Ranked 4th in ADA ROCK STAR IWAGUMI contest

Guys, it was a dream come true for me to compete and then get judged by Amano himself. Great honour for some one like me. I ranked 4th place in the competition. Some pics

Guys I ranked on IAH Planted tank Competetion

http://indianaquariumhobbyist.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=152554#152554

The Estimative Index - What is it?

The Estimative Index - What is it?

The Estimative index is a simple method to dose nutrients for any tank without test kits. In a nut shell, the aquarist doses frequently to prevent anything from running out (plant deficiency) and does large weekly water changes to prevent any build up (Plant inhibition). In this manner, we can easily maintain a close approximation or an “estimation index” of the nutrient levels during the week, not too high, not too low and…..no need for a test kit because the accuracy is close and in most cases closer than a test kit. This uses a common habit that most aquarist already are doing and are familiar with, the weekly water change. I’ve done numerous test runs over a week or three week time period using very high light (450 micromoles/m^2/sec @ 8 cm from light source) and many different species of fast growing stem plants. This will give an assumed “maximum uptake rate”. This rate is important in setting the upper limit of the needs of the plants. Once the aquarist knows this rate, they can be confident that they are not going to run out of any nutrient at most any lighting variable. This “rate” of uptake or dosing is what is truly important rather than maintaining some static “residual” level. A stable range is all that's needed for good healthy growth. This range concept is supported by observations from many people all over th world with a variety of tap water qualities, as well as review of the relevant research in the Barr Report volumes 7 and 8, 2005. This range has proven to be quite large on the upper limits. With a general 50% weekly water change, the aquarist will build up a maximum of 2x the dosing they add per week. So if you want to maintain 10-20ppm of NO3, this is quite easy to do with out ever picking a test kit (see figure 1 below and the example). Similar ranges can be targeted for the other nutrients and narrower ranges can be achieved using the fertilizers diluted in water.

These maximum rates are also variable, but the rates I am suggestion are only a guideline, different plants and different set ups may use more, but the plants will not run into deficiencies at these rates. The aquarist is not limited to 50% weekly water changes, they can change more precentage, for example 75% and this re sets 75% of the water volume just like making a standard solution for measuring and calibrating a test kit. More frequent water changes can also be performed, but hitting the target set by the aquarist can be achieved relatively easily for those less confident of 50% weekly changes.

Plants can take up more than they need for growth, something called "luxury uptake". The other issue is that a plant might be starved for a nutrient and the uptake rate may be very rapid in the first few weeks then taper off later. This is referred to as “surge uptake”.

Some Typical uptake rates at high light and CO2 levels per day (24 hours):



NO31-4ppmNH4
0.1-0.6ppm(do not dose NH4!It will cause algae)PO40.2-0.6ppm

These rates do not assume that you will show deficiencies if you dose less than this, but adding more than these rates will not help further plant health.
This is a point that the aquarist needs to understand. Basically, it is extremely unlikely your plants will ever need more than these rates even at high light intensities. Adding enough nutrients to prevent anything from becoming deficient is the goal, not precise uptake and growth requirements.

Note: these ranges and test in this article used Hach or Lamotte test kits and where checked against known standard solutions. Most hobby grade cheap test kits often are inaccurate and create many problems for aquarist. While some may work, it is always a better idea to check the test kit against and known standard. This way you verify the accuracy and this is what is done in research science. Do not assume that a test kit is accurate. This causes a great deal of frustration, confusion and poor horticulture and was one of the main reasons I suggested this idea for dosing.

The need for such precision is not needed as plants have a very wide range of nutrient concentrations (BarrReport volume 5,7 and 8, 2005) that are above the deficiency level before excess nutrients level become problematic (see figure 3). Today I use a much more sophisticated testing method than a Lamotte or Hach test kit, I use a colormetric multiparameter spectrophotometer that is over 100X more precise and accuracte over wider ranges, self test, uses a blank and autocalibrates. This is a very user friendly device and is used to answer specific questions rather than monitoring a "routine" as a matter of practice for the average aquarist but it will not hurt the aquarist in doing so.




I truthfully do not know what levels of NO3 and PO4 (for example) cause problems for plants or induce algae in a fully planted tank. NO3 levels above 40ppm can cause fish health issues. PO4 at very high levels can influence alkalinity (KH) above 5ppm-10ppm.

Clearly these are far beyond the needs of plants and the range makes for a very large target to dose even if the aquarist is off by a factor of 2X.

Lighting is very expensive to measure correctly in an aquarium(I use a PAR meter that measures light in micromoles/m^2/sec) . It is one of the biggest unknown variables in keeping planted tanks, watts/gallon does not tell you much, but rough guides are fine if the aquarist maintain the CO2 and nutrient levels well. Dosing can be done using dosing pumps if the aquarist wishes, but it is relatively easy to do with a good routine. They can later tailor their routine to add “just enough” and further maximize their nutrient dosing to their individual tank’s needs. An important aspect of this method is the knowledge that excess nutrients do not cause algae blooms as so many authors in the past and many today still maintain without having tested this critically in aquariums with a healthy plant biomass. It is a welcomed relief knowing that “excess” phosphate, nitrate and iron do not cause algae blooms.

For many years this has been the assumption but it is incorrect. Ammonium (NH4+) at low levels have been the primary causative agent for algae blooms in terms of an "excess" nutrient. This is why a planted tank using CO2 with moderate to high lighting cannot have enough nitrogen supplied by adding progressively more and more fish to the tank without getting algae blooms. It does not take much ammonium to cause the bloom. If you add NO3 from KNO3 you will not get any algae bloom, if you add even 1/20th of the ammonium you will get a very intense algae bloom. This test can be repeated many times and ran again and again with the same result. Adding NO3 will not induce the bloom. See if you can prove this to yourself.

With the exception of NH4 and urea, higher levels of PO4 (phosphate), K+, potassium, and NO3 to large extent as well (to 20-30ppm or so) and Fe (iron) can be maintained without any negative effects even at extremely high light wattages (e.g. 5.5 w/gal at 30cm depth, using mirrored reflectors, U shaped power compact lamps-450 micromoles @ 8cm distance from the lights, most submersed aquatic plants fully saturate photosynthesis at 600micromoles/m^2/sec or so, at least the one's that have been tested at non limiting CO2 values, other species may have different levels).

The reason I chose this high light intensity was to reduce the time before an algae bloom would occur and prevent competition for light. This is similar to taking a "test drive" at high sppeed in a new vehicle. If algae was to occur due to higher nutrient levels, if would occur when the light, CO2 and nutrients were non limiting for both sets of variables. With less light, down to a point (Light compensation point, the LCP), we can assume less uptake and less issue maintaining a “stable range” of nutrients. It is much more difficult to tease apart the relationships when the rate of growth is slower (e.g. less light), it takes more time to note differences in plant growth and places less stress/growth rate on the system. It also reduces error since the uptake rates are high enough to get good test kit resolution whereas at 1.5-2.0w/gal with normal Fluorescent lights it takes much longer for 5 ppm of NO3 to be removed. Good test kits like Lamotte were used also to increase accuracy in the results. These test kits were tested against a series of known standards to confirm the accuracy. In this manner I could test the ideas with much more confidence. If I chose to test a non CO2 plant tank, this would have taken a very long time with very expensive test kits and methods. Additionally, many of the nutrients would be used up quickly before I had a chance to measure them.

Returning back to non CO2 planted tanks after gaining this knowledge at high light and CO2 enrichment allows some fairly good predictions/correlations of uptake rates for non CO2 planted tanks as well. The rate of uptake is reduced due to less light and less CO2. I generally use about 6 to 1 slower uptake rate ratio for non CO2 tanks but the fish loading can change this ratio. Basically the non CO2 tank grows 6-10x slower than a CO2 enriched tank.

