Frustrated again with plants
- Thread starter rogerramjet69
- Start date
I don't remember any instructions with the drop checker which were so detailed as to the solution. I will get some baking soda and make up a 4KH solution for accurate readings. Thank you very much. I was looking for details on the mix and most were talking about making 1L or more of solution. Then one person said to just mix a smidgeon of baking soda with some distilled and keep diluting until you get 4KH. That sounds a lot better than making a liter of solution.
Riiz has you on the right track. You definitely need to get your CO2 in order. The drop checker will take care of that. I think it's safe to say that your co2 is low. And, no, adding co2 will never lead to algae :screwy:.
13 clown loaches in a 75g is a very large fish load, so your nutrient levels may be fairly high. The co2 will likely help that part out, as well as keeping up with weekly water changes. I think the high fish load may be one of your main caues of algae. Put in some fast growing plants that grow in low light, like wisteria and water sprite. Those should help pull out excess nutrients. Increasing your plant load in general will help, but the fast growing low light plants will be great.
13 clown loaches in a 75g is a very large fish load, so your nutrient levels may be fairly high. The co2 will likely help that part out, as well as keeping up with weekly water changes. I think the high fish load may be one of your main caues of algae. Put in some fast growing plants that grow in low light, like wisteria and water sprite. Those should help pull out excess nutrients. Increasing your plant load in general will help, but the fast growing low light plants will be great.
I visited 4 LFS's yesterday and purchased 14 additional plants. Unfortunately most of the LFS's are national chains and have limited selections. I have two extensive local shops that we visit occasionally and will try to load up on more plants still. The anacharis that is often available looks very sick and brown so I do not buy it. I had turned off my co2 but I will turn it back on again. Are you familiar with the Red Sea Pro system. It all boils down to bubbles per second and they say to start with 1bps. They never say to advance from this setting so I guess that is something that is left up the to the individual. My co2 is on a timer and will not be kicking in for a few hours yet this morning. Perhaps I will bump this up from 1 to maybe 2bps. I have to buy a fresh baking soda today so I can make the solution tonight. Maybe I missed the boat but I am learning many things as I reach retirement age that I was never advised about in my earlier years of fish keeping. Lighting and co2 for instance. I always bought deluxe two-bulb hoods but mainly because I wanted the tanks more illuminated than the standard reflectors provided. I will work on thinning out the population but this will be mainly the angels, platies, swords, etc. If we find that some of the loaches need some growing room we will have to look for good homes. Again, thanks for all the help and please don't give up on me yet.
I'm curious... why didn't you buy the plants from the classified forum here? I always find that they're healthier in general, and the portions are generous. The prices are also good even with shipping factored in. I'm a little worried that some of the plants purchased from your LFS may be of the non-aquatic type, which will not help your situation.
I agree with a lot of the info here.
1) buy plants from the classifieds here. The plants will be healthier, your sure to have submersed grown plants that are true aquatics.
2) your lighting is low for demanding plants, there aren't many stems that will grow in a tank of that depth with that kind of lighting. Also, a longer photo period with low light intensity does not equal high light intensity. Stick to 8 hours a day and see if that helps your algae problems. If you're really going to do planted the only way I am every happy is high tech with high lighting and lots of CO2.
3) you should get enough phosphates and nitrates from fish waste, but you may need to supplement micros and K (potassium) either through dry ferts (look up rex grigg) or commercially available plant supplements. With swords and crypts, use root tabs.
4) Do NOT turn off your CO2. I would increase the CO2, but be careful you don't increase enough to stress the fish.
After that, its just patience. You will always have algae outbreaks, you just have to stay on top of it. Planted tanks are hard. But they are so rewarding when it works. Its a bit commitment, in time and resources ($$) but I will never go back to plastic.
1) buy plants from the classifieds here. The plants will be healthier, your sure to have submersed grown plants that are true aquatics.
2) your lighting is low for demanding plants, there aren't many stems that will grow in a tank of that depth with that kind of lighting. Also, a longer photo period with low light intensity does not equal high light intensity. Stick to 8 hours a day and see if that helps your algae problems. If you're really going to do planted the only way I am every happy is high tech with high lighting and lots of CO2.
3) you should get enough phosphates and nitrates from fish waste, but you may need to supplement micros and K (potassium) either through dry ferts (look up rex grigg) or commercially available plant supplements. With swords and crypts, use root tabs.
4) Do NOT turn off your CO2. I would increase the CO2, but be careful you don't increase enough to stress the fish.
After that, its just patience. You will always have algae outbreaks, you just have to stay on top of it. Planted tanks are hard. But they are so rewarding when it works. Its a bit commitment, in time and resources ($$) but I will never go back to plastic.
Thanks again for the comments. I did make a 4KH solution for my drop checker and, unfortunately, get the same results that I got with either tank water or straight distilled water. The good news is that the color is green, albeit dark green, indicating a good level of co2 from what I gather. I never thought about purchasing from the classifieds but will look into it. My fish (not sure if it is just the loaches or all species) did a pretty good number on two potted plants to the point that I pulled what was left and discarded them. The Wisteria (I believe) has been attacked but is still surviving. Another plant (unknow species) has not been bothered and has leaves that are thicker and more rubbery. I would like some tall plants to grow against the back of the tank, but I have had no luck so far with anything I have tried - vals and giant sags. Are there some specific plants you would recommend? Here is a link to some photos of my tank. Unfortunately, many of the specimens are no longer there. http://profile.imageshack.us/user/stotaposter/ The only survivors from these photos are the crypts and anubia. I do have a healthy crop of java moss and some java fern - I know - "big deal".
I think you might just need to adjust your expectations a bit, a lot of plants will struggle with low light. On the other hand, your crypts seem to be perfectly fine, so why not try some more crypts? A healthy plant, even if it is common, looks much better than a straggly specimen of a more choice species.
The anubius need to be pulled out of the substrate (you can't bury their rhizomes / stems) and would look nice attached to some of that driftwood / decor. There are also some larger anubias which you could try, that might give you some more structure and interest in the tank.
Planted tanks with low light take a bit more patience than high light / fert / co2 tanks, but if you make the right plant choices they can be just as rewarding.
The anubius need to be pulled out of the substrate (you can't bury their rhizomes / stems) and would look nice attached to some of that driftwood / decor. There are also some larger anubias which you could try, that might give you some more structure and interest in the tank.
Planted tanks with low light take a bit more patience than high light / fert / co2 tanks, but if you make the right plant choices they can be just as rewarding.
I agree about healthy vs. unhealthy specimen but I am determined to have a "prosperous" plant community with a varied assortment of specimens. I am looking into the lighting area to get my wpg up to snuff and then I have to figure out why my pressurized co2 system does not seem to be having any effect on the co2 level. I do appreciate all the comments from everyone. I have attended local fish club meetings and have talked to some members who have good luck with plants and they say they do nothing special and have good luck. I, on the other hand, do special things and have bad luck. Something just doesn't make sense and I need to figure it out. Could my fish load actually be affecting the plants? I have 13 clown loaches which are in the 3-5" range along with about a dozen platies and swordtails, 3 flying fox, a red tail shark, four half dollar sized angels and perhaps a few more that I can't remember off the top of my head. I know there is a solution and I think about this over and over again.
