4.4G Flat Back Hex FW Planted Build Thread

[daileene]

I didn't check the rest today since the last time I checked it (3/4/2011) it was both 0 still (Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0)

 

[daileene]

so far...snails are still sprouting here and there...took them out as soon as I see them. I will update the levels tomorrow....good night everyone!

 

[daileene]

UPDATES:

2 weeks of fishless cycling (with the invisible pond snails right now). Levels are:

Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm

Will try to get pure ammonia later. I will try not to go with flakes food so the snails will not overpopulate.

 

[daileene]

UPDATES:

2 weeks and 1 day of fishless cycling (with the invisible pond snails right now). Levels are:

Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm

Gave in to a little pinch of flake food. Hope the snails will not be happy.

 

[daileene]

Picture time...taken yesterday...

 

[daileene]

UPDATES:

16 days of fishless cycling. Levels at 3:35PM today are:

Ammo: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm

Weird, right? Since I just had a little pinch of flakes last friday.

But I did notice something else in this tank. It's not a snail, but hairy brown and green stuff in the walls and in the substrate and in my ferns and java moss.

Here are some of the pictures. Please let me know what they are. After taking these pictures, I tried brushing the hairy stuff and taken them out but there are still a lot left. Is this algae?

Brown hairy stuff in the wall:

Clumps of brown hairy stuff in the substrate:

2 out of 3 dots of green stuff in the tank wall near the heater:

Another hairy look near the tube of the filter:

Black hairy stuff in the fern:

 

[daileene]

So I guess nobody seen this type of stuff before?

I hope it is not too bad...since I added 3 vals and 3 stems of cabomba here..here's some pics without the light in the hood on:

 

[daileene]

3/14/11 levels:

Ammo: .25ppm; Nitrite: 0.25ppm (added flakes food)

3/15/11 levels:

Ammo: 0ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added flake food again)

3/18/11 levels:

Ammo: .25ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm

 

[daileene]

Okay so since those hairy things were in this tank, I noticed some little wriggly white worms floating in the water? I don't know if they are really worms but they are as thick as a hair strand but could be approx 1mm. So I decided to clean the tank yesterday around 1PM, March 20, 2011. Uprooted the plants I had in it last since March 17. Cleaned the filter with the old tank water, cleanse the substrate with old tank water, then added tap water with Prime later. Put all back together with the new plant additions. Added Seachem Flourish. I can still see some of the wriggly worms after I set up the tank back. What could this things be?

Anyway, after the water change, the levels around 9:13PM is:

Ammo and NO2 are both in 0ppm. I didn't add flake food coz of the fear of the worms..

Today it is still both 0ppm as well as the NO3 and it is the 24th day of cycling. I haven't seen any spikes in both at all since the snails and the hairy stuff and now this wormy like...

I was gonna put pure ammonia in here then I decided to gave in today and transferred my smaller pleco here because he always got bullied by the other pleco in my 10G. I gave him one algae wafer. I know they are not good with plants...but I am trying to experiment..I hope I am doing the right thing. If this will not work, I will go ahead and put him back with the others then I will go pure ammonia...whewwww!

 

[daileene]

Picture update with the new plants and one of the smaller DW:

 

[Coleallensmom]

Looks good with the new plants! I've heard some report the white worms before when a tank is in need of a good gravel vacuuming. Sounds like this tank is almost done it's cycle!

 

[daileene]

I don't know about the "almost done" though.. never seen anything spiked level on this one...

 

[tyspot1000]

Its Looking Great! Keep it up! Do you plan on adding C02?

 

[daileene]

Here are some pictures of the worms (in the circled part):

They are really small.....but they are so wriggly.

 

[Phishkeeper]

Sounds like planaria. Annoying but not fatal as long as you keep them in check they won't choke you fish. Like a previous poster said a good gravel vacuuming and a few water changes usually sends them realing. Disturbed dirty gravel is usually the culprit ad they live under your substrate generally. I've had some fish that gobble them up like treats, and some fish that show no interest.

 

[Phishkeeper]

Sounds like planaria. Annoying but not fatal as long as you keep them in check they won't choke you fish. Like a previous poster said a good gravel vacuuming and a few water changes usually sends them realing. Disturbed dirty gravel is usually the culprit ad they live under your substrate generally. I've had some fish that gobble them up like treats, and some fish that show no interest.

Are there any fish in there? I'm surprised you would have any worms without a heavy bioload. Did you seed this tank from another recently?

 

[daileene]

Its Looking Great! Keep it up! Do you plan on adding C02?

Thanks Ty. I am only planning on getting the Seachem Excel...I am sticking to the low maintainance part. If I am brave enough to do CO2, I will ask the experts on how to do the DIY thing so I can save money..

 

[daileene]

Are there any fish in there? I'm surprised you would have any worms without a heavy bioload. Did you seed this tank from another recently?

Hi Phish, I just added my smaller pleco from my 10G coz I was getting tired of the ammonia not spiking up on me and I have been cycling this for 27th day now and the ammonia level is staying at 0.25ppm. I didn't have my pure ammonia then so I added my pleco last Sunday, March 20. So far, the level is still the same since he's been there. The worms on the other hand, has been a resident way before the pleco is in. And I haven't seeded anything in here. Started everything from scratch.

 

[Marconis]

Those don't look like Planarians, but it's really hard to tell from those pictures. Are they round or flat? How do they move? In an "S" motion or a wave-like ciliate motion?

 

[daileene]

They are straight, can't tell of they are round or flat since they are like 2mm long only...but they move like both "S" and a wave-like motion..but mostly the "S" motion.