Raising Coral In Saltwater Aquariums – Great Tips And Advice
Many people are very passionate about making their home aquarium look like a piece of the ocean that has been transplanted in their homes. Some people will take pains in cultivating their aquarium themselves while some will just like to go out and buy their whole kit, tank, filter, lighting plants fish and all. This may be an easier way to create a good aquarium, however, the fun way is to start with the basics and grow your own fish and plants.
Some people are pretty good at breeding their own fish and have formed groups where they can exchange their home grown aquarium plants, fish and coral as well. There is a certain joy in seeing your efforts take definate shape in the form of aquetic plants and marine life.
Attempting to start a reef in your aquarium is not the sort of advice gurus will dole out to beginers in this hobby. One is advised to start with a small aquarium that houses fish only. Once you have a few months of experience in caring for the fish in the aquarium you can move on to trying your hand at breeding fish, then plants in the aquarium. After about a year you will be rady to try your hand at growing coral in the tank.
Before you rush out to get yourself some coral reef for the tank, remember that you are not just placing a piece of rock to your aquarium. These are actually called Polyps and are tiny invertibrate living organisms. The existance of these polyps in your saltwater tank depends on your ability to provide proper lighting, food and salt water.
In order for the coral reef to survive you must provide good saltwater to the tank at regular intervals. If you change the water abruptly you are likely to send your polyps into a state of shock and ultimately lose them. You will know the coral is in trouble by the discoloring of the reef. In addition you must be able to provide a proper pump to produce a strong current in the water as this is very important for the coral’s survival.
You must never forget that corals are living organisms and require food. Many people of the wrong belief that corals feed like other plants in the water, on photosynthesis. Nothing could be further from the truth. Corals need to be fed, like the other fish in the aquarium, at least 3 times a week. Frozen food is best for coral reef in the tank. Any coral food purchased from the pet store that has been open for more than 5 months must be discarded. Liquid or bottled food is available from the pet store and is best suited for the coral as they do not dirty the aquarium.
Believe it or not large polyps feed on pieces of minced meat! What do you know – from plants to carnivores! However, remember if the polyps are too small they will starve because the large pieces og minced meat will not be of any use to them. So stick to the prepared food from the pet store.
If you have done your research and have a good supply of nutrients from the store you will have your coral reef in your living room in no time at all.
Thanks for your read, learn more: www.ledgrowlight-aquarium.com.au
Marijuana Hydroponics – How to Build Your Own Marijuana Hydroponic Garden
These are plans to make a fairly portable, and very inexpensive advanced hydroponic system. These plans only explain how to make the garden itself, and do not explain how to use or maintain it. If you plan on using this garden, you should get yourself a good book on hydroponics, and look it over.
I am intentionally leaving out those parts about plant nutrition, light cycles, etc. so as not to appear to be writing a guidebook for growing marijuana. It is also to make you seek out another source of information so your knowledge of hydroponics comes from more than just this article. I do not grow marijuana, and never have. I’m just a high-tech home gardener with information to share. If you are caught growing marijuana while using the system described herein, don’t even think of running to me, I didn’t tell you to grow marijuana. In fact, I’d suggest planting a crop of cherry tomatoes, which can be fooled into producing fruit indoors year round, and is a very easy plant to start hydroponics with.
Materials needed:
1 5-10 gallon bucket
2 Pieces of PVC or ABS pipe, 8-10″ long, 5″ or greater diameter.
4 Caps for PVC/APS pipe ends.
1 waterpump capable of about 50 Gallons per Hour (you will need a bigger pump if you choose to make this a larger system)
4′ of hose that will fit the waterpump (often 3/8″)
1 TEE joint (or Y-splitter) that fits the water hose
4 clamps for the water hose (one for pump to hose, and 3 for hoses to TEE fitting.)
1 Airpump, airstone, and some airline from a fish tank.
1 Can White epoxy based spray paint
1 Can Black Epoxy based spray paint
Procedure:
1. Everything must be made light tight. Paint all hoses, the bucket, the PVC/ABS and the lid of the bucket with a layer of black paint. Let it dry overnight, and then cover it with a layer of white paint to make it reflective, and reduce the temperature of the nutrient solution.
2. Take each of PVC pieces and drill a 1 inch hole on the side, about one inch from the end. Then epoxy the caps onto the ends of the PVC.
3. Drill the inlet/outlet holes; these should be located on the caps of the PVC. The inlet hole should be as low as possible or as close to the wall of the PVC, and the outlet-hole should be as high as possible.
