# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  need help with lights

## marx

any bros here can advise if i want to do a 4 feet planted tank. what lights do i have as options? what is recommended?

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## Phillipians

2 big questions:

1) What kind of a tank do you intend to have? - High or low maintenance?
2) What kind of a budget do you have?

There are so many permutations for the types of things you can do with a 4ft tank. Some can do high maintenance with lots of DIY lighting (cheap) or low maintenance with ADA (aka top range) products.

You will need to be more specific rather than ask a vague question.

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## Phillipians

Or alternatively, if you are really new to this, google and look for a tank and let us know what kind of a look you want to achieve. That gives an idea. And also, main thing is still budget.

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## marx

thanks for the prompt reply.. 
1) im having a 4 x 1.5 x 1.5 feet. consisting of hc and mc carpeting and some mosses and little bits and pieces of plants. 
2) budget wise - mid range. 
my first planted tank but looking at eventually attempting others.
probably looking at just buying a decent one and use throughout. 

hope this info is sufficient  :Smile:

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## Shadow

You better stick with MC only for the following reason
1. HC is more difficult to take care than MC. It is not plant for newcomer.
2. MC grow much faster than HC, it will over run HC very fast.
3. Normal people can't really tell between HC and MC. It become pointless to have it at the same tank

Light wise, you can try 4 tube of T5HO. Recently there are plenty of LED light set in the market but I have trouble controlling plant grow using LED.

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## Ingen

Shadow, can share more about your problem controlling plant growth with LED?

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## Shadow

cant tell much, I dont have time to trouble shoot what going on. It could be just me since others not complaining. What I found is interesting top half of the tank grow green spot algae where the bottom half not at all.

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## Urban Aquaria

> What I found is interesting top half of the tank grow green spot algae where the bottom half not at all.


Thats interesting... in my case, i find that the bottom half of my tanks get green spot algae, but the top half don't have. The line is very precise, its look like someone draw a line right through the middle of the tank and the GSA cannot cross it, haha.  :Grin: 

I guess the tuned spectrums and angle spread of different LED lights have alot to do with how plants and algae react to them.

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## Kevinova

Sorry to hijack this forum. I'm having a 3x2x2 tank lately. Equipped with 2x 39W x 4 T5HO lights. I've also have a chiller set at 25DegC with 3bps CO2 injection for 8hrs. It has been a month my plants are doing well but it just doesn't have the pearling effect. Any advise?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Sorry to hijack this forum. I'm having a 3x2x2 tank lately. Equipped with 2x 39W x 4 T5HO lights. I've also have a chiller set at 25DegC with 3bps CO2 injection for 8hrs. It has been a month my plants are doing well but it just doesn't have the pearling effect. Any advise?


How are the Co2 levels in the tank? ie. is the drop checker at green color during the active photoperiod? 
Whats your fertilizer dosing regimen like?
What type of plants are in the tank?

Not sure if it affects as much, tanks with cooler water can hold more oxygen, so they may achieve oxygen saturation abit later than compared to tanks with warmer water, hence pearling might take abit more time to happen.

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## Kevinova

Please see my response below.

Btw is my lighting good enough for 2 ft depth tank?




> How are the Co2 levels in the tank? ie. is the drop checker at green color during the active photoperiod? 
> Oh. I do not check the CO2 level.
> Whats your fertilizer dosing regimen like? I uses the complete set of HCP 1 from LUSHGrow.
> What type of plants are in the tank? HC, downoi, Rotala, tiger lily...
> 
> Not sure if it affects as much, tanks with cooler water can hold more oxygen, so they may achieve oxygen saturation abit later than compared to tanks with warmer water, hence pearling might take abit more time to happen.

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## Urban Aquaria

Okay, assuming your fertilizer dosing regimen and lights are optimal (2x 39W x 4 T5HO lights = 312 watts of T5HO lights on a 4ft tank, it should be sufficient for a 2ft height tank)... the unknown factor here would be the Co2 level in the tank water.

The Co2 levels in a tank can't be measured just by BPS injection rate, it depends on water volume, diffuser efficiency, Co2 dissolve rate, circulation and the plant Co2 take-up rate... hence every tank setup would be different.

Therefore to narrow down the possible causes, just get a Co2 drop checker to test the Co2 levels in various areas of your tank (especially areas where the plants are), it should be a consistent lime green to light green color during the active photoperiod, if its dark green or blue, then it indicates insufficient Co2 levels and it means the plants overall photosynthesis rate is being limited by restricted carbon supply, which may explain the lack of pearling effects.