This method is specific for CO2 enriched systems with higher light but works even better with lower light CO2 or SeaChem Excel dosing for carbon enriched tanks or salt water and other tanks needing a certain amount of nutrients. I suggest 30ppm of CO2, while a tank with 2 w/gal might be okay with 15-20ppm, many with power compact bulbs and reflectors need to have their CO2 levels higher, 20-30ppm range is optimal for the lighting period. This was found by adding more CO2 until there was no net gain in plant growth while keeping the nutrient and lighting levels consistent during the testing period. Research on three aquatic weeds showed that the plants will reach and carbon fixing maximum at around 30ppm of CO2 no matter what light intensity is used (Van et al 1976). The maximum CO2 level no matter what light set up you might have is about 30ppm for these three very fast growing weeds, which we can assume have higher CO2 needs/demand than slower growing aquarium plants subjected to less intense lighting than sunlight. While the needs of some plants might exceed some of these parameters, it’s very unlikely that this will occur and I’ve found no evidence to support otherwise having grown close to 300 species of submersed freshwater aquatic macrophytes. The CO2 level is enough to support non limiting growth, just like PO4, NO3 and traces. So in a sense, CO2 is over dosed since it's an easier target to hit and measure. Adding more will not harm plants and is only limited by fish health and O2 levels.

While many have discussed the merits of nutrients, fasr too many new people fall victim to low CO2,even the expert often gets caught trying to keep a good CO2 level in their tanks from time to time. No nutrient routine will perform well without good stable CO2 or Excel(Seachem).


Using tap water

Tap water is cheap and water changes take less time than the testing (salt water is the exception perhaps, salt mixes cost a fair amount money). Water changes also cost less than test kits/testing and are more fool proof method of estimating the nutrient levels in your planted tank when dealing with NO3, Fe and PO4. It's also simpler and requires less knowledge of chemistry and testing against known standards. Plants are most often starved of nutrients and inaccurate test kits are largely responsible. Many people feel tap is unsuitable for plants, this is simply not true. Old myths still abound claiming excess PO4 in tap water causes algae, this has clearly been shown by many hobbyist to be patently false. The tap water has nutrients in it, then you do not have to dose these nearly as much, this is actually a good thing! Why take something out and then add it back again?

Have hard water?

Great, you do not have to add any baking soda and GH builder to your tank. Adding enough GH to bring the levels to 3-5 GH degrees will address higher light tank needs over a week's time. You can use SeaChem Equilibrium for this or a mix of CaCl2 (or CaSO4 although it is not as easy to dissolve into water) and MgSO4 at a 4:1 ratio to increase GH. You can add this without knowing what your GH is by adding 1 degree's worth after a weekly water change (or slightly less with less frequent water changes)

Plants prefer soft water? Not so, neither myself or other experience aquarist have found plants that are soft water dependent, although there may be a few exceptions out perhaps 300 species, it is safe to say that plants prefer harder water and there is research to show this is true, (Bowes 1985), (T. Barr, C. Christianson observations of clear hard water springs in Florida, USA and in Brazil). A few plants, about 5 or 6 or so species do seem to prefer softer water, but this is due to KH, GH seems to have little bearing as long as there is enough Ca and Mg. So the GH can be dosed a little higher if in doubt or if you want to check to see if that is causing an issue or not.
KH on the other hand does seem to influence these specific plants(most are not affected) to about 5-6 degrees. There is really no limit on how low the KH can be for good plant health, but it can make CO2 measurements trickier. There is a way around that though. Still, any plant can be grown at a KH of 5 and a GH of 5-10, or less. This would not be considered "soft" water, actually it would be ideal. Thus unless you desire to grow a few eclectic species, there is no need for RO, nor DI, carbon filtration of the tap water, but doing so will do no harm to the plants as long as there is enough GH for the plants and KH to determine CO2.

Water changes: use Python like bucket less water change systems, or DIY garden hose systems that attach to a faucet for draining a filling. Large diameter drain hoses make quick work for large tanks. Dedicated plumbing also can make the water change very easy. If the tank is far away from the faucet, a longer hose is all that’s needed. Hard plumbed systems and automatic water changers are commonly detailed on the web.

The Problem

#1 Dosing.
This can be very tricky when dealing with many variables. Often the suggestion is "buy a test kit" and test to see what your nutrient levels are.
I suggested this almost ten years ago:

http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/barr_02_01.shtml

This works well for CO2 (but folks should double check to be sure before proceeding on) and GH but the other nutrients like NO3, K, PO4, iron as a proxy for the traces are more problematic. Often times the poor aquarist chases one nutrient to the next and spends a small fortune and time as well carefully testing each week, or several times each week trying to figure out what is missing. Generally many never find what is wrong after doing all that.
95% of the time is was CO2 levels were too low and the issue had nothing to do with the nutrient dosing routine. Simply doing a large water change removes all the variables, and dosing known amounts back in to the tank of the nutrients effectively re sets the tank each week. Even if you are off by a little, you do not have to worry about running out since the levels I’ve suggested are for high light tanks and you know if the CO2 is in good shape there is no fear of algae from these levels of nutrients in the water column either. Knowing this allows great flexibility and a very simple method to keep a fairly constant level of any nutrients in your tank and no need to test. You can guess the doses for the reminder of the week and then repeat. Chuck Gadd's dosing calculator works well for the chemistry challenged and those wanting to know how much of what to add. See here: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_aquacalc.htm

There is no hard and fast rule here when dosing or doing 50% weekly water changes. This method can be applied to water changes once a month or once every two weeks, better more consistent results will be obtained when doing 50% weekly water changes, but a well run tank can go longer without a water change. The aquarist can note plant health and dose slightly less as they gain experience of their individual tank's needs. As they get a feel for the dosing they can tailor the tank's needs further.



This is an exampled for folks using 10ppm of NO3 dosed each week and assuming 0, 25, 50, 75% uptake by plants/bacteria. the maximum build up in this case is 2x the weekly dosing rate. This shows the range in a mathmatical model (thanks Gomer) so that while no test kit is needed by the EI user, a very accurate test has verified these curves and ranges and match well with observations, models and testing methods.

So this begins to get very close to stable nutrients level and much less merely "guess" work.

#2 Testing
This is huge issue for most folks. Test kits cost as much as a filter or much more in some cases. Some folks can afford nice Lamott/Hach kits, most cannot nor wish to invest 300$ in this. Cheaper kits are not offered for K. NO3 kits are very problematic and color reading scales are difficult to assess with cheaper kits. Some folks are color blind. Many folks don't ever want to test and/or feel there's no need to test. I could not get some hobbyist to ever test no matter what I told them to do! I fell into that group for many years. I did as well as I do today but I am much more consistent now and I also know why it works! I know the rates of uptake and have done a lot of testing since my bad old days. I also did large weekly water changes so if I messed up dosing, I always reset the tank each week. I have a relative simple methodology to side step much of the drudgery especially with testing iron and NO3. At issue here is the maintenance of the nutrient levels within a certain range. The focus will be on 2 groups, nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4), potassium (K), the so called macro nutrients and the trace elements represented by iron (Fe) as a proxy for the other trace elements that are included in trace nutrient mixes. There are a few specialized test kits and meters available for many of the trace metals and Boron, but virtually no hobbyist ever measures these. So everyone is guessing about the traces as it is, even the most ardent proponent of testing for dosing!


Using teaspoon (Dry powders) and milliliter measurements (liquid solutions) we can be very accurate.

Perhaps a better question is how close to a good range of nutrients do we have to be to have excellent plant growth and no algae?

Using an "estimative index" the accuracy can be as follows for teaspoons and liquids for the traces, note, further accuracy can be achieved by diluting grams of each of these nutrients into DI water and adding mls of a concentrated liquid into their tanks in place of dry powder, but thios does not gain the user much in terms of plant health and growth, which is the main reason to help improve a routine:

(+ or -) 5ppm of CO2 is fine in a 20-30ppm range.
(+ or -) 1ppm or so of NO3 is pretty reasonable.
(+ or -) 2ppm of K+ is pretty reasonable.
(+ or -) 0.2ppm of PO4 is pretty reasonable (?)
(+ or -) 0.1ppm of Fe is reasonable (?)

CO2 range 25-35ppm
NO3 range 5-30ppm
K+ range 10-30ppm
PO4 range 1.0-3.0 ppm
Fe 0.2-0.5ppm or higher (?)
GH range 3 degrees ~ 50ppm or higher

Note:
PO4 and Fe are two nutrients that are difficult to assess without first assessing the other nutrients. If the NO3, K, and CO2 are in good shape, you can add a fair amount of these within a wide range. I have added to almost 3ppm of PO4 consistently week after week. Plant's response is incredible.
Green spot algae has never been an issue when high PO4 levels are maintained even under high light with Anubias. Adding traces has been a focus for me lately. Many have stuck with the old standby of a residual of 0.1ppm of iron(namelt from the work done developing PMDD). Well what does this residual tell us? Does it tell us what is available to the plants? Is this enough? Do higher doses cause algae?


