My 20G Planted Tank

[DanTheGuppyMan]

I do use root tabs, but that's about it. Most times, I forget to dose the Excel Comprehensive.

Yes, PPS Pro is what she recommended and I'm going to order tonight as soon as I make sure I'm ordering the right thing.

I believe this is what she wanted me to get:
Micro & Macro | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums

Yup, that's what you buy for the ferts, plus get 2 1000ml dosing bottles from GLA also. You will also need a gram scale to measure the ferts, and do you know the formula for the micro and macro mixes?

 

[Rivercats]

Hey girl don't fret all tanks have issues at one point or another. You don't think my 220g hasn't given me a few headaches the past year... it happens to everyone at some time.

First do you know your nitrate and phosphate levels? Need this to get going. Also order 3- 1000ml dosing bottles. Reason being is you need to do one bottle with nitrates, one bottle with phosphate and potassium, then the third bottle with the micro mix. Once you get everything I can walk you though everything and dosing.

Now something has been bothering me... if your tank really is as loaded with gunk as you say I think you seriously need to try to vac out as much as possible as all that excess detris is only adding excess nutrients to the water.

Do you know your Gh, Kh, and Ph? Just trying to get a picture of everything so we can make a plan of attack.

Also are you still having diatoms as that what it sounds like. If so how old is the tank now.

 

[callisto9]

Nitrates are at 20ppm. I don't know my phosphates. I assume I need a kit? This one? Amazon.com: API Phosphate Test Kit: Pet Supplies

So I need to order this:
Fertilizer Dispenser | 500 mL (16 oz) | Green Leaf Aquariums

And this:
Micro & Macro | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums

What else?

I have a gram scale already (for weighing my birdies!).

I feel like yes, my tank has a lot of crap in there. I do 30 - 50% water changes once a week. I feed one pinch of food a day - that's it.

I ordered this since it has a smaller siphon so I can get in smaller spaces:
Amazon.com: Como 1.74M Aquarium Fish Tank Cleaning Manual Squeeze Water Changer Pump: Pet Supplies (with the end piece off)

pH is 8something. I do not know Gh or Kh. I don't even know what those are.

Diatoms are less, but I assume that's what the gunk is all over my plants. Not all my plants have it, but most do, it seems.

Tank is four months old.

Thanks all. I need to turn this tank around. Tired of wasting money on plants.

All other current stats:

20G high planted tank.
Dose 1ml flourish comprehensive once a week.
Prime water conditioner.
Fish: seven glowlight tetras, one fancy guppy, four Japan blue guppies, one dwarf gourami, two peacock gudgeons, three nerite snails, one mystery snail
6-9 gallon WC one a week.
One full-spectrum 15W 8000K T8 bulb. on 10 hours a day.

 

[Rivercats]

Yes that is the correct fert package.

Yes you can order 3 of the 500ml or 3 of the 1000ml bottles. If you go with the 500ml bottles you will have to half your amounts of the ferts you mix which is no big deal. Also you want to add 5ml of Excel to every 250ml of macro and micro solution to keep mold/fungus from growing in the solution.

Your running your lights way too long which is why your still fighting diatoms. Only run them 8 hours and if it doesn't improve go down to 6 hours.

Also I can't remember are you using a liquid carbon? It will help growth ALOT.

Gh is General Hardness and Kh is Carbonate Hardness. They determine how hard or soft your water is. If your tank water has a ph that high I wonder how high your Gh/Kh are. API makes a dual test kit that has individual tests for both. API also makes the phosphate test kit you listed. I use both the phosphate and Gh/Kh test kits from API.

 

[callisto9]

With a 20G tank, how much will I be dosing at a time? Would the 500ml bottles be more ideal since my tank is smaller? Anything cheap on eBay I can get that I can dose straight from the bottle?

Just checked my timer - I'm running the light 9.5 hours. I'll go down to 8.

Not using liquid carbon.

Yes that is the correct fert package.

Yes you can order 3 of the 500ml or 3 of the 1000ml bottles. If you go with the 500ml bottles you will have to half your amounts of the ferts you mix which is no big deal. Also you want to add 5ml of Excel to every 250ml of macro and micro solution to keep mold/fungus from growing in the solution.

Your running your lights way too long which is why your still fighting diatoms. Only run them 8 hours and if it doesn't improve go down to 6 hours.

Also I can't remember are you using a liquid carbon? It will help growth ALOT.

Gh is General Hardness and Kh is Carbonate Hardness. They determine how hard or soft your water is. If your tank water has a ph that high I wonder how high your Gh/Kh are. API makes a dual test kit that has individual tests for both. API also makes the phosphate test kit you listed. I use both the phosphate and Gh/Kh test kits from API.

 

[callisto9]

OK, ferts and dispensers ordered!

What is liquid carbon? Can you give me a product name?