Note that Co2 drop checkers usually have a delay of 1-2 hours when reacting to changes in Co2 levels, so leave the drop checker in an area for at least a few hours to generate the results. Don't keep shifting it around every 10-15 minutes, some people do that and keep wondering why its not working.  :Grin: 

Btw, get the Co2 drop checkers that come packaged with pre-mixed indicator solution (not those that require you to mix), like the ones from Ocean Free or ISTA brands, they are much easier and more reliable to use.

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## Kevino

Thank you. Will start with that approach. And advise accordingly.

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## Kevino

Hi Urban. Thank you so much. The CO2 indicator shows that my tank CO2 injection is insufficient. Now I have to blast my CO2 like 10bps. I'm currently using an automizer. And my tank is clouded with diffused tiny CO2. Is there a better way or a CO2 reactor will minimise or reduce the sight of it?

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## Kevino

One more thing. My CO2 indicator shows only bluish green not even green and I'm already injecting 10bps. Need your advise.

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## Urban Aquaria

> One more thing. My CO2 indicator shows only bluish green not even green and I'm already injecting 10bps. Need your advise.


Well, there could be a few possible reasons for that:

1. Your tank volume works out to around 324 liters, although bubbles-per-second (BPS) isn't a reliable way to gauge Co2 levels between different tanks (due to variations in their equipment and setups), but just as an rough estimate based solely on relative water volume, if you consider that there are people who are running 2ft/64 liter tanks already injecting 2-3 BPS to achieve their optimal Co2 levels... since your tank volume is around 5x larger, hence "in theory" it should also require 5x more Co2 to achieve the same Co2 concentration levels too. Therefore an injection rate of more than >10 BPS for your large tank volume may not be so surprising after all.  :Smile: 

2. Your current Co2 diffusion rate might not be as efficient as it could be, perhaps alot of the injected Co2 gets wasted as it rises up too quickly and pops at the water surface, or there is alot of surface agitation and the Co2 is driven off as fast as its being injected. You'll have to look at your Co2 diffusion method (maybe consider more efficient diffusion methods like Co2 reactors), or look at whether there is excessive surface agitation (ie. constant splashing from spray bars) and see if you can reduce it.

3. If your tank is choc full of established fast growing plants that receive ample nutrient and lights, the large plant mass might actually be consuming all the Co2 being injected, hence they may really do need even more Co2 to support their rapid growth.

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## Phillipians

A reactor is only good if your filter powering the reactor is sufficiently pumping and mixing meaning that you need a powerful filter to drive and improve diffusion
You can alternatively try those bazooka diffusers which supposedly help better diffusion.

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## Kevino

Thanks Urban and Philipians. I started using reactor previously and realized the dissolving is not fast enough causing the bioball within the reactor choked(not spinning CO2 keeps building up in the chamber) hence change to a bazooka diffuser. It is just that with the amount of CO2 injection the tiny CO2 bubble is crowding the entire tank. Should I go back to CO2 reactor?

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## Phillipians

That was the reason i used a reactor as i didnt like the fine bubble clouding the view. I like pristine waters.

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## Phillipians

Just ensure that your filter is powerful enough. I used Sera filter. There is a lookalike ista one which is much cheaper. Probably works the same way.

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## Kevino

Can you share which reactor you use?

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## Kevino

What I have is a powerhead 400L/hr to run my reactor (what 4 bioballs).

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## Kevino

Hi Phil. What is your tank size? Able to share the pictures on the filter and reactor you are using?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks Urban and Philipians. I started using reactor previously and realized the dissolving is not fast enough causing the bioball within the reactor choked(not spinning CO2 keeps building up in the chamber) hence change to a bazooka diffuser. It is just that with the amount of CO2 injection the tiny CO2 bubble is crowding the entire tank. Should I go back to CO2 reactor?


Yeah, you need to match the reactor size with the filter flow rate (there are different sizes of reactors)... if the filter is too slow or BPS too high for the reactor size, then alot of CO2 will tend to build up, if the filter is too fast for the reactor size then alot of the Co2 will get flushed ineffectively out as bubbles. Hence getting the correct sized reactor for the canister filter flow rate is important.

Note that its actually okay for a small pocket of Co2 to accumulate at the top of the reactor, its just being progressively mixed and dissolved, so that there is zero wastage, rather than all that Co2 just coming out out the outflow and simply getting wasted at the water surface.

Instead of those older reactor designs that use tumbling plastic balls, you can look at the newer designs like the ISTA Mix Max, it uses a pair of inbuilt rotors/impellers (naturally powered by the filter's flow) which spin at high speed and chop up the pocket of Co2 gas into smaller bubbles for faster and more complete dissolve rate inside the reactor. It also comes in 2 sizes so you can pick the one which matches your filter flow rate (M-size is for 360-1,000 l/ph canister filters, L-size is for >1,000 l/ph canister filters)... here are what they look like:



Photo from Mizuworld.

Here is a demo video on how its setup and used:




With a properly functioning Co2 reactor, you may find that less BPS injection is required to achieve the optimal Co2 levels (due to its near 100% Co2 dissolve efficiency), hence that could save you $$$ on Co2 refills in the long run.  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

Btw... this is the version i use, its also from ISTA and works the same way as the Mix Max models, but uses the design of the Sera 500 model:



The advantage of this version is it comes with lock nuts to secure the hoses.  :Smile: 

This reactor model is rated for 360-1,000 l/ph canister filters. This design doesn't have a larger version for higher flow-rate filters though, for those have to go for the L-size Mix Max model.

I run this Co2 reactor with a 750 l/ph Eheim Ecco Pro 300 canister filter at 0.5-1.0 BPS injection rate for a 2ft/64 liter planted tank, the Co2 drop checker is constantly at light green during active photoperiod, and plants pearling within 15 minutes of lights on.

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## Phillipians

Mine is the sera reactor 500
http://m.petco.com/product/120388/Se...e-Reactor.aspx
Powered by my eheim 2217
More than enough power. But it is recently slowing down a little

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## Phillipians

Mine is assembled the same way as urban aquaria. But his is much nicer in terms of placement. I leave mine on the floor of the cabinet hahah.
A very good reactor i must say. Results so far are good

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## reeshee

> Btw... this is the version i use, its also from ISTA and works the same way as the Mix Max models, but uses the design of the Sera 500 model:
> 
> 
> 
> The advantage of this version is it comes with lock nuts to secure the hoses. 
> 
> This reactor model is rated for 360-1,000 l/ph canister filters. This design doesn't have a larger version for higher flow-rate filters though, for those have to go for the L-size Mix Max model.


Amazing clean hoses you have there brother...

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## Urban Aquaria

> Amazing clean hoses you have there brother...


Thanks... thats what it looks like just after being cleaned though, usually its brownish from all the accumulate mulm.  :Grin:

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## Kevino

Thank you guys for the advise. I guess I've got to get this reactor. Will update you guys once I acquired it. Thanks again guys.

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## Kevino

My is a overflow and sump system hence no canister filter to hook on. Need to get a pump to push the reactor. Based on my tank size what is the recommended pump and reactor size to use?

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## Urban Aquaria

> My is a overflow and sump system hence no canister filter to hook on. Need to get a pump to push the reactor. Based on my tank size what is the recommended pump and reactor size to use?


For your current 400 l/ph powerhead, the M-size model would be suitable. 

Though a stronger powerhead (maybe 600-800 l/ph) would help dissolve the Co2 quicker as it spins the impellers faster to churn and chop up the bubbles.

If you upgrade to an even stronger powerhead with close to or higher than 1,000 l/ph flow rate, then the L-size version would work better.

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## reeshee

> For your current 400 l/ph powerhead, the M-size model would be suitable. 
> 
> Though a stronger powerhead (maybe 600-800 l/ph) would help dissolve the Co2 quicker as it spins the impellers faster to churn and chop up the bubbles.
> 
> If you upgrade to an even stronger powerhead with close to or higher than 1,000 l/ph flow rate, then the L-size version would work better.


Sorry to interrupt. A question, I understand that with a stronger flow rate the co2 will be dissolved better. However, won't that also cause stress to the fauna? Currently I have reduced the flow rate as my shrimps look like they are in a washing machine near the outlet  :Razz:

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## Phillipians

By right the flow rate would reduce after passing through the reactor. That is why getting a little more powerful should be alright

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## Urban Aquaria

> Sorry to interrupt. A question, I understand that with a stronger flow rate the co2 will be dissolved better. However, won't that also cause stress to the fauna? Currently I have reduced the flow rate as my shrimps look like they are in a washing machine near the outlet


Yeah, it depends on your tank size and how your filter distributes the flow.

If higher flow rate filters are used and will be creating excessive flow, then you just need to find ways to slow down or baffle the flow at the output (while still retaining the high flow rate within the filter system)... either point the outflow towards hardscape or use larger diameter outputs.

One of the best ways (and also looks nice) is to use different shaped lily pipe outflows, like the "poppy" or "spin" type outflows, they redirect the flow upwards or sideways to spread out the flow and reduce the overall current.

Here are some examples of the poppy and spin lily pipe designs...





Photos from VIV website.

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## Phillipians

One tip though. I really hate using glass pipes now as i always have a hard time maintaining the inlet pipe. You can always get a double tap to reduce flow and also use stainless steel one. Sleek and does not expose the algae and bacteria

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## Kevino

> One tip though. I really hate using glass pipes now as i always have a hard time maintaining the inlet pipe. You can always get a double tap to reduce flow and also use stainless steel one. Sleek and does not expose the algae and bacteria


Can you advise what double tap and also the stainless steel type are?

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## Kevino

Guys. Does it matter if I put it in my sump?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Guys. Does it matter if I put it in my sump?


You can put the reactor outlet anywhere, the sump is fine too... just have to make sure the outflow in the main tank is creating a good circulation with minimal deadspots to get Co2 infused water effectively to as many planted areas of the tank as possible.

Btw, planted tanks that use sump filtration do tend to off-gas more Co2 due to the higher water agitation from the overflow and sump system. In addition, the larger combined water surface area of both the main tank and sump tank also contribute to increased rate of Co2 loss, hence its quite common that such setups usually require more Co2 to be injected in order to compensate for those effects.

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## Phillipians

Go to the LFS and tell them you want eheim double taps. Alternatively google eheim double tap and you get the idea.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Can you advise what double tap and also the stainless steel type are?


Double taps are adjustable 2-part valve taps that are installed on filter hoses so that you can close the taps and disconnect the hoses without removing them from their filter fittings, they can also be used to slow down flow by adjusting them partially closed or open accordingly.

Stainless steel pipes are made from stainless steel material not glass, therefore opaque so you wouldn't see the mulm and algae building up inside. It's an alternative version of inflow and outflow pipes.

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## Kevino

Thanks guys for the information.

Phil, can share a picture of your tank?

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## Kevino

Bought the ISTA reactor and a 600L/hr powerhead. Sadly it is not strong enough to pump the water from my sump to the tank. Hence got to put it in the whole thing in the tank until I try to resolve it. Any advise. Sighhhhh.

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Bought the ISTA reactor and a 600L/hr powerhead. Sadly it is not strong enough to pump the water from my sump to the tank. Hence got to put it in the whole thing in the tank until I try to resolve it. Any advise. Sighhhhh.



How high is your pump to your tank? Did you factor in headloss?

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## Kevino

Around 4ft. What is headloss?

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## mUAr_cHEe

Headloss is the lost of power or pumped water volume as the water goes up and needs to travel against gravity. If there is a long way for the water to go back to the tank, you will usually need to get a stronger pump to compensate.

I got this example of a headloss chart from Google Images.



Based on this chart, you will need to get an Eheim 1250 Universal Pump or its equivalent.

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## Kevino

Sorry I'm not a Eheim guys. Eheim 1250 equals to 1250L/hr pump?

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## Kevino

Just checked. It is a 1200L/hr pump. Is it better to get a canister filter then?

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## mUAr_cHEe

From my understanding, pump power (l/hr) and pump head (height that the pump can pump up to) are not related. An Eheim Univeral 1200 (Model 1250) can pump 1,200l/hr and up to 2.0m high. There is another Magnetic Drive Pump that I found, China-made MP-15R which can pump 960l/hr and up to 2.7m high.

Maybe let me know what pump you got and I can try to find out the specifications for you.

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## mUAr_cHEe

> Just checked. It is a 1200L/hr pump. Is it better to get a canister filter then?


It depends on your set up. If you already have a sump, then just get a pump to get the water back up.

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## Kevino

Really bad luck. The CO2 nozzle on the reactor broke. So can't do anything until I get a new one. By the way, the power head I bought is Micro Pius from SICCE.

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## mUAr_cHEe

Oh! If you are getting SICCE pumps, it would be much easier since information about them is easier to obtain from the web. They got a good piece on head loss on their website. Right Click and Save As.. here.