Setting up a test
I can tell from my own experiences that high levels of traces (Fe) have in no way contributed to any algae presence. I double checked the other nutrients before drawing a conclusion. Few hobbyists and it seems no aquarium companies bothered to look at it from this controlled perspective. In order for the aquarist to draw a conclusion about a nutrient, it must be isolated and you must test only for the dependent variable. This is relatively easy using the Estimative Index; essentially they are making a reference solution each week of the proper nutrient levels and guessing closely till they perform another water change. This gives the aquarist a powerful simple and easy to use tool/method to provide a more controlled environment without nearly as much work. At some point the plants will not take up any more traces. Same can be said for PO4. Adding more simply will not improve plant growth any further. Many plants will take up excess, often called “luxury uptake” of nutrients like PO4 and NO3. So it may not improve growth even if the plants are taking in these nutrients. We must be careful not to assume that uptake=growth/need.

This is where the top end of a range should be. No need to waste expensive trace nutrients. Aquarists that have had issues with algae prior may want to try adding the PO4 and then adding more traces in conjunction. This works well even at the very high light levels. If an algal bloom was to occur, it will express itself more rapid and intensely at higher light. I had been dosing large amounts of traces all along since my reference sometime ago had been Karl Schoeler's 0.7ppm recommendation and I felt like a little more might help if the tank was doing well as many recommendations seemed middle of the road. Karen Randall has suggested a number of aquarist in the past found levels of CO2 higher than the commonly suggested 10-15ppm of CO2 although few have come forward to suggest this recently. Although I had tested numerous times and tried to look for some correlation with the test kits for uptake, I became less focused on the testing aspect and came up with what I think is a better method for the traces. I still contend most aquarist under dose the traces a great deal. I was never scared of algae blooms due to in large part all the battles I’d done with algae in the past and then went on to study and induce algal cultures in marine and freshwater. Few hobbyists are willing to destroy their tanks with an algae bloom to figure out why algae are really there. That is what was required to figure out what causes algae and then this process must be repeated to make sure the results are not an isolated case and can be repeated by other researchers elsewhere. Often times, we only test after the algae is already there, often missing what really caused the algae to begin with. So knowing how to repeat the bloom and induce it, is a key role in understanding of the cause of the algae in our tanks.

The estimative part
Aquarists simply add a set amount of traces to a known volume of water (mls/day/liter of tank volume). If the tank has less plants, low light, this can/may be reduce in frequency but not dosage. A similar pattern can be done for the macro nutrients. In this manner you essentially are making a "reference solution" each time you dose and you assume a certain amount of uptake the other one or two times prior to making a large water change at week's end. If you have low plant density or have low light (two watts or less Normal output FL's) you can get by on once a week. By knowing what the tap water is comprised of and giving the water company a call to find out what the PO4, NO3, K, and Fe levels are, you can replace the water with water changes and use plain old chemistry or Chuck's calculator to figure out what you need for your nutrient levels without a test kit. Even if you are off a little that's okay (see above pluses and minuses). The water utility will have some variation but if you are close to the middle ranges it should still come out fairly close. So imagine a tank where you don't test except for CO2 (pH and KH) and only that once in a while. Everything grows well. No guessing. Sound good? The results certainly are. Tanks never seeing any algae are quite common, 10 years ago, this was not the case.

Aquarists have tried the substrate dosing only method for many years with hit and miss results. Eventually the substrate runs out of the nutrients, then the plants suffer. While you can either tear the tank down and start completely over each year or so, or re-enrich the tank, you generally are left with having to wait till something goes wrong before you do something about it rather than keeping a close level maintained like the water column. Some tanks with moderate/low light and good fish loads can support the plant’s needs without adding macro nutrients for extended periods but that is still dosing, just the rate is slow enough to maintain the plant needs for that lighting/CO2 level, but the algae are far from limited. Anyone with a bloom that has tried to water change the algae away knows that is not true. The other issue about folks that often do not add macro nutrients/traces etc, is many do large water changes. These folks often do not know what their tap water has in it. If it is rich in NO3 and PO4 like many regions of the USA and Europe, then each week they do a large water change, they are adding nutrients and CO2. People wondered why my plants did so well with the water changes I did each week and when they tested found high levels of PO4, I was adding KNO3 and lots of traces and high light and high trace dosing and had no algae and dramatic plant health and growth. Several methods suggest substrate fertilization in the start up phase followed after a period of a few months of slowly adding water column fertilizer. Any long term method eventually becomes a water column dosing method unless the substrate is re enriched or torn down and re fertilized. Substrate nutrient content is extremely difficult to measure while the water column is much easier to measure and dose consistently, providing a more stable nutrient level for the plants.


You can extend this method out to include all the other nutrients like traces and PO4 even KH and GH. You can try whatever you feel is "perfect" for plant growth and experiment around. Good sized weekly water changes are an excellent way to do this and avoid build up and any **dosing** errors or **testing** errors. Test Kits (good ones) are not cheap and many are too inconsistent or do not want to be bothered to use them. This method used KNO3, KH2PO4 and Trace mixes and you can use a variety of trace mixes to try out your own routines. KH2PO4 (Fleet or generic enemas can be substituted, these are sodium phosphate based) and KNO3 are very cheap and traces are relatively cheap unless you have a very large tank, there are cheap dry mix traces available as well. The good thing about this method is that the fertilizers are available the world over, cheap, consistently the same, not brand name aquarium products and thus much cheaper. When I suggest to Wu in Singapore to dose ¼ teaspoon, 1.67 grams of KNO3, he can dose the same thing I use here, he might not be able to get some brand I like here of some aquarium product. So this method can be used the world over, not just in the USA.

A Typical Tank
A typical routine for a high light tank with low fish load:
Volume 80 liters (20 gal high standard tank)
5.5 watts/ gal. - two 55watt 5000K/8800K lamps
CO2-25-30ppm (I turn my CO2 off at night)
Canister filter
Fluorite (any porous iron rich material will do) about 7-10cm depth

A Typical Dosing Routine
1/4 teaspoon of KNO3 3-4x a week (every other day)
1/16th-1/32nd teaspoon of KH2PO4 3-4x a week (every other day)
Traces added on off days as the macro nutrients, so 3x a week, 5mls each time.
SeaChem Equilibrium 1/8 teaspoon after water change.


So the aquarist dose only 3 things really, KNO3, KH2PO4 on the day of the water change then every other day there after, traces of the off day till the next week rolls around. Do a 50-70% water change, dose the macro nutrients back, add the traces the following day and repeat. You can slowly back off this amount till you notice plant growth differences to tailor your individual tank’s need, but all you will do is waste some macros and traces by adding more than the plant needs. You should give each change in your routine about 3 weeks before making another change. This will take time but is worth the time spent. It will not cause algae unless you over look something, namely CO2 or under dosing KNO3 which both of these account for about 95% of all algae issues. If you focus on the plant’s needs, the algae will no longer grow. I hope this helps and ends much frustration for the aquatic gardener so then aquarist may focus on aquascaping and growing plants rather than asking how to kill algae. The aquarist does not have to stick with merely a weekly routine with the water changes or accept 50% as their volumes. This will level off the dosing at 2x the dosed amount so that nothing will ever be overdosed beyond 2x the target range.

The math behind this is as follows:

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plan...1/msg00416.html



Example #1
Suppose you dose 10ppm of NO3 total to a tank per week. Assume you do a 50% weekly water change. If you do the math, you find out that:

If you assume that NONE of it is used up, you can build up a maximum of 20 PPM

If you assume that 25%of it is used up, you can build up a maximum of 16 PPM

If you assume that 50%of it is used up, you can build up a maximum of 13.3 PPM

If you assume that 75%of it is used up, you can build up a maximum of 11.4 PPM

The concentration will not be 15ppm with 25% weekly uptake because of the previous week’s build up if factored into the equation.



