The Incredible Coral Man

hey just wondering... is it essential to have a CO2 system for a planted tank? would just adding fertilizer be good enough?

did u just use the recommended dosage? and yes i will buy more plants thnx

ok... I have a planted tank with 2 filters (Aquaclear 300 and a Ehiem external filter) in my 60gal tank. The plants have all these hairy algae growing on it. It's about 1cm long and grows around the edges of the leaves. I'm sure it's brush algae as i searched for it on google and it looks the same as mines. I was just wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of it... I have 4x30W lights, but usually i only run 2 or 3 of them. I leave my lights on for about 8-10hrs a day. I clean my tank every week about 20% water change each time. If anyone can help me get rid of this algae it would be great. Thnx

I have a 10gal nano and i've been using LEDs as my actinic lights. I use about 50 blue LEDs and 50 white LEDs and the colour comes out so nice. I also use a 8000K 11w PC. I got all my LEDs from EBay, they sell them cheaply (about $30 for 100LEDs), they ship to New Zealand from Hong Kong. Try to run your LEDs a little under the manufacturer ratings otherwise the LEDs burns up really fast due to overheating.

Oh yeah Cookie, I kind of remember that tank in your garage. If it's not a severe heat problem then I may consider buying 150watts instead, since I realise its much easier to get 150w lamps and ballast. Thanks.

Well, my tank is 10gal. The reason I think 70watt is better than 150watt is because of heating issues, but i actually don't know exactly how hot 150watts are, maybe they will be ok? And I would want to get a bluish bulb (10000K or 15000K). Thanks.

Hi, I'm considering buying a 70w metal halide light for my nano tank. Wondering where are the cheaper places in Auckland to buy metal halide (or is it from Ebay?). What price range am i looking at for the ballast and bulb? Ta.

Where's the cheapest place to buy a DI system, can't find any on TradeMe. Will a distill water system be good enough filtration instead?

Thanks WASP for offering Phosban reactor, but I'll try water changing with bottle water at the moment for start. Might find out the prices of deionising units afterwards and decide if i can buy one or not.

how much does the small MH going to cost me? (ballast + bulb)

I just put my PhosBan inside my HOB filter (Aquaclear kind). I top up with tap water. I hope Aucklands tap water is ok? I have trouble finding actinic light for my 12" hood. Can't find any actinic PCs 12" or under. Best is 8000K. So I had to soldered a whole lot of blue LEDS. Looks alright though.

Does anyone know where I can buy Actinic PCs under 12" long? I can't find any in the fish shops. They have to be under 12" so I can fit them inside the hood which comes with the tank.

Hi all, I've got a 10gal Nano running a HOB filter, I've got hair algae over my live rocks and want to get rid of it. I don't use a skimmer, wondering what kind of filter media I should use in my HOB? I've been using carbon and Phorsban. Wonder if I also need De-Nitrate media or anything else? I don't know if my 8000K PC light also contribute to the hair algae problem, because it seems areas under this light have a lot more hair algae than area under my bluer lights.