4.4G Flat Back Hex FW Planted Build Thread

[daileene]

I have here a video of my 4.4G. This is the most poor conditioned tank I have so far. My plants are melting and I have a gazillion pond snails (which I do not want at all).

In the end of the video, I have some shots of my 3 other tanks. I want to apologize for the mess in my living room and in my kitchen. All the "mess" are my stuff that is ready to go in the yard sale, which was going to be tomorrow, but it got cancelled coz of the bad weather. LOL So please forgive me if it looks so messy.

But so far, here is the video:

YouTube - ‪4.4G FBH Freshwater Planted Tank 6-17-2011.wmv‬‏

 

[daileene]

Some pictures from today:

 

[McLumpy]

Oh come on... the tank doesn't look that bad! It just needs a few more plants. Regardless... awesome vid!

Is this tank that housed the snails that you sent me? Speaking of which, I now have 100's in my tank! lol Well, a few less tonight because my Clown Loaches needed a snack. Oh and my pond has a bunch of babies in it too. They're having a blast in there!

 

[daileene]

Oh come on... the tank doesn't look that bad! It just needs a few more plants. Regardless... awesome vid!

Is this tank that housed the snails that you sent me? Speaking of which, I now have 100's in my tank! lol Well, a few less tonight because my Clown Loaches needed a snack. Oh and my pond has a bunch of babies in it too. They're having a blast in there!

Yeah, it is! It used to have lush green vegetation...LOL! And now they are melting especially the crypts which is weird coz it is a low light plant.

YES, this is where all the snails came from. Can you believe how small of a tank they came from and they can just multiply like crazy? I am so glad you have clown loaches. Or you will get thousands...

I got more in a cup everyday and they are also making babies in there...LOL..snails! What can you do?

 

[McLumpy]

Yeah, it is! It used to have lush green vegetation...LOL! And now they are melting especially the crypts which is weird coz it is a low light plant.

YES, this is where all the snails came from. Can you believe how small of a tank they came from and they can just multiply like crazy? I am so glad you have clown loaches. Or you will get thousands...

I got more in a cup everyday and they are also making babies in there...LOL..snails! What can you do?

I wonder why your Crypts are melting... that's strange! Especially since you're not using any ferts that would cause melting. The only ferts that do, (that I know of), is Excel and IIRC they only mess w/ Anacharis and Vals.

As far as the snails, I'm surprised the glass on your tank isn't covered w/ them to where you can't see inside. They do love reproducing! My Clown Loach, Louie, found the first snail. Then, Leo, went following after Louie. Before I knew it, they were sucking snails out of their shells left and right. It's kind of morbid, now that I think about it... and... now I feel bad. lol But hey... circle of life and all that jazz, right?

 

[roydooms]

Crypts usually melt when you put it in a new tank. Once they get used to the tank's parameters and get acclimated it will bounce back.

 

[daileene]

I wonder why your Crypts are melting... that's strange! Especially since you're not using any ferts that would cause melting. The only ferts that do, (that I know of), is Excel and IIRC they only mess w/ Anacharis and Vals.

As far as the snails, I'm surprised the glass on your tank isn't covered w/ them to where you can't see inside. They do love reproducing! My Clown Loach, Louie, found the first snail. Then, Leo, went following after Louie. Before I knew it, they were sucking snails out of their shells left and right. It's kind of morbid, now that I think about it... and... now I feel bad. lol But hey... circle of life and all that jazz, right?

I know and I have not dose any Excel or IIRC.

I checked for snails before I took the video LOL....sometimes they buried themselves in the substrate and I cannot barely tell if they are the eco complete or the snail...very sneaky little things...oh I will love your loaches...LOL...can I borrow them? LOL...JK....

 

[daileene]

Crypts usually melt when you put it in a new tank. Once they get used to the tank's parameters and get acclimated it will bounce back.

