I’ve had a lot of fun the last 9 months exploring this new hobby but the last 4 weeks have been some stressful ones. I started my tank in early Sept., setting it all up and planting it heavily with various plants. Mid Nov I acquired a few common plecos because the algae were a little crazy but knowing how big they can get didn’t get too attached. They did well for a bit but died because my PH levels got too high because too much CO2 was in the tank. So I moved my air stone into the filter, because of a friend’s suggestion. And that seemed to work well. Everything was stable at a KH of 3 and a Ph of 7. The plants flourished in these new conditions. I stocked the tank with fish around the first of the year. Everything was great for about 4 months. I added some new fish, one being a clown loach, now I don’t know if he had ich when I got it but he was the only one in the tank to be affected. My light started crapping out on me around the same time and I knew the bulb needed to be replaced but I was in the middle of a semester and didn’t have any cash coming in so I had to wait on it. I treated my tank with salt after reading the incredibly helpful sticky and over a few weeks my fish went back to normal but my plants just didn’t seem to be doing so great. At first I just assumed it was the light and would have to wait and hope for the best. Shortly before the ich I had set up a 20g tank for a pregnant swordtail and moved a lot of the plants into that tank because I had a decent light for the 20g.
So now to where I am now in the 30g, I have gotten a new 65w bulb and well it defiantly shines a lot brighter. My swords, banana plant and baby tears are all growing, not as quick as they used to but I see growth, a little, though they don’t look as healthy. My various stemmed plants are well rooted but I haven’t seen any growth. I tested the water and the PH was about 7-7.25 and a Kh of 1. So I took out the co2 and the air stone had all but disintegrated. so I took it out rigged up a new set up and put it directly in the tank and have been monitoring it closely as to not have the same fate as the first 2 plecos. The Ph is now 6.5-7 and the Kh is 2. Not where I want them to be at all. I thought maybe it could be the water. I’ve never had to treat the water before adding it to the tanks in the past. But the 20g has no problems and looks beautiful. Both tanks get water from the same source, the 20g has no Co2 being pumped in.
I have done an awful lot of water changes since I stopped the ich treatment so there can only be trace amounts of salt, if any, left in the tank. I had a bacteria bloom a few days ago but did a water change and cleaned the bio bag a bit and it seemed to get itself under control, the water is very clear again.
Through out the last 9 months I have used flourish products on my tanks. Trace, Iron, phosphorus, and nitrogen. I have the Tetra rett laborer, test kit and it doesn’t test for these particular substances so I’ve just gone by what the bottle says. If any one has any suggestions on a good kit I am looking because at this point from what I have read my self I am leaning towards that my plants just need more nutrients, or the right amount. I’ve read the sticky on fertilizers and well I’m still confused but am getting a better grasp on it.
I took some of my Water Hedge that was growing well in the 20g and put it in the 30g to see if it had the same fait. And they did the same thing, they don’t grow much if any and the leaves have started to curl under. Does the fact that the leaves are curling under mean anything particular? The plants that have been in there the whole time are the same but the leaves aren’t nearly as long. Is there something I need to do to treat my tank post ich? I’m racking my brain because I don’t know what to search for because I’ve exhausted all the possibilities that I can come up with.
If i need to include some more information to diagnose the problem please let me know. As well if any one has any suggestions or helpful resources please send them my way, and thank you for reading this.
Chuck
So now to where I am now in the 30g, I have gotten a new 65w bulb and well it defiantly shines a lot brighter. My swords, banana plant and baby tears are all growing, not as quick as they used to but I see growth, a little, though they don’t look as healthy. My various stemmed plants are well rooted but I haven’t seen any growth. I tested the water and the PH was about 7-7.25 and a Kh of 1. So I took out the co2 and the air stone had all but disintegrated. so I took it out rigged up a new set up and put it directly in the tank and have been monitoring it closely as to not have the same fate as the first 2 plecos. The Ph is now 6.5-7 and the Kh is 2. Not where I want them to be at all. I thought maybe it could be the water. I’ve never had to treat the water before adding it to the tanks in the past. But the 20g has no problems and looks beautiful. Both tanks get water from the same source, the 20g has no Co2 being pumped in.
I have done an awful lot of water changes since I stopped the ich treatment so there can only be trace amounts of salt, if any, left in the tank. I had a bacteria bloom a few days ago but did a water change and cleaned the bio bag a bit and it seemed to get itself under control, the water is very clear again.
Through out the last 9 months I have used flourish products on my tanks. Trace, Iron, phosphorus, and nitrogen. I have the Tetra rett laborer, test kit and it doesn’t test for these particular substances so I’ve just gone by what the bottle says. If any one has any suggestions on a good kit I am looking because at this point from what I have read my self I am leaning towards that my plants just need more nutrients, or the right amount. I’ve read the sticky on fertilizers and well I’m still confused but am getting a better grasp on it.
I took some of my Water Hedge that was growing well in the 20g and put it in the 30g to see if it had the same fait. And they did the same thing, they don’t grow much if any and the leaves have started to curl under. Does the fact that the leaves are curling under mean anything particular? The plants that have been in there the whole time are the same but the leaves aren’t nearly as long. Is there something I need to do to treat my tank post ich? I’m racking my brain because I don’t know what to search for because I’ve exhausted all the possibilities that I can come up with.
If i need to include some more information to diagnose the problem please let me know. As well if any one has any suggestions or helpful resources please send them my way, and thank you for reading this.
Chuck
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