Trying to get help on a few issues!

[bobby08dtp]

Is there a natural way to add co2 to my planted tank? It's a 55g fully stocked with fish there are two types of plants in my tank that seem to be falling apart. And when that happens my fish start picking at them. I would of thought that the fish would add the co2 when they intake the oxygen. My ph is also really high at an 8 or maybe higher. The water is also very hard. I'm about to try and put peat moss in some stockings after soaking it and then I'm going to place it in my filter. Is this a good idea? Is there anything I should be worried about using peat moss this way? I'm also doing this because my rams are paired off and would like to have a successful breeding from them and keep them happy. I've lost a few rams and my thoughts and research suggest it's because of the water chemistry. All my other fish seem really hardy and don't seem to have any problems no matter what I do to the water.

 

[azmodan]

Is there a natural way to add co2 to my planted tank? It's a 55g fully stocked with fish there are two types of plants in my tank that seem to be falling apart. And when that happens my fish start picking at them. I would of thought that the fish would add the co2 when they intake the oxygen. My ph is also really high at an 8 or maybe higher. The water is also very hard. I'm about to try and put peat moss in some stockings after soaking it and then I'm going to place it in my filter. Is this a good idea? Is there anything I should be worried about using peat moss this way? I'm also doing this because my rams are paired off and would like to have a successful breeding from them and keep them happy. I've lost a few rams and my thoughts and research suggest it's because of the water chemistry. All my other fish seem really hardy and don't seem to have any problems no matter what I do to the water.

Couple of questions first:

What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?
How often do you do PWCs and how big are they?
What type of plants do you have?
What sort of lighting do you have and how long do you run them for?
Do you add any ferts and if so what types and how much?

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

Hello bob...

Your set up doesn't seem to be much different than my 55G. I can tell you what I do. I start by changing half the tank water every 2 weeks to maintain a stable water chemistry. Don't worry about the pH or any of this. It's not important. Aquarium fish will adapt to the tap water. Just treat it with something like Seachem's "Safe". Get some floating plants into the tank. Hornwort is likely the best. Just drop individual stems into the water. Plants help maintain safe water conditions and are a good supplement to the fishes' diet.

Keep the food to a minimum. Just feed a little variety a couple of times a week. The fish will forage for leftovers between feedings and do their part to keep a clean tank.

99.9 percent of tank problems are caused by poor water conditions. By changing a lot of tank water and changing it often, you'll remove pollutants that stress the fish and weaken their immune system. Keep the tank water pure and the fish and plants will take care of themselves.

B

 

[bobby08dtp]

Couple of questions first:

What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?
How often do you do PWCs and how big are they?
What type of plants do you have?
What sort of lighting do you have and how long do you run them for?
Do you add any ferts and if so what types and how much?

Nitrate is close to zero. Nitrite is 0. I do about 20-25% PWC weekly. I have multiple types of plants. I have some java fern, Amazon sword, repens, dwarf hair grass. I'll post a picture cuz I don't know all the names of the plants. I keep the light on for about 12 hours. They are led. I also sometime depending if the moon is out have the blue lights on at night. I add ferts once a month. This month was the first month. It's tetra flora pride. It's phosphate free. Here are some pics.

 

[bobby08dtp]

Hello bob...



Your set up doesn't seem to be much different than my 55G. I can tell you what I do. I start by changing half the tank water every 2 weeks to maintain a stable water chemistry. Don't worry about the pH or any of this. It's not important. Aquarium fish will adapt to the tap water. Just treat it with something like Seachem's "Safe". Get some floating plants into the tank. Hornwort is likely the best. Just drop individual stems into the water. Plants help maintain safe water conditions and are a good supplement to the fishes' diet.



Keep the food to a minimum. Just feed a little variety a couple of times a week. The fish will forage for leftovers between feedings and do their part to keep a clean tank.



99.9 percent of tank problems are caused by poor water conditions. By changing a lot of tank water and changing it often, you'll remove pollutants that stress the fish and weaken their immune system. Keep the tank water pure and the fish and plants will take care of themselves.



B

Hornwort is hard to find in my area. I haven't had to to much look finding some I'm.about to put some bags of peat mo moss in my filter to. I want my rams to have a successful spawn. Here are some pics.