Thanks guys!

[Fishyfanatic]

I just wanted to thank you guys for all your help. I moved the Crypts over to the 5 gal, took off the dead leaves, put in a root tab, and have been dosing with 1/8 tsp of Nitrogen twice a week. Just a little refresher: The cypts were slowly dieing in the 10 gal tank. They were brown and not healthy looking at all. I was kind of concerned on Monday when I left on how the plants looked. This evening I came home and looked at them and the crypts are already starting to sprout new leaves. They look very healthy and a nice green color. The anubias is still looking beautiful. And the Java fern is still doing it's thing. The dosing of the Nitrogen has REALLY helped (Thanks An t-iasg!). It was like a night and day difference in the plants. The bulb even burned out in the tank on Tuesday and wasn't replaced until Thursday and they still look great.

 

[An t-iasg]

Fishyfanatic, that's great news! Crypts are so pretty when you have a bunch of them together! When I get a new crypt, I cut the oldest leaf off if it's a little ratty-looking. IME the biggest leaf melts, but new leaves start within the first week! Crypts may seem delicate because they can melt when first planted; actually, all of mine have. But they are very resiliant, and you'll be surprised at how many new leaves they grow!

I've fine-tuned my nitrogen dosing and it's made a difference too. I had 0 nitrates for the longest time. Then I got 10 ppm on my test kit for the first time. I took the test tube and the card and ran into the living room, where my husband was watching TV. I said, "I have nitrates!" I'm sure you can imagine the look I got. Something like this: (yawn!)

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The ends of my Java Fern leaves are brownish and some are clear. I noticed a snail scooting around the tank. Could the snail have caused this?

 

[An t-iasg]

I'm not sure. I don't have java ferns for that reason, because they just tend to look brown and kind of yucky to me. I do have a lace java fern. It's only one inch or so tall. I'll see how that looks later on. I may still like it or I may not. The clear ends may mean that you need more fertilizers like Seachem Comprehensive Supplement, with micronutrients and trace elements. Java ferns are not really root feeders and feed through the nutrients in the water column.

About your snails, some eat plants and some should not. What do they look like? I had a Malaysian trumpet snail and also a pond snail. I took both of them out of the tank. The pond snail will eat holes in the plants. They look like little footballs, and it may have yellow dots on the shell. I would remove that one. The MTS has kind of a spiral shell, and is not supposed to eat plants. This snail burrows in the substrate and will keep it aerated. I removed the one I found, though, because they are livebearers and could probably overrun a 5 gallon tank very quickly. If I had a bigger tank, I may have left it in.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I don't mind MTS, I actually put a bunch in my tanks. (not the 5 gal) This one is a pond snail. It came from the crypts. I have 1 cruisin in my 10 gal tank still. I'll try to get it out next time I see it. I do have the Comprehensive suppliment. Do you know how much I should dose?

 

[An t-iasg]

For the Comprehensive supplement, I use 1/8 teaspoon per 5 gallons, twice a week. Sometimes I put a drop or two more in, but remember that it's a low-light tank and low-light tanks won't consume fertilizers as quickly as a tank with more light. You don't want to fuel an algae bloom or waste fertilizers. I know it seems like such a small amount to do any good, but start out with 1/8 teaspoon and see how that does with the ends of the java fern. That amount may be all that you need. An eighth of a teaspoon is a little over half a ml.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

So then do I still use the Nitrogen? I dose Nitrogen on Mondays and Thursdays. So then maybe dose it on different days? Maybe Tuesdays and Fridays?

 

[Jchillin]

Just a thought...if you have enough NO3 (@10ppm) normally, you will not need to dose the NO3 as often. I would first test three days after a PWC and then again on the 5th day to see where the NO3 levels are. You can then dose the NO3 accordingly, especially if you want to get it up to @ 20ppm.

HTH.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

My nitrates are usually barely detectable. It's just a hint on the color chart.

 

[Jchillin]

Forgot to bookmark this thread.

Since you are only reading a trace amount of NO3, dosing twice weekly is fine. I would still test after dosing to ensure the level is correct. Once you have the dosage figured out, you can dose the same going forward.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Thanks, both of you. I will start dosing when I get home.