Typical model nutrient removal experiment graphical data of concentration versus time

• Types of uptake experiments: Problem: cells become saturated w/time so uptake is underestimated at low concentrations. Uptake depends heavily on light, this unit is poorly measured in the aquarium hobby and presents challenges in the field for researchers due to changes over time, seasonal, monthly, daily, minute by minute, second by second (Clouds, sun flecks etc).
• There is a distinction between uptake from the medium and assimilation into organic compounds, especially Nitrogen [NO3-] and [NH4+] and amino acids. This depends on the ability to store inorganic ions, the rate of the enzymatic steps and the cell needs.
• Cells can adapt and acclimate to chronically low nutrient levels by surge uptake capacity (Vm)
• 2 basic models: Monod model: based on external concentrations, which maybe below detection limits but still biologically relevant and the Droop Model which is based on internal concentrations which is often more important and easier to measure since the concentration is higher than the instanenous external concentration. External concentration is a scale problem as well: micro algae may perceive micro patches of nutrients in microliter volumes whereas we measure integrate typically in then milliliter ranges. Put another way, comparing a the elephant and mouse model, both are herbivores: but we are measuring only large scale plant mass(say trees), not the small patches of short lived herbaceous plants that can feed the mouse but if the elephant has to rely on solely, would starve. Some plants are better than others at this uptake also due to surface: volume ratios.
• Myriophyllum has much high surface: volume ratio than Anubias, The surface area to volume ratio allows Myriophyllum to be a much better competitor for nutrients than Anubias in the water column, but the Anubias makes up for this by growing slower and can withstand lower light levels. Adding excess nutrients and CO2 allows both plants to grow well together without competition.

This is typical generalized model for growth and uptake of a variety of autotrophic organisms. Based on Figure 3 above, from a horticultural perspective, it is more productive to provide non limiting conditions (green box-good target range) for aquatic Macrophytes as the target concentration is much wider as well as higher associated growth rates. Maintaining a set static concentration continuously through time is difficult and impractical to most horticulturists, but a useable range is rather easy to accomplish. Aquatic macrophyte limiting can be useful when exploring individual species differences and responses, but this is hardly a good method for stable horticulture. Non limiting nutrient and light levels need to be quite high before inhibition occurs. These inhibitory levels are unknown for many nutrients as far as aquatic Macrophytes are concern and are generally bounded by toxic concentrations to fauna such as fish and invertebrates (see table 1 for more on the maximum ranges tested individually in isolation1). This range provides an enormous useable range that is relatively easy and simple to target to provide stable levels for horticulture. The limiting range is much narrower and more difficult to provide a stable range from a practical standpoint by not providing much error in dosing and loading rates. Since light typically drives uptake rates, lower intensity of light will provide for less error at low limiting nutrient levels as long as the light compensation point is still being met. Generally, lower light intensities near the LCP have a lower range when non limiting nutrients are provided as well. The study done by Tropica showed this with Ricca and Van et al (1986) showed this same result with three submerged aquatic Macrophytes. In both cases from a horticultural perspective, non limiting nutrient levels are superior with more robustness in stable culturing methods with lower light intensity.

The end result is dramatic macrophyte growth and low algae presence with a simple to use method that allows the aquarist a wide range of dosing routines and healthy growth.
While many books and articles will suggest otherwise, higher nutrients levels and relatively low light can provide dramatic growth. All you need to do is test and try it for yourself to see that this is the indeed the case. The theoretical suggestion for the support of their contentions does not follow, nor does the practical experimentation.

Once applied, EI can be very easy to do and cost very little. It is a simple procedure and basically only CO2 related issues affect the tank and plants, effectively ruling out all the nutrients other than CO2.

Additional References:
Bowes G. 1991. Growth in elevated CO2: photosynthetic responses mediated through rubisco. Plant, Cell and Environment, 14: 795-806 (invited review)
Madsen TV, Maberly SC, Bowes G. 1996. Photosynthetic acclimation of submersed angiosperms to CO2 and HCO3-. Aquatic Botany, 53: 15-30
Additional reading:
Canfield, D.E., Jr., K.A. Langeland, M.J. Maceina, W.T. Haller, J.V. Shireman, and J.R. Jones. 1983. Trophic state classification of lakes with aquatic macrophytes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 40:1713-1718.
Canfield, D.E., Jr., J.V. Shireman, and J.R. Jones. 1984. Assessing the trophic status of lakes with aquatic macrophytes. pp. 446-451. Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference of the North American Lake Management Society. October. Knoxville, Tennessee. EPA 440/5-84-001.
Canfield, D.E. Jr., and M.V. Hoyer. 1988. Influence of nutrient enrichment and light availability on the abundance of aquatic macrophytes in Florida streams. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 45:1467-1472.
Canfield, D.E. Jr., E. Phlips, and C.M. Duarte. 1989. Factors influencing the abundance of blue-green algae in Florida lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 46:1232-1237.
Agusti, S., C.M. Duarte, and D.E. Canfield Jr. 1990. Phytoplankton abundance in Florida lakes: Evidence for the frequent lack of nutrient limitation. Limnology and Oceanography 35:181-188
Bachmann, R. W., M. V. Hoyer, and D. E. Canfield Jr. 2000. Internal heterotrophy following the switch from macrophytes to algae in Lake Apopka, Florida. Hydrobiologia 418: 217-227.
Bachmann, R.W., M.V. Hoyer and D.E. Canfield, Jr. 2004. Aquatic plants and nutrients in Florida lakes. Aquatics: 26(3)4-11
Bachmann, R. W. 2001. The limiting factor concept: What stops growth? Lakeline 21(1):26-28.
Van, T. K., W. T. Haller and G. Bowes. 1976. Comparison of the photosynthetic characteristics of three submersed aquatic plants. Plant Physiol. 58:761-768.

I would like to thank Neil Frank, Karen Randall and especially Steve Dixon for their input over the years as well as Paul Sears and Kevin Conlin, Claus from Tropica, SFBAAPS folks, each added to the development and understanding of EI. It was team effort to address the many algae issues we had at the time.


Copyright Tom Barr 2005

1 Note: this is for individual inhibitory concentration level, not combinations or two or more


Credit http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/62-estimative-index-dosing-no-need-test-kits.html

Few of my tank pics

Tank - 12x9x9 inches
Light - 72 watts for 10 hours
Substrate - ADA Amazonia ii
Decoration - Rocks
Pressurised Co2 at 1 bubble every second.
Dosing - Seachem - Flourish, Excel. ADA - Green Brighty Step 1, Step 2. Brighty K.

Flora - Hemianthus Micranthemoides, Micranthemum Umbrosum, Glossostigma Elatinoides, Marsilea Minuta, Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'.

Fauna - Neocaridina denticulata sinensis "red"













Tank - 36x24x18 inches
Light - 70 watts for 6 hours
Substrate - River sand
Decoration - Rocks, drift woods
Pressurised Co2 at 1 bubble every second.
Dosing - Seachem - Flourish, Excel. Dry ferts as and when required.

Flora - Moss - Java, Christmas, Spiky, Fissidens Fontanus. Fern - Java - Tropica, broad Leaf, Taiwan, Narrow Leaf, Needle leaf.
Anubias - Hastifolia, Gigantea, Lancelota, Congensis, Var Barteri, Var Barteri Var Wavy, Coffefolia, Minileaf (New variety - not petite), Afzeli, Var Nana.
Blyxa Aubertii, Vals, Lily.

Fauna - Paracheirodon innesi, Puntius denisonii, Trigonostigma heteromorpha, Otocinclus affinis, Panda cories.












Tank - 24x12x12 inches
Light - 72 watts for 10 hours
Substrate - ADA Amazonia ii
Decoration - Rocks
Pressurised Co2 at 1 bubble every second.
Dosing - Seachem - Flourish, Excel. ADA - Green Brighty Step 1, Step 2. Brighty K.

Flora - Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba', Eleocharis Parvula, Eleocharis Vivipara, Bolbitis Heudelotii, lilaeopsis brasiliensis.

Fauna - Neocaridina denticulata sinensis "red", Oryzias dancena.

An update on current stock at Finding Nemo

Hi!

Guys! Thanks a ton for following my blog.

