Plants not growing like they used to

[King Fisher]

It's an experiment to see if a tank, given sufficient oxygen and light, needs a biological filter, ferts, co2 or any other additives. It's a way that aquarists used to run tanks before the invention of all the gagets we use today. Essentially your tank should have collected enough BB within the tank that you wouldn't need a filter or media to keep the cycle.

 

[cherokeeluvr]

It's an experiment to see if a tank, given sufficient oxygen and light, needs a biological filter, ferts, co2 or any other additives. It's a way that aquarists used to run tanks before the invention of all the gagets we use today. Essentially your tank should have collected enough BB within the tank that you wouldn't need a filter or media to keep the cycle.

Hmm. Ok, I’ll unplug it and leave it unplugged unless the fish starting acting differently.

 

[King Fisher]

I'd crank up the airstones if you are going to do this. The idea is to create surface agitation with air to oxygenate the water.

 

[Caliban07]

Alrighty. I put one in, and I’ll let it do it’s thing until the new plants come! Why would I turn off the filter?

Too much flow.

 

[Caliban07]

Hmm. Ok, I’ll unplug it and leave it unplugged unless the fish starting acting differently.

Yes definitely keep an eye on fish but my suspicion is the ammonia production from this tank is minimal and can easily be kept on top of with small water changes and whatever B.B. is residing in the tank.

 

[Caliban07]

If airstone is making a difference you’ll see increased activity and behaviour from your fish. Feed regularly, SMALL amounts of food. Don’t overfeed. In general the fish we keep are little more than plankton pickers

 

[Caliban07]

Diagram to show flow from airstone

 

[Caliban07]

You might need a check valve in line too.

Adding air stone killed my Cyanobacteria in about 3 days.

 

[cherokeeluvr]

Well, it didn’t get much of an experiment, as the plants I ordered arrived early and I needed the old tank space for he new one. I took the spec apart yesterday so I could get the new plants out of the packages and into a tank. What was left of the plants in the spec looked a bit worse after doing only the air stone, but not dead. It’s hard to say anything though after 4 days.

On the bright side, the new tank is all set up and looks pretty good. I ended up doing Italian Val, bronze crypt wendtii, green crypt wendtii, Ammannia Gracilis, and S. Repens. I’ve got the CO2 going 1 bubble every 1.5 seconds, so pretty low for a 10 gallon. The betta seems to be enjoying a whole 10 gallon to just himself and one Amano. Fingers crossed this works out this time!