 

[Rivercats]

Liquid carbon is Excel, API CO2 Booster, and Glutaraldehyde. I use Glut as it is very cheap compared to name brand products. You mix the one gallon bottle with a gallon and a half of RO water to get 2-1/2 gallons of Glut. I buy a gallon of Meracide 14 day solution. I usually get it on amazon but they are out. It costs about $20 a bottle. Since amazon is out you'll have to do some serious on-line looking. Watch as many places charge $40 for a gallon bottle. Vet, Janitoral, and Medical supply houses usually carry it. Amazon does have the smaller quart bottles. You would do 1ml of Glut to every 10 gallons of water to start. Oh if you do get it you to throw away the little activator bottle that comes with it. And always store Glut in total light blocking bottles like what the Glut comes in. Light breaks down Glut and renders it useless.

 

[Rivercats]

You can use the Glut straight from the bottle but you need to only dose .5ml per 10 gallons.

 

[callisto9]

Liquid carbon is Excel, API CO2 Booster, and Glutaraldehyde. I use Glut as it is very cheap compared to name brand products. You mix the one gallon bottle with a gallon and a half of RO water to get 2-1/2 gallons of Glut. I buy a gallon of Meracide 14 day solution. I usually get it on amazon but they are out. It costs about $20 a bottle. Since amazon is out you'll have to do some serious on-line looking. Watch as many places charge $40 for a gallon bottle. Vet, Janitoral, and Medical supply houses usually carry it. Amazon does have the smaller quart bottles. You would do 1ml of Glut to every 10 gallons of water to start. Oh if you do get it you to throw away the little activator bottle that comes with it. And always store Glut in total light blocking bottles like what the Glut comes in. Light breaks down Glut and renders it useless.

Ok, so liquid carbon is all those things together? Or liquid carbon is called Excel or API CO2 booster or Glutaraldehyde?

What is Meracide?

 

[Fresh2o]

Ok, so liquid carbon is all those things together? Or liquid carbon is called Excel or API CO2 booster or Glutaraldehyde?

What is Meracide?

Liquid carbon can be found in the products mentioned above. Two of them, API CO2 Booster and Seachem Flourish Excel can usually be purchased at an LFS (though I have seen them at Petco but not Petsmart) and pretty much any online pet supply retailer. I believe each contain a substance called Glutaraldehyde. Metricide is a brand of hospital grade disinfectant that also contains Glutaraldehyde (higher concentration than the API and Seachem products) which makes it more economical by volume.



Next pic is Metricide with the little bottle of activator (don't need it)

 

[callisto9]

Thank you!

 

[callisto9]

Got my phosphate kit. Phosphates are 0.5 - 1.0ppm from what I can tell.

Going to do a WC tonight. So much poo in there. I just don't get it. I swear I don't feed that much...

Tested other params tonight:
Amm: 0ppm, Nitrite: 0ppm and Nitrate: 20ppm

So that's good.

Just got done doing a 50% WC. New cheap-o vacuum is good...but sucked up a plant that I now can't get out.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Honestly, you can't really ask for better numbers than what you're seeing. Guppies just poop a lot. I guess it's the price nature makes us pay for having such pretty fish. lol

 

[callisto9]

Honestly, you can't really ask for better numbers than what you're seeing. Guppies just poop a lot. I guess it's the price nature makes us pay for having such pretty fish. lol

Ha! I think Juicy Fruit (the dwarf gourami) is the big pooper. I saw a poo about 3 inches long from him once. I started cutting back on the food then, too.

I'm happy with my #s, I just wish my tank looked better. I'm really unhappy with how it looks right now. I did a re-scape a week or two ago an I'm not happy with it.

 

[Rivercats]

Your in a funk, we all get that way sometimes. I haven't been totally happy with the 220g and spent the past 3 days removing plants, making room, and today added 5 new types. Trashed the tank and now have some huge mature plantings and some new short plantings. Looks quite interesting to say the least. Give everything time to straighten up and grow and see if the scape works. If not you can always do a tweek here and there until you get it how you want.

 

[callisto9]

You're right - I *am* in a funk. I miss my dark blue background and I miss my manzanita. But, I can't re-do the background and the manzanita made cleaning too hard (I had to remove it every week when I would siphon).

I'm happy that my fish are doing well and parameters are good though. That's always a plus.

Ferts arrived today. Looked like I got cocaine in the mail. So I'll be measuring that stuff out this weekend.

 

[Rivercats]

Be sure to mix your macros seperate with nitrates alone and phosphate and potassium together. Also every week do your nitrate and phosphate readings since you won't want to dose till after your WC. This will tell you how much your plants are using weekly compared to what you dosing. Then if you notice say nitrates are too high, then the next week dose slightly lower. Same with phosphates. This allows you to custom dose what your plants need without keeping too much excess in your tank. This method has worked quite well for me.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

You can always redo the background. It's easier than you may think to scrape off the old paint with a window scraper and a single sided razor. It may sound hard but it only takes a bit of work to get the paint off. Now, if your tank is right up against a wall it will be uncomfortable but not much harder than painting. ^_^

 

[mrlucky923]

Tank looks great!!! Love the background..

 

[callisto9]

I am so slow/lazy. LOL I still haven't mixed my nutrients yet...

*sigh*

All inhabitants are doing well though!