You can consider the Sicce Nova or Syncra Silent .5 pump.

Above information is derived from I can get from the internet.

Our of curiosity, how did you managed to break the CO2 nozzle?

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## Kevino

I broke it while trying to remove the CO2 tubing...

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## Kevino

Just bought ISTA Min Max reactor and Sicce Idra. Hopefully it works this time. By the way, is there such a thing as check valve preventing water from back flowing?

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## Urban Aquaria

> By the way, is there such a thing as check valve preventing water from back flowing?


Yes, you should buy a check-valve to install between the reactor and bubble counter, that will prevent tank water backflowing into the Co2 system. 

Suitable check-valves are usually available at most LFS, but do try to get the check-valves which are designed for Co2 injection systems (the ones meant for air pumps may not be as reliable when subjected to higher Co2 pressure).

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## Kevino

Yes I have the check valve installed for my CO2. I'm looking for a check valve preventing the water flowing back into the sump if my pump stops working for whatever reason.

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## Urban Aquaria

> Yes I have the check valve installed for my CO2. I'm looking for a check valve preventing the water flowing back into the sump if my pump stops working for whatever reason.


I see, yeah... you can get suitable check valves for the return pipe from the LFS or tank maker which supplied you the sump tank, they should have stock of those parts.

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## Kevino

Hello. Correction I bought the Syncra Silent 1.5 pump not Idra. Ok..... Now my Max Min spins. And I observed the amount of CO2 seems similar of 10bps and my CO2 indicator barely reach light green. Faint....

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hello. Correction I bought the Syncra Silent 1.5 pump not Idra. Ok..... Now my Max Min spins. And I observed the amount of CO2 seems similar of 10bps and my CO2 indicator barely reach light green. Faint....


Although a Co2 reactor is more efficient, due to the large volume of your tank and the higher combined surface area and agitation of the sump filtration system (which greatly increases Co2 losses), you'll still need to further optimize the Co2 system by adjusting other factors like injection timing and overall distribution.

Here are some additional things to adjust...

Try starting the Co2 injection much earlier than your lights, instead of the usual 30mins-1hr, try starting it 2 hours or even 3 hours beforehand (adjust the timings gradually in stages over the course of a few days). This allows the Co2 injection more time to build up to optimal levels before the lights come on and the plants start consuming it, this is especially important in a tank with larger water volume.

There is already alot of water agitation in the sump filter system and alot of the Co2 is lost there, but since the sump filtration cannot be stopped, you'll have to find other ways to reduce the losses. If you are using spray bars for your outflow, keep them submerged below the water level to reduce surface agitation as much as possible in the main tank, that should at least help reduce or delay a portion of of overall Co2 losses.

Place the drop checker at different parts of your tank to check if there are variations in Co2 concentration at specific areas (make sure it stays in each position for at least a few hours to allow time for the indicator color to change), your tank volume is large and the pump flow rate (if assuming 1,300+ l/ph) works out to only around 4x turnover, so the distribution of Co2 may be slower and there may be dead-spots in certain areas.

As you adjust the various Co2 settings, observe the Co2 levels over the course of a week, see if it is able to slowly accumulate to higher levels in the water over time (if they are not fully driven off by surface gas exchange, a certain amount of Co2 content can stay in the water and accumulate day by day)... this process in a large tank does take correspondingly more time, compared to a smaller tank with alot less water volume.

Important note... do monitor the livestock in the tank when doing all these adjustments and tweaks on the Co2 system (watch if the fishes start gasping for air or behave oddly), with the high amount of Co2 being injected, things can quickly go overboard, so it best to be vigilant.

Btw, just to make sure you are using a Co2 drop checker with pre-mixed indicator solution? Or at least if its those type that need to be mixed, you mixed properly with 4dKH reference water? Not using aquarium water? Otherwise all the Co2 measurements would end up wrong anyways and its back to square one.  :Grin:

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## Kevino

I've reduced the sump flow tremendously(almost off) and started my CO2 injection 2 hours earlier to reach the light green CO2 indicator and plants starting pearling. But the amount of CO2 injection is still around 10bps. Any advise?

One important factor I forgot to mention is that I find 2 x T5HO(39 x 4) is not enough to reach my HC hence I add an IP4 to it.

