OP
OP
Crypts
- Thread starter Aces11
- Start date
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OP
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Aces11
Aquarium Advice FINatic
The lady at the pet store told me that adding salt to my tank will have a negative effect on my plants. Is there any way I can add a little bit of salt without melting my crypts?
ashleynicole
Aquarium Advice Addict
Salt will dehydrate the plants, at the very least negatively impact their growth. It is not reccomended to add salt to a planted tank. I've heard some plants tolerate a small amount of salt, but tolerating salt is not going to help your plant flourish.
Why do you want to add salt?
Why do you want to add salt?
OP
OP
Aces11
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I personally think it is beneficial to keep small amounts of salt in my tank because i have livebearers. I usually only add less than a tablespoon every other PWC. One tablespoon is recommended for 5g which is what I take out every pwc so I guess it's not a whole lot considering it's a 20g tank.
But I don't want to harm my plants. I think I'm falling in love with the planted tank look
But I don't want to harm my plants. I think I'm falling in love with the planted tank look
QuietPlotter
Aquarium Advice Freak
What would happen if I had crypts in my tank and had an ich outbreak? Would the 3 week salt treatment kill them?
ashleynicole
Aquarium Advice Addict
you can kill ich with temps of 86-88 degrees for about two weeks. There is also a reccomendation I read on a University of Florida study that says they turn the heat up to 88 for 48 hours, then turn it down to 76 for 48 hours, and then back up to 88. They do this slowly and they repeat the cycle for about two weeks to wipe out the ich. The rational is that the ich lifecycle speeds up at higher temps and is killed off at about 86, but the other rational is that reproduction also stops at that temp, so you are only killing the free swimming form... so you slow down to 76 so whatever is down in the substrate can continue to the swimming form and then back up to 86-88 to kill it again.
Livebearers do like a little salt, but you also gotta think, even though you are only adding 1tbs every other water change, you are never removing all of the salt with the water change. If you put 1tbs in a 10 gallon tank, and then remove 5 gallons, you are removing about 1/2tbs of salt. Ideally that leaves 1/2 tbs of salt left in your tank provided you didn't add salt with that water change. Then the NEXT water change you are removing 5 gallons and that would equal 1/4 tbs of salt. You add 5 gallons and then another tbs of salt and what happens, you now have 1 and 1/4 tbs of salt in your tank. Do that every other water change and you continually have an extra 1/4 tbs of salt, eventually your salinity increases. Your plants may do OK for a while, but if you stop adding salt I think you will notice a difference. The salt is dehydrating to the plants and they will start to get a withered look.
Livebearers do like a little salt, but you also gotta think, even though you are only adding 1tbs every other water change, you are never removing all of the salt with the water change. If you put 1tbs in a 10 gallon tank, and then remove 5 gallons, you are removing about 1/2tbs of salt. Ideally that leaves 1/2 tbs of salt left in your tank provided you didn't add salt with that water change. Then the NEXT water change you are removing 5 gallons and that would equal 1/4 tbs of salt. You add 5 gallons and then another tbs of salt and what happens, you now have 1 and 1/4 tbs of salt in your tank. Do that every other water change and you continually have an extra 1/4 tbs of salt, eventually your salinity increases. Your plants may do OK for a while, but if you stop adding salt I think you will notice a difference. The salt is dehydrating to the plants and they will start to get a withered look.
OP
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Aces11
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Oh I totally understand that concept.ashleynicole said:
I have ( or used to have) one tablespoon of salt in 20g of water. I only added another tablespoon about once a month after a pwc and I do a pwc every week or every other week.
QuietPlotter
Aquarium Advice Freak
I don't like that, it would totally stress the fish IMO.
I don't use heaters, only one in my reef tank.
So my max temp is 83-84. Thats why I heavily rely on salt.
Wierd thing- My platy had ich last week. I cranked on the lights and added salt. Within two days it was gone (yes, I did continue treatment)... Normal?
I don't use heaters, only one in my reef tank.
So my max temp is 83-84. Thats why I heavily rely on salt.
Wierd thing- My platy had ich last week. I cranked on the lights and added salt. Within two days it was gone (yes, I did continue treatment)... Normal?
ashleynicole
Aquarium Advice Addict
Aces11 said:
Just be careful with the plants. Personally I don't use salt in planted tanks... And all of my tanks are planted, lol.
ashleynicole
Aquarium Advice Addict
QuietPlotter said:
You mean the temp fluctuations? Yeah I guess it could. Like I said I read about that method in a university of Florida database. When I treated for ich last time I just kept the temp steady 86-88 for about two weeks, brought it down to about 78 for a couple of days, raised it back to 86 for another week. I havn't had ich or lost any fish since.
My fish are mostly not salt tolerant so if you had a platy with ich I'm sure it did fine with the salt.
OP
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Aces11
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I've been having a lot of leaves die off or turn yellow on my crypts lately and I'm guessing it's because my new hornwort is sucking up all the nutrients. Would root tabs help the crypts? I've read mixed reviews on them. Some people say they work great, others say they make the water really dirty and cloudy. Does anyone have any personal experience with root tabs?
jcolon
Aquarium Advice Addict
I use seachem root tabs and never had a problem. They can help root feeders like swords/ crypts for nutrients.
CorallineAlgae
Aquarium Advice Addict
jcolon said:
Same here. No problem at all with the flourish tabs. Just put about half of what they recommend under your crypts, leave the tabs whole, and wait for them to grow. If you put the tabs around them instead of under them they will spread out. For me it gets crazy to control them that way so I try to get a couple right under them about twice a year and they grow insanely dense and lush. They still try to spread out but it's easier to control them if I do it that way but as long as they can root feed on the tabs they stay happy. I throw out fist fulls at a time.
OP
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Aces11
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Well I dot mind if they spread out. They've been thinning out lately because of all the dying leaves. I have been dosing liquid ferts but I think it's only helping the hornwort. Does anyone have bad experiences with root tabs? Would the API ones be the same as Seachem?
CorallineAlgae
Aquarium Advice Addict
API tabs will help your crypts, too.
Coursair
Aquarium Advice Addict
Aces11 said:
Similar.
Or you can DIY Fert-Cicles.
Osmocote Plus from hardware store or nursery
+ Ice Tray
+ Tank Water
Fill trays 1/2 way with Fert
Fill trays with tank water
Freeze
Bury deep under or near Crypts and Swords or struggling plants. You don't need to put one per plant. Space them about 6" apart I think ??
I use O+ in my tanks. Got a RAOK of O+ root caps, gel capsules. They work great.
Gillie
Aquarium Advice Addict
I orders empty gelcaps and filled them with osmocote, they last longer and are a huge money saver.
OP
OP
Aces11
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Coursair said:
Aren't root tabs suppose to release slowly? How often would you have to bury a new fert-cicle?
And what's RAOK?
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