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Peyton

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
702
Location
Milton, WV
Hello, new guy to this forum. I've been raising fish now for 20 some years now. I have been trying somewhat unsucessfully to grow plants now for 5 years or more. I have a 20 gal long planted tank that has been going now for about 2 years. Here's a current pic

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b207/peglegburnout/tank6282006001.jpg

here's one from 2 years ago

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b207/peglegburnout/picturescd258.jpg

The specs on the tank are as follows, Laterite substrate bottom with thin layer of gravel, 1 55w compact florescent, 1 20w florescent plant bulb, ph at least 7.8, penguin 170 biowheel, and whisper 10-20 filter. Currently I do 2 40-50% water changes weekly and dose with flourish, flourish trace, flourish potassium, and flourish iron at the recommended amounts plus use DIY co2. After all that my plants seem to be just surviving for most of the time with brief periods of growth spurts. I know I'm running low of something but I can't figure out what. I have read the sites that tell what plant deficientcies look like but I still can never figure it out. For instance my anubias nana just went through a growth spurt. sent out two new leaves then just stopped. the leaves are now brown around the edges and are pale green with darker veins. The rotala grows very quick for a few days then the leaves stop coming in red and grow smaller. The crypts grow like mad though no matter what. Anyone have any ideas. Also this is the first time i've posted pics of my tank on a fish site. I would appreciate any feedback overall on the tank as well.
 
Welcome! Your tank looks so nice! I only wish my 3 would look that good.

What fish do you have in the tank? I think I see a cardinal, a betta, and a SAE. But I'm sure there are more hiding in there somewhere. :)
 
Hi and welcome !

I can't offer any advice as I'm only just now trying plants (low light) but I agree with JustOneMore .... your tank is very nice looking !

I'm sure the experts here will offer some wisdom to help you out :)
 
I love the rockwork in the cichlid tank - great job and a very creative way to keep plants with them !
 
First welcome to AA!
Okay let's get started,test your water parameters.You might be dosing but not getting the right dosing levels.You need to dose natrate and phosphate and also pH and kH so we can know your CO2 levels.
 
Well I have just basic tests. My total hardness is 160 ppm and calcium hardness is 140 ppm. My ph kit only tests to 7.6 so it's that or higher, my guess is way higher. 1 ml flourish, 2 ml iron, 2 ml potassium, 5 ml of flourish trace x2 a week. I have no way to test for co2 levels. I have the co2 tube running into the pickup of the penguin 170. About 1 bubble every 10 seconds right now (it needs changed).
 
I find it crucial to get a kH and phosphate test kit when keeping high lighted planted tank so I suggest you get one.When you say basic test kits which ones do you have?
 
You have plenty of iron and traces, but way under your Potassium target and are not addressing Nitrogen and Phosphorous. To add to azn_fishy55's posts, with such high light you should review the stickies, especially fertilization, which includes a dosing calculator for Seachem, as well as dosing schedules on the forum. Chuck's Online Calc also indicates CO2 is much too low, but there may be other factors there.

Also agree: Great looking tanks! Welcome to AA Peyton :)
 
What type of test kit do you have, I am guessing test strips. If so, get rid of them and get liquid regent test kits. I used to use test strips and my KH, GH and pH were always wrong.
My tap water GH showed as 350ppm and it was actually only like 160ppm.

Very nice tanks though. I wish I had your problems. :(
 
For test kits I have a aquarium pharmaceuticals deluxe ph test kit. Also a
wardley professional hardness test lab. I also have a iron test . I don't use strip tests though.
 
Well, I am not sure why your pH is so high and KH so low but it means your CO2 saturation is only 7ppm, max.

It could eb the test kit but it osulnds like more is going here than I have learned. The stickies will help you a lot and at least give everyone else here the information they need to help you. I have had an algae problem for quite a while but I know why. I can't get my tanks to stay balanced between PO4 and NO3.

Read as much of the stickies as you can inclucing lighting, fertilizers and CO2. The only thing I have left that causes the growth spurts is something to do with the water changes. Maybe it lower the GH to tolerable levels or the KH is higher in your tap water and allows more CO2, I don't know but I would guess that it is some kind of correlation to that.

Test your tap water after it has sat for 24 hours and give us those reading. Your tank reading 6 hours after a water change and then again 3-4 days later might show some change that is causing the growth spurts. Give us the two readings and maybe we can figure it out. Well hopefully someone else can because that is beyond what I have learned.

Until then, don't change too much, the tanks are awesome so you must be doing something right.
 
Ok I've read the stickies on fertilizers. I think phosphate or nitrate are the things I'm running low on. Also I guess I don't have enough co2. I changed the DIY bottle about 24hrs ago and the plants are pearling a good bit right now though. Perhaps I'll start changing the bottle every week instead of bi-weekly. Also I will get some phosphate and nitrate fert and try that. BTW I checked my water again. PH is 7.0 exactly as it comes from the tap. Then will bounce to 7.8+ in 24hrs. The ph in the tank is still 7.8+ even with the fresh change of the co2 mix. I have very rarely seen it dip to 7.2 or so after a mix change though. Does this tell anyone anything (besides the fact that the water is very hard)?

BTW I really, really, really appreciate the comments on the looks of my tanks.
 
The only thing I see now is you need to lower your pH and raise your KH.

If your pH goes form 7.0 - 7.8 then for whatever time is lower, the plants are getting a lot more CO2 for growth and as it climbs, the CO2 is getting less and less so growth drops. What is causing you pH to raise, I don't know. Try putting you CO2 output into the intake of your filter and see if that lowers your pH and calculates to higher CO2 levels. That is the only thing I see that could really cause such swings in growth rates.

Unless your plants are all teens and then they will just grow like that until they mature. :lol:
 
I think pH dropped after water change because CO2 is rich in tap: this is normal and the reason for waiting 24hours before testing. I think the tank pH and rested tap pH being the same indicates that the CO2 injection is not very efficient. Causes could be surface turbulation in the tank, the ineffectiveness of the Nutrafin kit, or yeast that has not reached full output yet.

Increasing CO2 is good. You have more than enough KH already, though. Your plan is good.
 
Well I ordered some flourish nitrogen and phosphorus along with test kits for them. Also ordered some flourish plant tabs as it's been year or so since I've used them. I'll give a update after I try these.
 
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