Caleb's plant restoration project

[ImACoolguy]

Hey guys and gals, I really love my planted tank but over time with work it's gone down hill a little bit. Slacking on fertilizers, lack of trimming, some algae... You get the point.

Well I'll be finished with my job soon which means no more working 60+ hours a week I'll be starting a summer course for college in June then be a full time student in the fall.

This gives me a ton more time to clean up this disaster of a planted tank....

On 1/21/15:


On 3/31/15:


On 5/5/15


The plants are much better than they were but still need a ton of work. My GSA was horrendous but has recently receded. Now I have an early case of BBA on my Cryptocoryne Crispatula

Also have some browning on lower leaves.

I think with a lot of care and attention I can clean this atrocity up.

Tank specs:
75g
Sand/ecocomplete/Flourite substrate
Pressurized co2
PPS-PRO ferts (will have new dosing schedule)
Regular water changes.
Cascade 1000 canister and Aquaclear 110 filters

Plants:
Bacopa Caroliniana
Hygrophila corymbosa
Cryptocoryne Crispatula
Java Fern
Java moss
Ludwigia (red) it's having trouble.
Anarchis- no problems grows like a weed
Water sprite
Vallisneria (jungle I believe)
Wisteria
A. Reinkeii
Staurogyne Repens

Fish: if it matters
5 cherry barbs (might be moved if I can ever catch them)
6 turquoise rainbows
1 boesemani PAIR
1 Glossolepis incisus
1 dojo loach
1 Raphael cat (MIA 3 weeks, presumed dead or escaped)
1 ropefish
2 angelfish
1 pictus cat
2 Otocinclus (was 5, think a fish made a snack out of the tiny ones)


As stated I have some browning leaves. The bottom of my wisteria and Bacopa are really falling victim to this.

I'm not all that worried about the A. Reinkeii because I've read it's a super hard plant. I do want to try it though. I have the browning on bottom on this one as well.

You can see some of the browning in this photo on the Bacopa:


And the A. Reinkeii plus the wisteria in the background as well.



Any advice on restoring my plants and helping them flourish is greatly appreciated.

OH AND I'm going to try Mebbid's DIY tabs soon. I got the ingredients just need to find the capsule thingy.


Caleb

 

[Nils]

Sounds like you're doing everything right. In my community tank I don't do anything special. I have Aqueon LEDs that actually grow my plants really well. I have basic beginner plants though. Only fertilizers I use are API root tabs and API Co2 Booster. The root tabs are really good. Can't help you with anything else though, hopefully someone with more experience pitches in.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Sounds like you're doing everything right. In my community tank I don't do anything special. I have Aqueon LEDs that actually grow my plants really well. I have basic beginner plants though. Only fertilizers I use are API root tabs and API Co2 Booster. The root tabs are really good. Can't help you with anything else though, hopefully someone with more experience pitches in.

Thanks Nils. I want to do another planted tank for one of my bettas because their tank is full right now. Want to get this sorted out first though


Caleb