FishesHarlequin Rasboras
Blue Tetra

Plants
For plant pics please use this link, http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Album.aspx?uid=3890438703860345209&aid=1241913713

Anubias Afzelii
Anubias Bateri Broad Leaf
Anubias Bateri Var. Bateri Wavy
Anubias Bateri Var. Coffeefolia
Anubias Bateri Var. Nana
Anubias Congensis
Anubias Gigantea
Anubias Hastifolia
Anubias Lancelata
Anubias Mini Leaf
Cryptocoryne Tropica
Cryptocoryne Lutea
Cryptocoryne Parva
Cryptocoryne Petchii
Cryptocoryne Wentii Green
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green Gecko
Eleocharis Parvula
Microsorium Pteropus Broad Leaf
Microsorium Pteropus Narrow Leaf (Few)
Vesicularia Dubyana
Vesicularia Species Christmas
Hemianthus Macranthemoides
Glossostigma Elatinoides
Hygrophila Sp.
Ammania Sp.
Alternanthera Reinicikii
Rotala Rotundifolia green
Rotala Rotundifolia red
Blyxa Japonica
Mayaca Fluviatilis
Hydrocotyle Leucocephala
Heteranthera Zosteraefolia
Echinodorus Tennelus
Cardamine Lyrata

Plants are of premium quality and quantity, kindly ask me for client references.

Drift Woods

Substrate
Aquaclay from Ocean free

Co2 accssesories

Co2 glass drop checker
Glass Bubble counter
Glass Bubble Counter + Glass Check valve
Co2 Reactor
Glass Diffuser
Regulator
Needle valve
One Way Check Valves
Co2 Line
Lily Pipes 12mm and 16 mm

Fish Food
Tetrabits
Hikari
NLS

Eheim
External Classic Filter (with pads)
External Classic Filter (with pads and tap) Up to 250liters
External Classic Filter (with pads ) Up to 350liters
External Classic Filter (with pads) Up to 600liters
External Classic Filter Up to 1000 liters
External Classic Filter Up to 1500 liters
External EcoComfort Filter (including media)Up to 100liters
External EcoComfort Filter (including media)Up to 200liters
External EcoComfort Filter (including media)Up to 300liters
External Professional Filter Up to 150
External Professional Filter Up to 250
External Professional ( wet dry filter complete)Up to 350liters
External Professional ( wet dry filter complete)Up to 600liters
External Professional Thermo (wet/dry with s u)Up to 350liters
External Professional Thermo (wet/dry with s u)Up to 600liters
External Professional 2 FW Thermo filter Up to 250 liters
External Professional 2 Filter Up to 350 liters
External Professional 2 Filter Up to 600 liters
External Professional 3 Filter Up to 1200 liters
External Professional 3 E Up to liters
External Professional 3 E Up to liters
External Pond Filter Up to 6000 liters
External Pond Filter Up to 7000 liters
Internal Pond Filter Up to 6000 liters
Internal Pond Filter Up to 9000 liters
Internal Pond Filter Up to 4000 liters
Internal Filter Pick up
Internal Filter Pick up
Internal Filter Pick up
Power head Aqua ball
Internal Filter Power line Up to 100-200 liters
Internal Filter Power line Up to
Internal Filter Aqua ball Up to 45 liters
Internal Filter Aqua ball Up to 30-60 liters
Internal Filter Aqua ball Up to 60-160 liters
Internal Filter Aqua ball Up to 100-200 liters
Compact Pump 600 Up to 150-600liters
Compact Pump 1000 Up to 150-1000liters
Compact Pump 2000
Compact Pump 3000
Compact Pump 5000
Universal Pump 270lp/h
Universal Pump1200lp/h
Universal Pump 2400 lp/h
Universal Pump 3400 lts

Jager
Jager Heater 50W Up to 25-60 liters
Jager Heater 75W Up to 60-100 liters
Jager Heater 100W Up to 100-150 liters
Jager Heater 150W Up to 200-300 liters
Jager Heater 200W Up to 300-400 liters
Jager Heater 250W Up to 400-600 liters
Jager Heater 300W Up to 600-1000 liters
Air Pump 100 (100 l/h) Single Outlet
Air Pump 200 (100*2 l/h)Double Outlet
Air Pump 400 (200*2 l/h)Double Outlet
Liberty 100 Hang on Filter Up to 75 liters
Liberty 150 Hang on Filter Up to 130 liters
Liberty 200 Hang on Filter Up to 200 liters
Auto Feeder unit 100ml capacity
Twin Auto Feeder unit
Auto Gravel Cleaner
Gravel Cleaner
Surface Extractor
Pre Filter

Aquael
UNIMAX 150 canister filter
UNIMAX 250 canister filter EU
UNIMAX 500 canister filter EU
UNIMAX 700 canister filter EU
UNIFILTER 280 EU
UNIFILTER 360 EU
UNIFILTER 500 EU
UNIFILTER 750 EU
UNIILTER 1000 EU
UNIFILTER 500 UV
UNIFILTER 750 UV
UNIFILTER 1000 UV
FILTER VERSAMAX FZN-2 EU
Filter MINI KANI 80
Filter MINI KANI 120
PLASTIC NEO HEATER 25W
HEATER plastic NEO HEATER 50W
PLASTIC NEO HEATER 75W
PLASTIC NEO HEATER 100W
PLASTIC NEO HEATER 150W
PLASTIC NEO HEATER 200W
PLASTIC HEATER EASY HEATER 25W
PLASTIC HEATER EASY HEATER 50W
PLASTIC HEATER EASY HEATER 75W
PLASTIC HEATER EASY HEATER 100W
GLASS HEATER AQN 75W EU
GLASS HEATER AQN 100W EU
GLASS HEATER AQN 150W EU
GLASS HEATER AQN 200W EU
GLASS HEATER AQN 250W EU
GLASS HEATER AQn 300 W
Thermoregler THERMOSTAB TS-500 TIMER
Thermoregulator THERMOSTAB TS-500 Dual
AQUARIUM BOWL SET II 37 DARK SILVER E
AQUARIUM BOWL SET II 45 DARK SILVER
PFN-2500 EU
ActiSubstrate 3l
STERILIZER UV PS 9
STERILIZER UV PS 11
acti fish food colortabs 100 ml
acti fish food babyvit 100 ml
actifish food vegetal 100ml
acti fish food goldvit 100 ml
actifish food discusvit 100ml
actifish food guppy 100 ml
actifish food betta 100 ml
actifish food welstabs 100 ml
actifish food marine 100 ml
actifish food crustabs 100 ml

Aquasketcher - A priceless tool for planted tank layout design

The AquaSketcher is probably the most popular tool on the site. As its name suggests, the purpose of this tool is to help an aquascaper design his next project by making a sketch of what the aquascape will look like. The sketch can then be shown to other aquascapers who can then provide their opinions and suggestions to enhance the initial design. One could also use the AquaSketcher to provide additional description when showcasing his tank.

enjoy, http://www.theaquatools.com/aquasketcher

Beat the heat - Aquarium Chillers

What is an aquarium chiller?
You have probably heard of aquarium heaters already; equipment that will heat up the water and make it possible to house species that require a higher water temperature than the air surrounding the aquarium
. An aquarium chiller does just the opposite; it chills the water and makes it possible to keep species that need a lower water temperature.
To make it possible for you to set the optimum temperature for your particular aquarium, the aquarium chiller is equipped with a thermostat control unit – just like a heater. When shopping for a chiller, there is more than one solution to choose among. A single-stage controller will control only the chiller, while a dual-stage controller will control a chiller AND a heater. It might sound strange, but in many situations you may need to use a chiller as well as a heater to keep the correct water temperature in the aquarium and a dual-stage controller will help minimize variance and eliminate conflicts between the two.
When do I need an aquarium chiller?
You need an aquarium chiller when the ambient room temperature is higher than the desired water temperature. This can be due to many reasons, such as:
• You wish to keep cold water species indoor and decreasing your indoor temperature low enough is not an option.
• You live in an area subjected to seasonal heat-spells that increase room temperature and wreck sudden havoc in your aquarium.
• You live in a warm part of the world and decreasing your indoor temperature low enough is not an option.
• You have installed heat emitting equipment that increase the water temperature, e.g. pumps and lights.
Many people think that aquarium chillers are only necessary if you wish to keep species from temperate or arctic parts of the world, but this is very far from the truth. A subtropical species used to a water temperature of 18-25°C can for instance suffer if a sudden heat spell turns the air temperature in your house up to 30°C. Also keep in mind that the water temperature tends to drop sharply with depth and deep-water species can therefore require really chilly water even if they hail from the tropics.

