First time doing an aquascape

[Kaneu]

Update.
I went to look at my tank and these little stands and dots of... Stuff? Are forming all over the rocks, driftwood and even the plant leaves. Does anyone know what they are? Is it normal? Could it be algae?

Zoom in and you can see the stuff on the rock really well

And on the driftwood and Java fern here.

I'm worried this is something I need to fix. Please help.
Thanks

 

[Fresh2o]

I've seen patterns like that with certain types of worm like insect larvae. Or perhaps detritus worms. Not saying that is what you have or if you should be concerned.

 

[Kaneu]

I've seen patterns like that with certain types of worm like insect larvae. Or perhaps detritus worms. Not saying that is what you have or if you should be concerned.

Well it has been on my driftwood for awhile. It will fly off into the water colum if I wave my hand above it creating mild turbulence. But it comes back after a day.
It is super weird

 

[Kaneu]

Does anyone else have any ideas? It is forming all over the tank and I'm wondering if I need to do something about it or just let it run its course.

 

[Sharmon]

Kaneu one thing I can think of is to take some to the store and ask them what it is. You can Google aquarium plant disease. I'm sorry I can't help more I'm new to plant keeping also.

 

[Fresh2o]

Well it has been on my driftwood for awhile. It will fly off into the water colum if I wave my hand above it creating mild turbulence. But it comes back after a day.
It is super weird

I believe the patterns are where dirt particles are sticking to the mucous of worms/larvae living on the surfaces of the stones and plants.
I have a former coworker who's wife is a stream biologist and I just sent him the pic for a positive ID. Will let you know if I get a response.

 

[Kaneu]

I believe the patterns are where dirt particles are sticking to the mucous of worms/larvae living on the surfaces of the stones and plants.
I have a former coworker who's wife is a stream biologist and I just sent him the pic for a positive ID. Will let you know if I get a response.

Cool thanks so much.

So I just did a PWC. Got a ton out of the tank. I was surprised at how much there was.
On the plus side of this tank, the nitrogen cycle is coming along swiftly. My nitrites and nitrates are climbing as my ammoina is depleting faster. Takes about a day and a half for it to go from 4ppm of ammonia down to 0. So a few more days and this tank will have a solid bio filter going.

 

[Kaneu]

Alright guys. Another update.

So my take cycle is doing very well. Ammonia goes from 4ppm to 0ppm in about 20 hours and my nitrates and nitrites are off the charts high.
Some of my plants like hornwort and cabomba are growing like rockets! But I'm still having trouble with the ludwigia and the Java ferns showing any signs of growth. The ludwigia are also losing alot of leaves. Everytime I look at the tank I see another leave floating around to pick out.

So I'm doseing ferts including Excel, flourish and trace. I also have advanced and the three main macro's to dose as well. I'm trying not to over do it but I am dosing regularly to try to help the plants adapt and grow in there new environment.

So the problem I'm running into now is green water. Not getting too much algae on plants or equipment right now witch is good. But my water is turning green. I know a uv sterilizer would work to fix this but what else can I do about it? I also know lights off is a good strategy to help but I don't know if it's a good idea for plants to go with no light for days on end.
I have lights on for 8 hours a day. On timer so I know it is exact.

Anybody have any good ideas on how to combat the green water without doing anything too drastic?

No fish are in the tank yet. I plan on doing a large water change of 70% a day before I order some fish for this tank and I'm planning on getting fish for this tank later this week.
So do I need to do anything or alter what I have been doing to combat the green water? Or should I just let it do its thing as I know this is a process that just happens as the tank stabilizes.

 

[ScapeYoda]

UV or a blackout.

 

[ScapeYoda]

Also would not hurt to do a large wc once nitrites fall out whether you've got fish ready to go or not.

 

[Kaneu]

Also would not hurt to do a large wc once nitrites fall out whether you've got fish ready to go or not.

UV or a blackout.

I'll do a water change in a few days. By the I'm sure the nitrates will be gone as well.
Would a uv or blackout be ok with aquatic plants? That is what I'm worried about. I have a uv and will put it in. But I just wanted to ask first

 

[Kaneu]

*nitrites

 

[ScapeYoda]

UV won't hurt the plants,you're safe.

 

[Kaneu]

UV won't hurt the plants,you're safe.

Cool.
I'll switch it from one of my other tanks when I get home from work. Thanks

 

[Fresh2o]

From what I've observed and read, the nitrite-to-nitrate conversion takes much more time than the ammonia-to-nitrite conversion. Be patient.

 

[Kaneu]

From what I've observed and read, the nitrite-to-nitrate conversion takes much more time than the ammonia-to-nitrite conversion. Be patient.

Ok. Do you know if a uv sterilizer would effect the nitrite to nitrate cycle if I used it to combat the green water problem?

And I plan to wait and watch my tank for sure. I don't want to do any major changes untill I can watch ammonia go to nitrates in 24 hours or less. With my nitrites and ammonia are 0ppm

 

[Fresh2o]

UV sterilizer should not affect that part of the cycle. You might see a slight increase in ammonia as the single cell die off from the UV light.

 

[ScapeYoda]

UV sterilizer should not affect that part of the cycle. You might see a slight increase in ammonia as the single cell die off from the UV light.

[emoji106]

 

[Kaneu]

So an update on my 75g tank.
I have done a few water changes and since then all green water has disappeared. But I am now dealing with another problem. To the point were I would rather have the green water instead.

My tank is filthy! I have a few fish in there now. They are
5rainbow threadfins, 1 rummynoise tetra (since the other 4 I bought with it died) 4 panda Cory's, 2 small angles and several amnono shrimp.

So my tank is just covered in crap. It looks almost like the inside of a filter after neglecting to clean it out for several months. There is debris and stuff on every plant, rock, driftwood and substrate. And with this much crap everywhere, the filters are unbelievably gross! I am rinsing them out almost every 2 weeks since they full of crap.

Any idea why my tank is like this? And is there something I can do to clean it up? Other than multiple water changes trying to suck the crud out?

 

[TMaier]

What is your filtration system? You should have enough flow to move debris towards the intake. Leaving a bit for you to vacuum during maintenance. Another thought is that you have mineral precipitation. I had it when I first added my big rock to my tank. Tan dusty stuff for about 3 months.