Yes, I'm using the Ocean Free CO2 indicator and pre-mixed indicator solution.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I've reduced the sump flow tremendously(almost off) and started my CO2 injection 2 hours earlier to reach the light green CO2 indicator and plants starting pearling. But the amount of CO2 injection is still around 10bps. Any advise?
> 
> One important factor I forgot to mention is that I find 2 x T5HO(39 x 4) is not enough to reach my HC hence I add an IP4 to it.
> 
> Yes, I'm using the Ocean Free CO2 indicator and pre-mixed indicator solution.


Okay, thats good... since you have achieved getting the light green color on the drop checker during active photoperiod and can get the plants pearling (which is the best indication), it means your Co2 injection is now at the suitable stage for fine tuning.

The next step is to increase the sump flow slowly and try reducing the bps to 9, then 8, then 7 etc, monitor if the Co2 levels still remain optimal. Once you find the maximum sump flow and minimum bps required to maintain the optimal Co2 levels, then those would be the best settings for your tank setup. 

At the end of the day, your tank volume is large and its running a sump filtration system, so it will naturally require more Co2 to be injected to compensate (definitely more compared to a similar tank with canister filter system), hence its just a matter of optimizing the Co2 injection configuration based on your current equipment setup.

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## Kevino

Thanks for all the help. Shall adjust and monitor the flow and bps closely. Thanks again.

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## mercur1al

> Btw... this is the version i use, its also from ISTA and works the same way as the Mix Max models, but uses the design of the Sera 500 model:
> 
> 
> 
> The advantage of this version is it comes with lock nuts to secure the hoses. 
> 
> This reactor model is rated for 360-1,000 l/ph canister filters. This design doesn't have a larger version for higher flow-rate filters though, for those have to go for the L-size Mix Max model.
> 
> I run this Co2 reactor with a 750 l/ph Eheim Ecco Pro 300 canister filter at 0.5-1.0 BPS injection rate for a 2ft/64 liter planted tank, the Co2 drop checker is constantly at light green during active photoperiod, and plants pearling within 15 minutes of lights on.


How did you mount the suction cups bro? Any secrets?

I have been trying to mount them, they basically get detached from the cabinet wall in 5 mins max.

Tried all sorts of ways from washing the suction cups, using rubbing alcohol to clean the cabinet wall... About to tear my hair out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Urban Aquaria

> How did you mount the suction cups bro? Any secrets?
> 
> I have been trying to mount them, they basically get detached from the cabinet wall in 5 mins max.
> 
> Tried all sorts of ways from washing the suction cups, using rubbing alcohol to clean the cabinet wall... About to tear my hair out.


I guess it depends on how the reactor is positioned... in my case, the in/out hoses are all measured and cut to exact lengths so that even if the reactor is unattached, it will still hang at the same position on its own, so the unit has no issues staying attached to the cabinet side wall using the suction cups (the hoses are not trying to push or pull it away from the wall).

Maybe you can try adjusting your hose positions and lengths so that there are less forces exerting on shifting the reactor unit away from its position, then it'll stay attached more securely.

The other alternative is to just use those 3M command hooks or drill a mounting screw into the cabinet wall to hook up the reactor.

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## AQMS

The mount have screw holes which you can use screws. I screwed mine but after less than a month i don't use it any more,
the propeller in the chamber keep getting stuck because of accumulated dirt and it get on my nerve to clean it every time.

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## mercur1al

> I guess it depends on how the reactor is positioned... in my case, the in/out hoses are all measured and cut to exact lengths so that even if the reactor is unattached, it will still hang at the same position on its own, so the unit has no issues staying attached to the cabinet side wall using the suction cups (the hoses are not trying to push or pull it away from the wall).
> 
> Maybe you can try adjusting your hose positions and lengths so that there are less forces exerting on shifting the reactor unit away from its position, then it'll stay attached more securely.
> 
> The other alternative is to just use those 3M command hooks or drill a mounting screw into the cabinet wall to hook up the reactor.


Let me try to adjust my hoses first. Seriously getting on my nerves... Or I'll go grab the command hooks.

Really can't bear to drill into the cabinet... 


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## mercur1al

> The mount have screw holes which you can use screws. I screwed mine but after less than a month i don't use it any more,
> the propeller in the chamber keep getting stuck because of accumulated dirt and it get on my nerve to clean it every time.


Am currently using the up inline ceramic atomizer. But thinking of ditching it cause I'll end up needing to use peroxide to clean it, hence thought of going to a reactor.


