JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
My 55g has been set up for almost a year. I've had plants in it since I set it up. I have 2 65w compact fluorescents over the tank, or about 2.4wpg. The lights are on for 10 hours a day, on a timer. I do weekly water changes of 40%. My nitrates stay around 15ppm, ammonia 0, and nitrite 0. My pH is 7. No CO2. Substrate is about 1/3 Flourite and 2/3 4mm gravel.
I try to fertilize weekly. I use Excel, Tropica Master Grow, Flourish Potassium, and Flourish Iron.
I've tried many plants. Some of them have done great, but some don't. The plants in my 29g with less light do much better than this tank.
Right now my plant list consists of:
*Bacopa caroliniana--doing great
*Myriophyllum (Parrots Feather)--doing ok, but don't look great
*Ambulia--growing, but looks bad
*E. tennellus--doing great
*Dwarf sag--doing good
*Java fern--growing nicely
*Rotala rotundifolia--does pretty good, but I'm tired of it
*Taiwon moss on the DW--grows nicely
*Anubias (barteri, i think)--doing good
*Crinum Onion plant--great
*Crypt retrospiralis--growing slow, but looks good
*Crypt wendtii (red and green)--great
*Crypt lutea--great
*Tiger lotus--great
*Anacharis--a little leggy, but it grows
Plants I've tried:
~Ludwigia repens--refused to grow...does great in my 29g with 2.wpg
~Wisteria--grew too much...eventually tangled itself up and looked horrible
~Giant Hygro--leaves fell off....wouldn't grow
I know I need to fertilize more often and maybe get better ferts. I use the amounts recommended on the bottles.
I have quite a "plant salad" right now, but I haven't found any stem plants that grow really good, except the Bacopa and Rotala. I plan to replace the Ambulia with something, as it just looks too bad. The Myriophyllum looks ok, but I recently moved it and I don't think it has enough light where it is at now.
I have a big hunk of driftwood in the tank with Taiwon moss on it. I think it takes up too much room, but my yoyos love it.
Fish list:
3 angelfish
8 head and tailight tetras
4 rummynose tetras
9 flame tetras
4 yoyo loaches
5 corydoras sodalis
4 corydoras trilineatus
1 bolivian ram
1 bristlenose
2 ottos
I'm maxed out on stocking, I know. But the water changes keep the nitrates around 15ppm, which IMO is pretty good.
I'm getting some Hygro polysperma soon (hopefully today) and I hope it will grow good in the tank. It will replace the Giant hygro.
I need more suggestions on some fast growers. I have some algae problems (mostly hair algae and a little beard algae). I can't seem to balance everything out though. I can't afford pressurized CO2 and I know the DIY doesn't help that much, but if someone has a different opinion, I'll be happy to add it, if it will help.
Any suggestions?
Here's a bad picture (I'll get a better one tonight):
(sorry its so long...I had alot to tell)
Oh and I've given up on aquascaping this tank, atm. I plan to replace the substrate with Eco-Complete in the future and redo the planting. But thats months away...
I try to fertilize weekly. I use Excel, Tropica Master Grow, Flourish Potassium, and Flourish Iron.
I've tried many plants. Some of them have done great, but some don't. The plants in my 29g with less light do much better than this tank.
Right now my plant list consists of:
*Bacopa caroliniana--doing great
*Myriophyllum (Parrots Feather)--doing ok, but don't look great
*Ambulia--growing, but looks bad
*E. tennellus--doing great
*Dwarf sag--doing good
*Java fern--growing nicely
*Rotala rotundifolia--does pretty good, but I'm tired of it
*Taiwon moss on the DW--grows nicely
*Anubias (barteri, i think)--doing good
*Crinum Onion plant--great
*Crypt retrospiralis--growing slow, but looks good
*Crypt wendtii (red and green)--great
*Crypt lutea--great
*Tiger lotus--great
*Anacharis--a little leggy, but it grows
Plants I've tried:
~Ludwigia repens--refused to grow...does great in my 29g with 2.wpg
~Wisteria--grew too much...eventually tangled itself up and looked horrible
~Giant Hygro--leaves fell off....wouldn't grow
I know I need to fertilize more often and maybe get better ferts. I use the amounts recommended on the bottles.
I have quite a "plant salad" right now, but I haven't found any stem plants that grow really good, except the Bacopa and Rotala. I plan to replace the Ambulia with something, as it just looks too bad. The Myriophyllum looks ok, but I recently moved it and I don't think it has enough light where it is at now.
I have a big hunk of driftwood in the tank with Taiwon moss on it. I think it takes up too much room, but my yoyos love it.
Fish list:
3 angelfish
8 head and tailight tetras
4 rummynose tetras
9 flame tetras
4 yoyo loaches
5 corydoras sodalis
4 corydoras trilineatus
1 bolivian ram
1 bristlenose
2 ottos
I'm maxed out on stocking, I know. But the water changes keep the nitrates around 15ppm, which IMO is pretty good.
I'm getting some Hygro polysperma soon (hopefully today) and I hope it will grow good in the tank. It will replace the Giant hygro.
I need more suggestions on some fast growers. I have some algae problems (mostly hair algae and a little beard algae). I can't seem to balance everything out though. I can't afford pressurized CO2 and I know the DIY doesn't help that much, but if someone has a different opinion, I'll be happy to add it, if it will help.
Any suggestions?
Here's a bad picture (I'll get a better one tonight):
(sorry its so long...I had alot to tell)
Oh and I've given up on aquascaping this tank, atm. I plan to replace the substrate with Eco-Complete in the future and redo the planting. But thats months away...