4. Now cut two 5″ holes in the sides of the bucket (close to the top), and epoxy the PVC in place, so about 2″ of pipe (and the outlet hole) are inside the bucket, and the 1″ hole is facing straight up.
5. Oxygen into the nutrient solution, and not to dissolve CO2. CO2 can kill root systems. If you are growing outside, or not enriching CO2, then the pump can sit anywhere.
6. Place the water pump in the bottom of the bucket (assuming it is a submersible one) and attach a hose to it long enough to reach the top of the bucket. Cut a hole in the lid of the bucket for this hose to go through. Then attach the TEE fitting to the hose. Now attach hoses to the free ends of the TEE, and run them to the inlet holes on the end of the PVC pipes. Use clamps on the TEE fitting and on the pump itself, but use epoxy to attach the hoses to the PVC. This seal must be completely water tight. Let them dry for 24 hours.
7. Put some water in the bucket and turn on the pump. What should happen is the PVC pieces will fill with water, and then when they are full, they should begin to continuously drain out the outlet holes, and back into the bucket. If you are getting leaks anywhere, fix them immediately. If water is coming out of the 1″ hole on the top of the pipe, then either your pump is too strong, or your outlet hole is too small. Fix one or the other.
8. Empty the system (hint, remove the hose from the pump to drain the arms), and replace the water with some form of hydroponic nutrient solution (look in a hydroponics book for details on what exactly to use, or visit a gardening store, and ask)
9. Place your plants into the system. The best way I have found to do this is to take a 1 1/8″ garden hose and cut a 1″ tube off of one end. Then slit the tube down one side. Wrap the stem of your plant (just above the roots) with polyester fluff (available at aquarium stores, for stuffing into external water filters) and then wrap the garden hose around the fluff. Then force the hose into the hole at the top of the PVC arm. People also have used rubber stoppers.
10. Turn on the air/water pumps, and let your garden grow.
This is obviously just a small setup, but these plans can easily be modified for much larger systems, using longer pieces of PVC, or more than one pair of arms, and a larger bucket to hold the nutrients (I’ve seen one made with a 55 gallon drum, and 8 separate arms, each holding 4 plants)
I personally use this setup indoors (under a skylight in my apartment) to grow 2 cherry tomato plants. What you do with your own garden is your own business, and obviously I can’t be held responsible if you choose to grow anything illegal.
Learn more, please visit: www.ledgrowlight-aquarium.com.au
Indoor Grow Lights: Enriching experience of the hydroponic indoor gardening
When it comes to growing plants indoors, there are certain environmental conditions like humidity and lighting that need to be taken into consideration first to ensure that the plants you grow will remain healthy. A proper lighting condition is the first and foremost important thing that plays an important role in the survival of most of the plants. Whether you decide to grow plants in soil or water (hydroponics), the proper amount of light is crucial to support healthy growth of plants and this is the reason that when it is not possible to provide enough light to indoor plants, most people rely on artificial lighting systems, known as indoor grow lights.
Being a great resource for indoor gardening, Indoor Grow Lights have gained popularity in the recent years where they have proved to be a boon for the people interesting in hydroponic indoor gardening. They promote plant growth by emitting an electromagnetic spectrum, much like a light spectrum to that of the sun to initiate the process of photosynthesis in the plants and thus allow indoor growth with outdoor conditions. There are spot grow bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs, fluorescent fixtures, high pressure sodium, metal halide and LED grow lights to cater the needs of plants require different intensities of light.
Indoor grow lights have facilitated indoor gardening, especially in case of hydroponics where the plants are grown without soil. With the help of proper lighting system, it is now possible to grow marijuana indoors. The time, when growing marijuana hydroponically indoors has become the preferred method to cultivate cannabis; the artificial lighting systems have become important pieces of equipment for those who want to take all the medicinal benefits of this most controversial drug. The medicinal uses of cannabis have always attracted people to cultivate marijuana but as each coin has two faces, there are many abuses associated with this drug. Unfortunately it is illegal to grow marijuana in many countries and this is the reason that indoor cultivation of drug has gained popularity in the recent years.
Indoor Plant Grow Lights have made it possible to grow most of the plants indoors. Allowing year-round growing of the indoor plants, they truly have expanded the possibilities for all devoted gardeners where they can easily grow the plants they want to grow. With daily monitoring and maintenance, it is possible to achieve the optimal growth of your hydroponic garden and achieve the success in your mission to set up an indoor garden, where you can easily feel the beauty of nature.
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