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## Urban Aquaria

> The mount have screw holes which you can use screws. I screwed mine but after less than a month i don't use it any more,
> the propeller in the chamber keep getting stuck because of accumulated dirt and it get on my nerve to clean it every time.


It shouldn't be stuck due to accumulated dirt... my units have been running smoothly for more than a year without ever needing to clean the rotors. 

If the rotors accumulate that much dirt that it gets stuck each time, maybe have to check your filter efficiency, water coming out of the filter should be clean and free of even the finest particles, so there shouldn't be accumulation of that much dirt in the outflow path.

My guess is your unit probably has rotors that had some excess plastic molding material which already created extra friction from the beginning (some units encounter it), so you may have to take out the rotors and trim away any excess plastic to allow for ample spacing to enable smooth spinning.

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## mercur1al

Looks like I have to get the command hooks.

Just tried mounting the bracket alone with the suction cups. Even with a non existent weight and no tension from hoses, bracket also dropped. 


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## Urban Aquaria

> Looks like I have to get the command hooks.
> 
> Just tried mounting the bracket alone with the suction cups. Even with a non existent weight and no tension from hoses, bracket also dropped.


Yeah, suction cups are designed to stick to glass (like the side of a tank) or tile surfaces, not matt laminate surfaces that are in cabinets... if you still want to use the suction cups, there are those glossy stickers you can buy from neighborhood hardware shops which simulate the glass/tile surfaces in kitchens, so suction cups can stick to it.

Anyways, command hooks are probably the best option since they can stick to the laminate surfaces and can be easily removed anytime too.

Most of the weight of the reactor will actually be held up by the outflow hose extending vertically to the lily pipe, so make sure you cut the hose the the exact length so that even without being attached to anything, the reactor will still hang in the same position on its own, then the load will be spread out evenly amongst all the attachment points.

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## Dscheng

I using 3M heavy duty double sided tape.

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## mercur1al

> I using 3M heavy duty double sided tape.


Thank you for your input bro! Tried to get it set up with 3M Command hook, works but not too happy with it.

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## mercur1al

> Yeah, suction cups are designed to stick to glass (like the side of a tank) or tile surfaces, not matt laminate surfaces that are in cabinets... if you still want to use the suction cups, there are those glossy stickers you can buy from neighborhood hardware shops which simulate the glass/tile surfaces in kitchens, so suction cups can stick to it.
> 
> Anyways, command hooks are probably the best option since they can stick to the laminate surfaces and can be easily removed anytime too.
> 
> Most of the weight of the reactor will actually be held up by the outflow hose extending vertically to the lily pipe, so make sure you cut the hose the the exact length so that even without being attached to anything, the reactor will still hang in the same position on its own, then the load will be spread out evenly amongst all the attachment points.


Grabbed the command hooks yesterday. Think they were the 1.3kg per hook version, unfortunately though it works, the size of the hook means i can only mount 1 hook. Hence the reactor is slanted actually, so i went around to look for the glossy stickers. Haven't found them yet, will keep looking.

However, managed to find the pneumatic quick release, gonna start using them once i flood my tank. Thanks for the tip UA!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Grabbed the command hooks yesterday. Think they were the 1.3kg per hook version, unfortunately though it works, the size of the hook means i can only mount 1 hook. Hence the reactor is slanted actually, so i went around to look for the glossy stickers. Haven't found them yet, will keep looking.
> 
> However, managed to find the pneumatic quick release, gonna start using them once i flood my tank. Thanks for the tip UA!


The 1.3kg command hooks are quite large... maybe try the smaller 225 gram hooks, they have little wire hooks meant for holding small utensils, look like this:


Source: http://www.command.com.sg/wps/portal...4737333&rt=rud

Those are much smaller in size and may be able to fit better.  :Very Happy:

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## Urban Aquaria

Another option is to just use the 3M adhesive strip and stick it directly to the reactor's plastic holder mount (remove the suction cups beforehand), then attach it to the cabinet wall. That'll work too, no need to use the hooks. You can still detach it anytime.

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## mercur1al

> Another option is to just use the 3M adhesive strip and stick it directly to the reactor's plastic holder mount (remove the suction cups beforehand), then attach it to the cabinet wall. That'll work too, no need to use the hooks. You can still detach it anytime.


Yup, thats what i eventually did this morning after re-reading Dscheng's idea. Props to Dscheng and UA for your help!

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