40g planted

[Jchillin]

bmg213, unfortunately, anacharis clippings don't possess roots, they will root while planting.

FF - Dosing the nitrogen up to 20ppm is a good idea...combined with the root tabs will keep them healthy for a long time.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

How often do you add new root tabs?

I'm going to test the Nitrates and then basically add a few ml of Nitrogen and test a few hours later and go from there. I may also cut back on the water changes to once every two weeks, or is that a bad idea?

 

[rich311k]

I change root tabs once a month. My rooted plants are doing very well so that is what I would recommend. I use the flourish brand tabs.

 

[Jchillin]

I usually do the root tabs at the same time I do the filter maintenance. Which just happens to be once a month. I use Flourish tabs as well. I like the box LOL.

 

[Hoovercat]

I would keep up weekly water changes as my plants like water change day as well as my fish judging from pearling rates.

 

[sudz]

Regarding 50/50 lights... Booo
The reason i say this is that i have 4 X 24 watt bulbs at my disposal, as well as two ballasts... My brother's buddy talked him into a nanocube, and we're pitching it, as he never maintained it. I don't have room in my room for it, and i want to move up to a bigger size.

As for bubblers... I really like my bubbler... so do my fish, they like to play in it. Espically when i had my guppies. (which i'll stock my 10 gallon tank with once my 44 comes in) I added my mini-CO2 because i added a bunch of plants a few days ago, and figured it would counteract the bubbly.

Should i turn off the air pump and remove the disk? :-(

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have practically the entire Flourish line of ferts. I went a little overboard when I bought my first plant.

I'll keep up with the weekly water changes, I'm just concerned about the Nitrate levels not being steady. So if I dose Nitrogen today and raise the Nitrate to 20 ppm, then do I want the Nitrates to stay at that level? Basically, how do you maintain a 20 ppm every day? I'm assuming that it will fluctuate with water changes, correct? I do my weekly water changes on Sunday, so if I dose today, then tomorrow I will just be removing part of what I dosed. So should I dose again tomorrow? Or just do it after water changes?

I'm new to the fert dosing (if you can't tell) so I'm very shaky with it.

 

[Jchillin]

Test, test, test...that will let you know when to dose the Nitrogen. You don't have to keep it at 20ppm every day, just that it doesn't disappear altogether.

 

[rich311k]

You may want to check you phosphate levels. Should be a ten to one ratio between nitrate and phosphate.

 

[rich311k]

Yes the bubbler is gassing of your additional CO2.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I don't have any visible algae at all, so I doubt I have much, if any, phosphates. How do you promote phosphates? Or basically will I have to dose ferts?

 

[rich311k]

You can dose them as well. When you get the test you want a ten to one ratio between them. By phosphate is 1.5 so I keep my nitrates at 15. My tap has phosphate so I dont need to dose it.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have a phosphate kit, so I'll do a full range of tests tonight and post.

 

[tazcrash69]

CO2 Check valve & line

OK, I've found Ozone resistant tubing here: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3696&N=2004+113403. Is this good for CO2? If not what is?
Also, I've read that plastic check valves aren't good for CO2, what is then, and where can I get one?

 

[Jason the Lost]

I got them at petsmart. Theyre Albino...and I don't think it was my tank...I went theyre to replace the two that died and I walked down an aisle to look at some stuff...I start heading towards the register and look at the bag and one of the new barbs is laying at the bottom of the bag and one is swimming upside down!!! These were perfectly fine in the tank when they fished them out. They seemed healthy too because they'd been there for weeks...I dont think the albunos are too popular, because I'd been watching the tank.

I take the bag back to the fish counter. the clerk was in shock and got me two more, again...perfectly happy looking healthy swimming fish. Halfway home, about a ten minute drive I look at the bag and they were both dead!!! hahaha...no idea whats going on with these things. I'm going to take the dead ones back tomorrow and get a refund. Obviously these fish must really be attached to that tank.

I really wish there was a better LFS around me. Closest one is Scotts and they have a better selection of saltwater and larger stuff than anything else. Plenty of places in Chicago but the thought of sitting in traffic for an hour to get a healthier 2.50 fish is not appealing in the least.

 

[puffergirl]

I'm using flora glows 20W on my 30gal. My test results are normal last I checked and the fish are all healthy. I'm also using CO2 canisters for the plants. I have my 30gal and 20gal planted. I'm running an XP3 on my 30gal and an XP2 on my 20gal. I have no specail fertilizers.

 

[puffergirl]

I have guppies on my 20gal and rainbows and angels in my 30gal.

 

[puffergirl]

Here is a pic of my 20gal planted with guppies. The planst have been trimmed since this pic.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Ok. Here are the results:

GH 89.5 ppm
KH 89.5 ppm
Phosphate 1 ppm
pH 7.6
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm

Look good so far?

 

[rich311k]

What are your test levels?