Tips and aquarium chiller recommendations
• A common mistake is to unplug the aquarium heater when a chiller is used. This is usually not a good idea, because an unplugged heater can cause the temperature to drop too far, e.g. if the weather suddenly changes or if you live in a part of the world where the days are hot and the nights cooler. A properly working heater with a thermostat will shut off as soon as the water has become warm enough and it can therefore be used together with a chiller.
• The chiller itself will actually emit quite a lot of heat. It is therefore not a good idea to enclose the chiller or place it inside aquarium furniture unless the furniture is very well ventilated.
• When choosing between two chillers, go for the more powerful one. You will usually get more bang for your buck by purchasing a really powerful chiller. Even weak chillers tend to be quite expensive, and the price does not increase proportionally to capacity as you upgrade to a more powerful piece. By getting a chiller that is more powerful than the minimum recommendation for your aquarium, you will normally end up with a chiller that lasts much longer before it has to be replaced than a weaker chiller would.
• If noise is a factor, try to find out beforehand how much noise the chiller will make, e.g. by reading reviews, asking questions in aquarium forums, contacting your local fish club, or asking the seller to test-run several chillers in the store before you make a purchase. Chillers can be quite noisy.

Water chillers and marine aquariums
Water chillers are more commonly used by marine aquarists than freshwater aquarists, due to several reasons. To being with, a given volume of saltwater is capable of holding far less dissolved oxygen than an equal amount of freshwater at the same temperature. When the temperature starts to increase above recommended levels in an aquarium, it is not always the heat itself that causes a problem for the fish – many fish are instead harmed by a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water. The warmer the water, the lower its capacity for holding dissolved oxygen. This is true for both freshwater and saltwater, but since saltwater is capable of holding less dissolved oxygen to begin with the situation tend to become problematic sooner in a marine tank.
Another important reason why chillers tend to be more common in marine aquariums is that so many popular freshwater species are used to fluctuating temperatures and oxygen levels in the wild, or a permanently high temperature and/or a low level of oxygen. A fish that can survive under the scorching sun in a puddle on the African savannah or in a murky algae-infested South-East Asian ditch can usually handle a heat spell in the aquarium without much ado. Quite a few species, such as the Gouramis, has even adapted special organs that make it possible for them to breathe air directly from the atmosphere if the level of dissolved oxygen starts to plummet. In the ocean, a scarcity of oxygen is on the other hand not something that the species have be forced to learned how to deal with, especially not the popular reef species that are common among marine aquarists.
There are naturally exceptions these generalizations; many freshwater species can only be kept within a very limited temperature span and may die if you allow the level of dissolved oxygen to plunge. There are also marine species that can cope well with an increased water temperature as well as a scarcity of oxygen.
Last but not least, marine aquariums tend to be more “equipment-demanding” than freshwater tanks and electric equipment generates heat. Marine aquariums usually require more potent filters and if you wish to keep live corals you are often required to install really potent lighting. When combined, all the equipment can make it necessary to invest in a marine aquarium water chiller.
Generally speaking, live corals should not be exposed to a water temperature above 84 degrees F / 29 degrees C, but the exact recommendation will of course depend on in which environment the coral grows in the wild. The same is true when it comes to fish; always research the preferred water temperature of your particular species and do not combine species used to very dissimilar temperatures.

Water chillers and freshwater aquariums
As mentioned above, freshwater fish tend to be more capable of handling increased or constantly high water temperatures in the aquarium; provided of course that you pick the right species. Always research your particular to find out their temperature preferences and how well they can cope with increased or constantly high water temperatures in the aquarium, as well as with oxygen depletion.
One of the factors that will have a major impact on how high a water temperature your fish can tolerate is the bio-load in the aquarium, i.e. how much waste that is produced and how much water there is to dilute the waste with. The higher the bio-load, the higher the risk of oxygen scarcity as the water temperature increases. Water risk of having to purchase a water chiller for a freshwater aquarium is therefore higher in the following situations:
• Your aquarium is crowded.
• You keep species that eat a lot and produce a lot of waste.
• You keep “messy-eaters”.
• You over-feed.
• You do not have and abundance of thriving plants that can bind organic waste and produce oxygen in the aquarium.
• You do not have efficient filtration (mechanical and biological).
• You are not carrying out frequent water changes.

Types of water chillers
Most types of water chillers for aquarium use fall into one of two broad categories: drop-in water chillers and in-line water chillers.
Drop in water chiller
A drop-in water chiller consists of coils placed in a sump. This type of water cooler does not require any plumbing.
Inline water chiller
An in-line water chiller is quipped with internal cooling coils. Water is pumped out of the aquarium, into the chiller where it is cooled, and then back to the aquarium (or sump). An in-line chiller can be placed away from the aquarium and is therefore easier to hide.

Cheap water chiller
Many aquarists are looking for cheap water chillers, but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you simply purchase the cheapest chiller you happen to find. If you want a cheap water chiller, it is important to first determine how much time you are planning on using your chiller. Are you buying a chiller as a back-up to be used for a few exceptionally hot summer days each year or are you planning on using it for longer periods, such as entire summers or even year round? A cheap chiller that might be perfect as a safety measure for sudden, but not very long lasting, heat-spells may very well be highly unsuitable for aquarists in need of long-term chilling. Constantly having to fix or replace cheap water chillers can be quite expensive in the long run, not to mention the hassle for you and the risk mal-functioning equipment poses to your fish. Instead of focusing on price only, it is better to focus on performance and durability and then try to find the cheapest possible water chiller that still fulfils all your requirements.
Trying to find the perfect water chiller can be tricky, so don’t hesitate to ask others for advice, e.g. by contacting your local fish club or asking questions in an online aquarium forum. When you have figured out roughly what you need, it is time to start shopping for a chiller. Ideally contact more than once aquarium supplier in your area and also do some online research. If you want to find a cheap water chiller without having to sacrifices quality, you should be prepared to contact quite a few vendors. In many cases, you can save yourself considerable amounts of money by ordering your water chiller online. In other cases, a local shop is to be preferred, e.g. if it offers attractive guarantees and speedy repairs if your chiller malfunctions. In a local shop you can also ask the vendor to test-run the chiller for you to check how loud it is.

Premium water chiller
Investing in a premium water chiller is an especially good idea if you use your chiller for more than just a few hot-spell days a year. Unfortunately, a high price does not equal a premium water chiller. Imagine how convenient it would be if all you had to do to get a supreme water chiller was to save up some money and then go for the most expensive chiller possible? The truth is however that you have to do your homework when purchasing a premium water chiller to make sure that you actually get your money's worth. Do not hesitate to ask other fish keepers about their experience with various water chillers in order to get as much unbiased advice as possible before you make a purchase. The Internet is a virtual gold-mine here since it makes it easy to compare opinions and advice from more than one online forum and review site. The Internet can also help you compare the price of premium water chillers from a myriad of different vendors. Before you start comparing prices, it is especially important to ask your fellow fish keepers about the longevity of their own premium water chillers, because a fairly inexpensive model can turn out to be really inexpensive in long run if it gives up the ghost as soon as the guarantee days are over. In addition to this, carefully check the various guarantees offers by different sellers and, if possible, obtain information about how complaining fish keepers have been treated by the seller when their premium chillers began to malfunction.

