FresH2O's 20g planted rescape

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Sk3lly said:
New light, new balancing point unfortunately


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
Click to expand...

That's what I was getting at?? Maybe it will just solve it self out..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
I'm way behind on what's been going on in your tank for awhile now but Downoi rarely melts once it's acclimated in a tank unless some major water chemistry changes in the tank.

It sounds like you have new lighting which can throw a tank way off balance! I did that with my 220g awhile back. To get all the algae under control back lighting down to 5 hours or do 3 on, 2 hours off, and 3 on again. Spot treat what needs it and get those nitrate and phosphate readings. Even more importantly get a kh and gh reading. Curling leaves can mean a calcium deficiency or even too much potassium or magnesium.

Staghorn also likes low CO2 amounts in the water so if you can increase CO2 that can often help along with spot treating.
 
Rivercats said:
I'm way behind on what's been going on in your tank for awhile now but Downoi rarely melts once it's acclimated in a tank unless some major water chemistry changes in the tank.

It sounds like you have new lighting which can throw a tank way off balance! I did that with my 220g awhile back. To get all the algae under control back lighting down to 5 hours or do 3 on, 2 hours off, and 3 on again. Spot treat what needs it and get those nitrate and phosphate readings. Even more importantly get a kh and gh reading. Curling leaves can mean a calcium deficiency or even too much potassium or magnesium.

Staghorn also likes low CO2 amounts in the water so if you can increase CO2 that can often help along with spot treating.
Click to expand...

Divine intervention!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Brookster123 said:
Divine intervention!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Click to expand...


Divine indeed! Thanks for chiming in Janis!
Yes I need to check nitrate, phosphate, GH, and KH. Things were okay before the new light. Not perfect. Just okay.
Decreasing light duration and increasing CO2 sound like the next steps.
About the Downoi, the melting is "down the line". Plants in the front would melt followed by the one behind it and so on. However, not all of the plants are melting. The ones closest to the AR mini are. Since hydrogen peroxide appears to be heavier than water, is it possible that it got down to the Downoi roots and affected it that way? Even though I spot treat only the affected parts of the plants, it tends to drift down and next thing you know, the substrate is bubbling. The MTS don't appreciate it. I use about 1-2 mL/gallon.
 
This is why I'm apprehensive to use the hydrogen peroxide. How exactly does the substrate fizz? Same as if your pour it on a cut or scrape?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Brookster123 said:
This is why I'm apprehensive to use the hydrogen peroxide. How exactly does the substrate fizz? Same as if your pour it on a cut or scrape?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Click to expand...


It can be handy though. When the peroxide got to the substrate in and around my DHG, a lot of fish poop and gunk was lifted in bubbles to the surface. I just netted it all out lol


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
I've spot treated Downoi with H2O2 without issues. It just sounds like your tank chemistry might have changed. If you notice melting on a head, try removing it and see if the ones around it don't melt.
 
Raok inbound, clear your inbox.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
It's fairly quick how fast H2O2 converts to H2O+O2 in the presence of free biological matter. Are you turning off your filter and powerhead? Spraying directly onto the leaf area? I think I pumped more than 30mL of peroxide into my 65g tank last time I spot treated. Never experienced it sinking to the substrate, course my plants are mostly 18" tall...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Filters are off during treatment and for 15-20 minutes afterward. When adding H2O2, I can see it drift downward from the leaf being treated. It's clear but has a different density so it is visible. I am mostly treating the star repens so the substrate is 1-2" away. When it does hit the substrate, bubbles rise from within the grains. Of course the plants are pearling like crazy at this point.
A few more Downoi melted today. I know a big water change is in order to correct whatever's out of balance but I need to pull a sample of water for testing later.
 
You need to turn the light off during H2O2 treatment just for the record. I believe Janis told me that H2O2 breaks down when exposed to light, or at least faster than it would normally.
 
I heard about peroxide, as it is an oxidizer, will breakdown with light exposure and that makes sense. In the course of a few days, the stag horn went from black to pink and then to clear. It appears to be controlled on the star repens for now (there are a few spots I missed). Same with the AR mini.
 
I REALLY should test more often.
v8buNGG.png

Yep, the nitrate is 20-40 (more like 40) and the phosphate is >10. And this pic was taken only a minute into the incubation/reaction time. I could dilute the tank water with DI water and get a more accurate number for the phosphate but I'll just go ahead and do some water changes to bring the numbers down. This might explain the Downoi melting. Argh!!! High tech tank with low maintenance mindset.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Update: when I said "dilute the tank water with DI water" I was referring to the tank water to be retested and not adding DI water to the tank. Just to be clear on that.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
So the highly elevated phosphates can cause the Staghorn huh? That would solely be a result of the adjustments made to your pps pro regiment?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Brookster123 said:
So the highly elevated phosphates can cause the Staghorn huh? That would solely be a result of the adjustments made to your pps pro regiment?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Click to expand...


That's possible. Trying to avoid GSA and went in the extreme opposite direction. I added some phosphate to the current macro batch (minus the KNO3) and was double or triple dosing on top of that.
Water change and minimal dosing next.

Got any narrow leaf chain sword? JK


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
How much water you change weekly.. hah.. i have lots if narrow leaf chain sword, actually they're now live algae cultures..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Brookster123 said:
How much water you change weekly.. hah.. i have lots if narrow leaf chain sword, actually they're now live algae cultures..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Click to expand...


About 30% on average. Today is was about 60%.
I don't have room for those. The broad leader chain swords took over my tank last year; too tall for a carpet IMO and grow too fast.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
New plants propagating but not growing
Replies
3
Views
682
Colin_T
C
C
Back To Basics When Breeding Fish
Replies
1
Views
2K
Colin_T
C
S
"Natural" Water Chemistry Modification
Replies
2
Views
192
SwampeastMike
S
C
I think I just need a plan to get through this?
Replies
0
Views
296
ChiliRas
C
Y
Rocks raised pH
Replies
6
Views
896
Yaz
Y

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom