My 75g tank so far *PICS*

[TomFromStLouis]

I suppose I have asked enough questions here to post the results so far.

75gallons
pH from 6.6 to 7.0
KH = 4
Nitrates = 5
temp from 25-27*C
fauna: Frijoles Fred, a betta
3 SAE, 6 Amano shrimp
coming soon: rummynose tetras, gold angels
flora: caladium, valisneria asiatica (corkscrew val), glossotygma, didplis diandra, riccia, narrow leaf java fern, 'christmas' moss, cabomba carolina, crinum calistratum, isoetes, green myriophyllum, lysimachia 'aurea', rotala walichii, eleocharis (dwarf hairgrass), maybe something else I am forgetting

If you can believe it, I was really wanting a minimalist Amano style tank, but I found lots of plants I could not say 'no' to :)

The picture, if successfully attached, is after today's prunig away of brown stuff. The vals, eleocharis, glosso, and crinum have all had what I am presuming is nitrate starvation since I just started adding ferts after maybe two weeks of CO2. If you can offer any other reason why plants are browning, please chime in.

[TomFromStLouis]

here is the overall view right after I installed the first plant shipment. Cabinet and hood are solid walnut by me.

[TomFromStLouis]

here is a close up of plant browning before I pruned today. The crinum has only been in there maybe a week, the glosso for maybe two. Is this normal 'new plant' syndrome' or is there something I am doing wrong? I am still adjusting fert dosages but at least some of the macros and a bunch of Flourish is in there now.

[hatton3]

Browning from a lack of nutrients? Potassium or Molybdenum?

[djlen]

What's your lighting like(watts)? If would also help if you could send a better closeup picture of the plants in question.
The tank looks great from a distance. Can't tell what the problem is though with that closeup.
If I remember correctly(which is rare), this tank has only been up a very short time, correct?
You really did a great job with the stand and canopy!!!!!
Len

[somefinnfishy]

Buy the looks of the spathiphilum (peace lilly)on the floor you must get lots of light from that window.
Keep that spath wet all the time and it would flower.
BTW awesome stand!

[TomFromStLouis]

The spathi- um, peace lily gets twice a week watering. The window behind the camera is north facing, so all sunlight is diffused. It has flowered twice in six months.

other specs:

220 watt compact flourescents on maybe 11 hours per day (yes I have gotten some algae)

substrate 40% flourite

yes this tank is less than a month old

I will see if I can get a better closeup posted tonight.

Thanks for the nice comments!

btw that should read cardamine, not caladium.

[Tempest]

I got the plants for my 55 gallon through the mail and went through a period at first when a good lot of the old leaves rotted off. Plants often just plain seem to need time to adapt to our particular conditions. Are you seeing new growth?

I also found a sudden nitrite spike in there during that time and had to do extra water changes. I also went through a period with loads of staghorn algae on the way to the tanks maturity. :D

I haven't experienced this sort of thing in the 10 gallon tank that I established later on using mostly plants from the larger tank.

[djlen]

"New tanks are just like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get".......Forrest Gump
Doesn't seem like you are doing anything wrong. With all the previous chit-chat, you know the drill with regard to ferts. You're adding CO2, and your light is good. Tempest has a good point with what she says about new plants, and also you're dealing with a new tank and tinkering with ferts etc. The question she asks is a good one. Are you getting any new growth?
Until it settles in, this tank will do all kind of weird things.
Len

[TomFromStLouis]

oh yeah I am getting new growth, although the lysimachia leaves are browning from the bottom upwards faster than it can add new leaves. In other words, even some of the leaves added in the past two weeks are browning.

I have few doubts that everything will be okay once I get my fert dosages set. I finally got Flourish Iron and have detected >0 readings on my chelated iron test. I have been dosing KNO3 and just bought some Nu Salt to make sure on the K. In short, this tank will rock in a month or two - I just hope I am not too late to save some plant species. Not that they cannot be replaced, but I would like to know I have this thing figured out.

I added 10 rummynose tetras last night and they are a joy to watch. If I can beat this browning thing, I will have a smile on my face all day long.

[K_S_W_I_S_S]

i heard somewhere that the plant nurseries let the plants grow out of the water (with only the roots submerged) or something like that... and i think that they said that that is why the leaves always turn brown... (i could just be making this stuff up tho' but im pretty sure i read that some where)

[nvision]

good start, and nice pics. how's the tank coming thus far?

don't worry about dying leaves in the beginning, it always happen. just let the plants adjust themselves for about a week and they should recover very nicely if your environment is well set. most people including myself used to freak out when we encounter this stage and we end up doing all kinds of extreme measures to cure the problem, when there's really not much of a problem at all. good luck.