DIY aquarium chiller
How to make a homemade aquarium chiller

Equipment
• A hand drill
• A ½ inch or 5/16 inch drill bit
• Screwdrivers
• Knife or scissors for cutting tubing and pipes
Materials
• A small refrigerator with a freezer/ice cube tray section. A 1-1/2 cubic feet refrigerator is suitable.
• ½ inch thin-wall PVC pipe. You will need roughly 1 foot.
• Epoxy glue (5-minute)
• PVC fittings. It doesn’t matter if it is threaded or slip.
• 3/8 inch hard plastic tubing. You will need roughly 50-100 feet.
• Silicone sealant suitable for aquarium use.
• A pump/powerhead (powerful enough to pump water through the chiller fast enough)

Overview


Everything is placed in the plastic box inside the refrigerator housing.
The turquoise square on the sketch symbolizes freezer compartment with temperature probe attached to the inside wall of the cooling box.
Point 1: This is where the water will enter from the pump.
Point 2: The water is transported through the 3/8 inch coiled plastic tubing. (The more coils, the better the cooling effect.)
Point 3: This is where the chilled water leaves the chiller.
How to make a homemade aquarium chiller
• Ideally remove the box that isolates the freezer/ice cube tray section from the refrigerator. (In some models, this will unfortunately be virtually impossible.) Leave the temperature probe as it is.
• Drill access holes for plastic tubing on the top. (You can also drill them in the sides; the important thing is to choose access points that are practical for your particular set-up.)
• Prepare two pieces of PVC pipe; roughly 4 inches each.
• Insert the PVC pipes through the access holes.
• Reinforce the pipes with epoxy glue at the access holes.
• Seal with silicon. It is important to seal well.
• Glue or thread the PVC fittings onto the pipes and connect the pipes to the 3/8 inch tubing inside the box (coiling) and outside the box (running from the pump to the chiller and from the chiller to the aquarium/sump).
Important factors to think about
#1: The pump must be powerful enough to keep the water fast flowing; otherwise it might freeze to ice inside the chilling box.
#2: When the water runs back from the chiller to your aquarium it will be heated up again by room temperature. Using a long piece of plastic tubing between the chiller and the aquarium is therefore not a good idea. If you have to use a long tube, insulate it properly.

How to make a homemade EMERGENCY aquarium chiller
If you need a quick emergency remedy for your over-heated aquarium while putting a more durable construction together or waiting for a ready-made one to arrive, you can try this emergency chiller.
What you’ll need
• A small canister filter with the motor on top
• A bucket
• Plenty of ice
What you’ll do
• Fill the bucket with ice.
• Immerse the lower half of the canister filter in the ice.
• Use the filter as you would use a normal aquarium filter.
• Replace the ice continuously.
As mentioned above, this is just a quick emergency solution– not something that you can relay on in the long run. You have to monitor the temperature in the aquarium closely because this type of emergency aquarium chiller can easily cause dangerous fluctuations in water temperature. DO NOT unplug your heater.

Different Aquarium chiller brands
Below you will find information on some of the aquarium chiller brands that are available on the market today. We list some of the benefits and drawbacks of different brands but we don't recommend any brand over the other as the best choice will depend on your specific situation.

Aqua Logic Aquarium Chillers
Aqua Logic is a San Diego based United State's company founded in 1989. It caters primarily for the live seafood and aquaculture industry, but its products are used by others as well, including hobby aquarists. According to their own company website, their chillers are currently being used "in major public aquariums, the largest marine research labs in the world, and industry where corrosive fluids need to be cooled". This manufacturer is perhaps best known for its long-term development of titanium water chillers, but it produces other types of chillers as well.

As of 2008, Aqua Logic offers four main chiller lines: Delta Star (R), Cyclone (R), Trimline (R), and Multi Temp (R).

If you find it hard to decide between the various chillers, this chiller selection chart from Aqua Logic might be helpful. (It is a pdf-file so you need to have a program capable of opening pdf-files installed on your computer.)

USA Prime Aquarium Chillers
USA Prime offers highly flexible aquarium chillers that can be adapted to suit your needs trough a modular system. This means that you can buy a basic chiller and then modify it to suit your requirements by adding modules such as heaters and ultraviolet sterilizers to it. This will allow you to have the features you need in one stable unit without having to pay for functions you don't need. This system is also designed to save space as several functions can be included in one design.
USA Prime offers a wide variety of different chillers, from small cheap aquarium chillers for small aquariums to sizeable chillers for really large aquariums. The company manufactures several types of aquarium chillers including Nano, Mini, Drop-In, Inline and Tower chillers. All of them come with ABS cover and a digital temperature controller. Aquarium coolers from USA Prime are known to have fairly quiet motors and are fan cooled for good cooling effect and long life span.

Deltec Eco Cooler Aquarium Chiller
Deltec Eco is a line of aquarium chillers that are specially designed to be environmentally friendly and use as little electricity as possible. This makes the Deltec Eco chillers a not only green but also economical choice as they are considerably cheaper to run than many other aquarium chillers. They do not use environmentally dangerous chemicals and are more silent than aquarium coolers using refrigerant cooler.
In a Deltec Eco chiller, the chilling effect is produced by forcing water from the aquarium to evaporate which draws heat from it, thereby cooling it down. This process is much less energy intensive than refrigerant cooling and an Eco cooler system usually uses less than 10% of the electricity used by other chillers to achieve the same chilling effect.

Deltec Eco cooler aquarium chillers might be environmentally friendly and much cheaper to run than other coolers, but unfortunately they are also expensive to buy. They can often be a good investment in the long run but makes for a bigger initial investment.
Deltec Eco has aquarium chillers for both fresh and saltwater aquariums.

Coolworks - IceProbe Aquarium Chiller
The IceProbe chiller is an aquarium chiller produced by CoolWorks. It is designed to be fitted into sumps, overflows, prefilters, and aquarium walls. The IceProbe chiller does not have a thermostat and chills as long as supplied with power. It is a cheap alternative for someone who wants to integrate aquarium chilling in a system they are building but don't want to build their own DIY aquarium chiller. It is highly recommended to add a thermostat that regulates power supply to the IceProbe if building a setup using this chiller. CoolWorks also produce and sell a proportional temperature controllers designed to be used with this chiller.
The IceProbe chiller comes with a 150W effect and several units can be used to achieve better cooling effect in your setup.
Coolworks also produces the MikroChiller aquarium chiller, a smaller chiller designed to be used in nano tanks where it chills the water and increase water movement. It can bring down the temperature in a 10 gallon aquarium up to 4-6 degrees.

Oceanic Aquarium Chiller
Oceanic makes high quality aquarium chillers that by many are considered among the most silent of all chillers. They are not the cheapest brand out there but they often have a long lifespan and have very accurate thermostats that make Oceanic aquarium chillers a good choice when it is important to keep the aquarium temperature very stable. It is possible to connect a heater to Oceanic water chillers turning them into complete climate controls for your aquarium. On the negative side, Oceanic chillers tend to have a sort of plastic look and they are best hidden away in a (well ventilated) cabinet or similar as the LCD displays generate a lot of light. Oceanic is a well-established brand within the hobby the natural choice for many when they want to buy an aquarium chiller, but not a given choice as other individuals prefer other aquarium chiller brands.

TECO SeaChill Chillers
Teco was founded in 1969 and is another very popular aquarium chiller brand that is recommended by many. Chillers from Teco are known to work well and can reduce the temperature in an aquarium quickly. They will usually maintain the temperature stable in an aquarium within 1 degree Fahrenheit. Add-on heaters are available turning the chiller into a complete climate system for you aquarium. UV sterilizations units are also available for Teco SeaChill chillers.
These aquariums chillers are generally speaking running quietly but they are not the most silent aquarium chillers on the market. All Teco SeaChill aquarium chillers have LCD displays. They are very easy to connect and operate.
Many aquarists have told me that these are the best aquarium chillers on the market. I am not going to say that, just that it is a popular brand and a favorite for many. You always have to take your particular preferences into account.
Tunze Aquarium Chiller
Tunze is a company with 45 years of experience selling and producing high quality aquarium equipment. Today they provide aquarium chillers with a low energy consumption and high cooling effect. Tunze aquarium chillers often use 30-50% less electricity compared to other aquarium chillers with the same cooling power. Their energy consumption is not as low as in Deltec Eco coolers but still considerably lower than most other chillers. Tunze aquarium chillers can be fitted with heaters turning them into complete climate control systems for your aquarium.

Courtesy http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/Aquarium-chillers/

Collection trip April 09 - a report

The announcement of the trip, the route
On 16th March afternoon, my friend and many years senior in the hobby, Madan Subramanium of Bangalore came out with a collection trip plan. Something we were all expecting and looking forward to. This time it was going to be big. No collection trip of this magnitude has ever happened on India soil before. By this magnitude, I mean, a 15 member team, 5 cars, 3 days 2 nights and 1000+ kms of hard core collection.

It was obviously very rigorous and we had covered nealy 50-60 sites for collection. Good to see was every one of us was ready for the ordeal with high level of interest.

The route for the trip was decided to be,

Check the Map for the location
http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/karnataka/karnatakaphysical.jpg

10th Friday April 2009
Departure Bangalore : Yeshwantpur Metro 0500 Hrs
drive straight to Shimoga and save time. Quick Lunch at Shimoga.
Post Lunch: Shimoga - Manddagadde, Tirthahalli - Habitat study and collection trip begins from this stretch.
Night halt at Tirthahalli.

