- Hi all, just signed up as I want to get my tank looking nice again and I am at my wits end.
First pic shows how my tank looks now. Second pic shows how it looked 5 years ago when i first set it up.
When the tank was first set up I used no liquid carbon or ferts. Now I have pressurised CO2, liquid carbon and use EI ferts and nothing looks healthy.
I do 50% water changes each week, I have a strong pump and bio balls in the sump, no fish deaths for last 6 months. Lights on timer for 6 hours a day. Substrate is flourite black. I don't do testing (yeah i know, waiting for a beating on this one, but i do 50% water changes each week and I'm not going RO, so the water is what it is). Lights are Classica Stretch Freshwater LED 47w 120cm 42 x LEDs and i have 2 of them (they are the originals from 5 years ago). I have carpet bombed the substrate with easycarbo sticks and flourish tabs over last 6 months to no avail....
So what gives, advise please. I am desperate, nothing looks healthy to me apart from the fish.
Thanks in advance, I look forward to your comments.
Leigh
Leigh T, Today at 12:05 PMEditReportBookmark
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OPSuper ModeratorStaff Member
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Welcome 🙂
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I don't do testing (yeah i know, waiting for a beating on this one
You won't get a beating from any of us. Some like to test for the heck of it but most of us don't test for several reasons.
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I'm not going RO, so the water is what it is
No argument there either, tap water is fine for most plants.
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So what gives, advise please. I am desperate, nothing looks healthy to me apart from the fish.
What plants there are look okay, but it's hard to tell from the image. Perhaps you just need to add some more. Cheap stems are always a good idea, especially to increase plant biomass, it infers more biological stability, less algae and healthier growth.
In the meantime, tell us more about your fertz and maintenance regime and perhaps post some close ups of your plants so it's easier to see what you're up against. The output of your filter l/hr would also be helpful.
Also, you could think about starting a journal, it'll be easier to get the help you need and to keep all the advice in one place for easier reference.
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OP, Today at 12:21 PMReportBookmark
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Leigh TNewly Registered
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Thanks Tim, here is a close up. Dwarf Hair grass, HC Cuba and the spikey one on bottom right. All just hanging on, yellow not green and not growing. Ill look into starting a journal over the next couple of days...
Leigh T, Today at 12:58 PMEditReportBookmark
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Okay not so good, but perhaps salvageable. You have a few different algae issues which perhaps indicate too high a light intensity and organics build up and perhaps most important poor CO2 implementation. Not least of these algae issues is cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and GSA.
You really need to plant heavily with fast growing stems, make sure your EI fertz mix and dose are correct and added consistently (no missed doses etc), reduce the light intensity until the algae is under control, clean the tank and filter frequently and stay on top of tank maintenance there after.
Getting your CO2 dialled in correctly and ensuring efficient and effective flow and distribution of CO2 is paramount. Make sure you have a lime green drop checker at lights on and all the way till lights off. And move the drop checker around the tank to check for blind spots where flow and distribution of CO2 is perhaps poor.
It'd be a good if you could provide info on the output of your filter, exactly what your EI mix is, how often you dose, and on the frequency of your maintenance regime. There are plenty of experienced folk here that will offer good advice as well 😉
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Thanks Tim, I'll drop the lighting and up the CO2. Been battling algae for months....
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From yellow and dying to green and thriving.... I hope
- Thread starter Leigh T
- Start date
Hi all,
Have a look at the threads on iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) deficiencies (and <"linked threads">).
Not all EI mixes include magnesium, this is because there tends to be a reasonable amount in most USA tap water, but little in the UK's due to <"geological reasons">.
The problem with iron is <"usually one of availability">, particularly in hard water (and your tap water will be hard).
cheers Darrel
Have a look at the threads on iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) deficiencies (and <"linked threads">).
Not all EI mixes include magnesium, this is because there tends to be a reasonable amount in most USA tap water, but little in the UK's due to <"geological reasons">.
The problem with iron is <"usually one of availability">, particularly in hard water (and your tap water will be hard).
cheers Darrel
Quick update. Cranked up Co2 to permenant Green and bought a power head to increase flow. Seems to have helped, but tank still has brown tinge to it. Micro and macro ferts I'm using are in pics below. Glosso in pics not spreading and starting to yellow a bit. Lights down to 4 hours a day, but tank is in a light room (no direct sunlight). I have no internal or canister filter, I have filter media on return to sump which I clean weekly with 50 percent water change. Getting better but I am still not seeing Glosso or hc Cuba doing anything. I really want a nice carpet, not really fussy what it is, just not happening for me. Any help or comments greatly appreciated. I have put lots of fertilizer tabs in the soil BTW. Thanks for looking...
Hey @Leigh T keeping only 4 hours of light is a very bad idea, go for 8, you need enough time for plants to get energy from the light.
If you have no filtration, and sump and lots of root tabs I'd ditch water column ferts completely for some time, just keep CO2 on and just wait 3-4 weeks. That's it.
But... looking at the leaves of your pennywort I'd increase PO4 on its own, plus look at the amounts of K/Ca/Mg in you water with regards to the leaved curled down.
But more than anything just increase plant mass x4.
Thanks for advise. I cut down on lights due to algea, but that seems to be passing so will increase it again. Any recommendation on plants to buy? Fast growing, or just more in general? Ironic that I have purposely not been buying plants for fear of them dying when it could be the solution to my problems... I'll report back in a couple of weeks with an update. Thanks again. L
