed your filter media but each to there own everyone has there own opinion ...

There is hardly any beneficial bacteria in water from an established aquarium.
Most of the beneficial bacteria is in the filter itself with some on the rocks and décor.
Adding established media from an established filter will help seed a new filter but the water itself has hardly any value.

[plankton]

Welcome to the forum.
The only reason I can see for using old tankwater in a new tank is to keep the ph and hardness stable if the tapwater is different, otherwise there is very little benefit.
As Stephen says, the munchers are mainly held in the filter media, with a small percentage on decor.
The lighting timings are basically down to you. You can have a split time if that suits you for watching the fish, or you can have it in one block, but probably no longer than 8 hours to keep algae at a minimum.
There is a theory that split timings can upset the growth of algae, but if that's true it may also upset the growth of plants,but I'm no botanist.
As you have fish in the tank you need to be doing daily checks on ammonia and nitrite and water changing to keep the values below 0.25ppm.

[vpdanas]

Welcome to the forum.
The only reason I can see for using old tankwater in a new tank is to keep the ph and hardness stable if the tapwater is different, otherwise there is very little benefit.
As Stephen says, the munchers are mainly held in the filter media, with a small percentage on decor.
The lighting timings are basically down to you. You can have a split time if that suits you for watching the fish, or you can have it in one block, but probably no longer than 8 hours to keep algae at a minimum.
There is a theory that split timings can upset the growth of algae, but if that's true it may also upset the growth of plants,but I'm no botanist.
As you have fish in the tank you need to be doing daily checks on ammonia and nitrite and water changing to keep the values below 0.25ppm.

Thank you .. and would you advise O2 overnight to clear excess co2 that might be reducing the ph or would you think that would waste the co2? I’m thinking of aerating over night in hope to increase ph by way exchanging out co2, with obvious benefit to fish.

Also, do you agree with Emma’s view, seems fair logic that the very ammonia I need to cycle would be used by plants making cycle ineffective? I’ve not really thought of this but seems logical unless other view to reassure? I am using seachem stability daily to boost bio and aid cycle but would that be enough? (Water changing every other day too for first 2 weeks and until parameters are steady)

[Gingerlove05]

If the tank is cycled and the plants are in situe, you may not get a full cycle (i see the logic although i dont know if its correct) but if thats the case then the plants would make up for the lower number of bacteria by taking up ammonia/nitrite.
Although because the water would be filtered through the filter a lot faster than through the plants, the majority of the waste would be dealt with here as the vast majority of bacteria would house themselves here because of the constant flow of food. Well i think anyway