11th Saturday April 2009
Departure Tirthahalli 0500 Hrs
Tirthahalli - Koppa- Sringeri – Kudremukh* - Koppa – Tirthahalli
*We will be passing through Kudremukh National Park - absolutely no fish catching in the park. We are actually not allowed to even STOP our vehicles when in the park. Time to drive through the park is limited, clocked and verified by the Forest Dept.
Night halt at Tirthahalli

12th Sunday April 2009
Departure Tirthahalli 0500
Tirthahalli - Nagar - Hosanagara - Riponpet - Shimoga - Bangalore

Accomodation at Tirthahalli on both days, ie., 10th and 11th Nights.

Rules, rules and more rules
Well, in collection trip like these there are some rules which has to be adhered to very very strictly to make it a smooth affair. So that, you can accommodate all the spots with some time in hand, you do not have any major health issues etc etc.

The Basic rules that we follow in these collection trip are;
No diversions for tourist spots.
On Time Departures always.
Late comers catch up on the road.
Food as available and when available on the road.
Do not attempt to carry back all the fish you see. If you don't have tanks setup and ready back at home to accommodate the fish when you arrive, don't carry back any fish with you.
These trips are of real fatigue - if at any time, any one wants to break off they are welcomed to do so, collection trip takes priority over all else.
Passengers liaise with car owners for pick location, time, what to carry etc.

How we keep our fish alive
We diligently follow instructions on the trip. Assign one "water changer" per car.
Fish can be kept alive with zero mortality by following instructions strictly. There is no substitute to hardwork.

Things each car carry
Fish nets, Hand nets, Fish bags, Rubber bands, Small 3 liter bucket, Styrofoam boxes, Mug.
Plenty of Drinking water. Snacks. Umbrella, Hand towels, Towels, Dark glasses, Head gear, First AId Kit.
Car Papers and Insurance docs, Driving License. ID card. CASH.

Clothes to carry
Only comfortable clothes. Only cottons. Shorts and T- shirts are the thumb rule.
Plenty of extra inner wear. You will need it.
Proper water proof footwear. Keds/canvas shoes or strap ons.

Keep handy
Always carry a one liter bottle of drinking water by your side. Dehydration is always very high.
If you have delicate skin, get lotions for it. Make sure you use the lotion only when you are not handling the fish or getting into water.

Know your limits.

Model Code of Conduct
1. Prone to car sickness ?, take an Avomin tablet one hour before the trip starts.
2. No booze during the day. Smoking is as per the car owners discretion.
3. Food is last priority, carry food if you want meals on time. Eat same on the drive, no special stoppages.
4. Don't spare anyone, sarcasm & wit rule ! Take & Give back all that you get all day long. No hard feelings at the end of the day.
5. Don't sit with wet clothes on the car seat. Carry a large plastic sheet with you.
6. Do not step bare foot into water. Carry chappals if you are coming in shoes.

Following these simple yet mandatory rules we have managed to have the most satisfying trips while managing to bring back and rejuvenate almost 100% of wild caught live stock.

You can see the tour pictures
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Album.aspx?uid=3890438703860345209&aid=1239971381

Hope this helps all you guys. If it helps you, please drop a comment.

Understanding Full Spectrum Aquarium Lighting

http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/12/understanding-full-spectrum-aquarium.html

Picking the right lighting for your planted aquarium can be intimidating and confusing. There are so many options to choose from, and so many ways to measure these options. The first step to understanding full spectrum aquarium lighting is to understand what type light your plants need, and what the measurements mean.

Color temperature, measured in Kelvins, is often the easiest measure to find, after wattage. It is a measure of the overall color of the light as it appears to the human eye. Lower color temperatures appear reddish while higher temperatures appear bluish with white in the middle of the range. Often, a temperature between 5000K and 10,000K is recommended for a planted aquarium. However, two bulbs with the same color temperature may in fact be emitting very different light, some more useful to plants than others. This has to do with the different wavelengths of light, and explains why relying on color temperature alone can be misleading.

Visible light is made up of many different wavelengths, mixed together. It's the absorption or reflection of particular wavelengths that produce colors. Plants require certain wavelengths of light to carry out photosynthesis using chlorophyll. The light that chlorophyll absorbs is used to power photosynthesis. By examining the wavelengths of light absorbed by chlorophyll, we can begin to understand the needs of our aquatic plants.

As shown above, plants need the majority of the light to be around 400-450nm and 650-675nm (or blue and red light). The blue light is used for leaf growth, and promotes bushy, compact growth, while red light is mainly used for flowering and strong stems. They reflect most green light, thus explaining why leaves are green.

Armed with this information, we know that any aquarium light will need to produce large amounts of blue and red light. Most bulb manufacturers include the spectral output graph of their products on or in the packaging. Examine this output graph and try to find a bulb that matches up with the spectral absorption graph for chlorophyll. The closer the match, the better the bulb will be for your plants. For example, the following graph is for a GE 9325K bulb.

The bulb matches up fairly well, although the spike at 600nm is not really red enough (650-675nm) for a plant to fully benefit. The blue light spike is however beneficial, and the spike in greenish-yellow light will make the bulb look bright to the human eye.

Although you may not notice a major difference between bulbs, a mix between a color temperature that you like and a spectral output that your plants like will help create healthier plants and a healthier aquarium.

For more in-depth information on the science of full spectrum aquarium lighting, check out this discussion of aquarium lighting science and photosynthesis, or this aquarium light bulb comparison study. For more information on lighting metrics, check out this page on Kelvin, nanometers, PAR, and CRI.

Eheim 2217 Review

http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2006/09/eheim-2217.html

The Eheim 2217 is the largest of the Classic series you can buy. It's rated at 264 gallons per hour and the filter itself is a hefty 6 liters (roughly 1.5 gallons). This is significant because the volume of the filter container determines how much media you can put in and the more media, the more filtering capacity. Many people mistakenly think that the flow is what determines what size tank a filter can handle. Although this holds true in some cases, larger filter volume will always mean larger filtering capacity. It doesn't matter how fast you push water through a tiny container, it will only have so much media that can do the job. Although the 159 gallon rating may be a bit optimistic (like the 2213's 66 gallon rating), this filter can certainly get the job done on any tank below its upper limit.

If anyone asks you why an Eheim is one of the best filters available today, you can point to the flawless German engineering and efficiency. The 2217 only uses 20 watts to push all that flow; comparable filters use 25 or more. There is also absolutely no bypass. The way the filter is designed means that all water must pass through the media. Any dirt that gets sucked up by this filter remains in the filter.

The quality of the parts and construction is top notch. When you clamp the lid onto the container, you know it wouldn't leak, ever. Not even if you tried. In fact, you can even run it without half the clamps and it still won't leak. Priming the 2217 for the first time can be a bit of an ordeal (like any of the Classic series). These filters don't come with any of the fancy self-priming buttons or levers, but they do come with double-tap valves, which make all the difference. However, the first time you set it up, you will funnel (Eheim sells a bulb to do this) or, with much regret, suck on the intake tube. Once you have it filled and running, all you have to do is close the valves on the double-tap connectors, unplug the filter, then separate the connectors. The water remains in the tubing and in the filter, so when you're finished, just reconnect everything, open up the valves, and turn it on. No priming ever again!

My 2217 came with free media, as I think most do at this point. It came with 1 fine pad, 1 coarse pad, 1 carbon pad, Ehfimech, and Ehfisubstrat Pro. These are all top notch, and the Ehfisubstrat Pro is specially shaped so it doesn't compact and clog. They provide mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration. Again, nothing gets by this media. It also came with tubing and tubing accessories including a spraybar, an intake tube with strainer, and suction cups. It includes a plastic elbow piece which I believe is an alternative to the sparybar, but quite frankly, if you decided to use it it'd be like putting a fire hose in your tank; heaven help the poor fish who unknowingly swims in front of it.

Eheims are probably the best filters you can buy, if you have the money. The 2217 usually retails for around $150 but is well worth it, as these filters have been known to last for decades. I give it five out of five fish:

Pros: Efficient, high quality, no bypass, large filtration capacity

Cons: First time priming can leave a fishy taste in your mouth