The weird thing is, they have been there for months....as maybe you can see the past pictures of this tank in this post, all of them are healthy. Then, when I had one temporary pleco here before I gave it to my father in law, all the plants were still okay. Then this tank became the temporary home too for my dwarf gouramis and the plants were still okay. Then when the pleco and then the gouramis were gone and the snails were left all by themselves, that's when I started seeing them melt, one leaf at a time until there is no leaf left except for their healthy looking roots still. I still have the roots in here right now and can see some little shoots coming out. I hope it is some shoots. I really didn't know what happened here...it just went from one healthy tank to a all-melted leaf tank...:-(

 

[McLumpy]

...oh I will love your loaches...LOL...can I borrow them? LOL...JK....

Only if you promise not to freak out when they fall asleep on their sides! Funniest thing ever was when my husband saw that and said, "honey, your fish is dead!" I knew, (by researching CL's), what the little guy was doing and I just walked up to the glass, tapped on it, turned around, and gave my husband a . He had a look on his face. lol

 

[roydooms]

I'm not sure if you already mentioned this but are you dosing any ferts? Maybe nitrate is not high enough for the plants because you only have snails in this tank.

 

[roydooms]

This will also help you figure out if it's a nutrient deficiency that's causing this.^^^

 

[roydooms]

The pic didn't upload...

 

[daileene]

Only if you promise not to freak out when they fall asleep on their sides! Funniest thing ever was when my husband saw that and said, "honey, your fish is dead!" I knew, (by researching CL's), what the little guy was doing and I just walked up to the glass, tapped on it, turned around, and gave my husband a . He had a look on his face. lol

Oh really? That must be a funny sight...LOL....okay, I promise I won't...LOL

 

[daileene]

I'm not sure if you already mentioned this but are you dosing any ferts? Maybe nitrate is not high enough for the plants because you only have snails in this tank.

I dosed leaf zone on wednesdays and flourish on sundays every week...will that work? Or do I need more? :-(

 

[roydooms]

I dose leaf zone on wednesdays and flourish on sundays every week...will that work? Or do I need more? :-(

Try upping your dosage. How about just try only the flourish but twice a week like what the bottle says. I think you need root tabs for crypts. I'm not sure. I know they multiply through runners. So they must be good root feeders. I'm not sure.

 

[daileene]

Try upping your dosage. How about just try only the flourish but twice a week like what the bottle says. I think you need root tabs for crypts. I'm not sure. I know they multiply through runners. So they must be good root feeders. I'm not sure.

Okay, maybe that will work. I used to have that routine, the 2 times a week for flourish until I got the leaf zone...hmmm...

I do have eco complete on this tank...but I guess root tabs will not hurt... thanks!

 

[daileene]

Okay since the water parameters for this tank is still okay, I rescued one delta tail betta male and 2 halfmoon double tail male bettas from Petco last June 22 because I just can't stand leaving there without saving one. Most of them are already dead in the cups and I felt so bad. So I bought 3. One of them ended on this tank. One of the halfmoon double tail male betta (named him Spidey, per my young man's request) was chosen to be in this tank with one brittlenose pleco (Stephen, my son named him too), but this will just hopefully temporary. I've read that betta and plecos are not compatible? Hope you enjoy watching! Video taken today!

YouTube - ‪4.4G FW Planted Tank 6-24-2011.wmv‬‏

 

[daileene]

Noticed the spongebob? He begged me to death to get that for him...so tacky looking but oh well, it's his tank in the end..LOL!

 

[McLumpy]

Noticed the spongebob? He begged me to death to get that for him...so tacky looking but oh well, it's his tank in the end..LOL!

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaa!" lol I love Spongebob!

I wouldn't think there would be an issue w/ your BN Pleco and Betta. Of course w/ this being a small tank, there could be, so I would just keep an eye on them.

 

[daileene]

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaa!" lol I love Spongebob!

I wouldn't think there would be an issue w/ your BN Pleco and Betta. Of course w/ this being a small tank, there could be, so I would just keep an eye on them.

Baaaaaaa, Baaaaa....LOL I know..I love him too...

Yeah, I always do keep an eye of my kids (yeah I consider my fish my kids too, my in laws think I am way over the normal hobbyist, LOL). I always do a head count 2 times a day.

So far, they don't bother each other...so hopefully they will be fine...