# New Tank. New Plants. New to all this. HELP!!!!!



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hi. 

Excuse me if I'm in the wrong place...

We have a new 200ltr / 50 gal tank and have set up with gravel substrate and nothing else! 
A few days ago we introduced some plants to start our grand design! It looks rubbish, but patience is key I think, Rome wasn't build in a day!

Now, well a few days in and I have a feeling the plants don't like the environment, and I noticed some brown patches on one, can I post a pic here?

Any ideas on how I can encourage our first plants to stick around?

Any help or guidance appreciated;

Kieran.


----------



## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

Welcome to the Forum!! So sorry no one has given you any help yet. Not everyone keeps live plants tho so sometimes we have to wait for the right person to respond. 

Did you get any fertilizer with your plants? They definitely will need some otherwise you can find they can kind of melt away. And there always is a sort of settling in period where you loose some leaves I find. 

Also what kind of lighting do you have? The names and numbers on the bulbs is what we need. Hoping someone can review these for you, make sure you have the right ones for plants. Mine had lighting for salt water... I needed to change them out. 
Not sure how much more I can help you but I can head you in the right direction. 

Do you know what kind of plants you have? Some are low light, some need a lot more.


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

oh and be sure the plants you buy are for aquaruims not terriums


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks so much for the reply
The lights we have are two GLO POWER GLO 36''/91 cm 30w T8 . We currently have 5 small plants, 4 of which are anubias in a fish-less tank which is still cycling. We have been told by our local fish shop where we bought the plants that the anubias plants need very little unnatural light. We had been giving them 12 hours of light- apparently they need only four or five? Apparently they have been getting burned from the light. They were also buried too deeply in the gravel and were suffocating. The temperature of the tank is 27 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
We have got a hard root wood Mopani M JBL log for them to grow on and will reduce the light. I also read on this forum that anubias need very little, if any, fertilisers so I'm not sure that was the problem. 
We're not sure what the other plant is called, but it seems to be doing well. I'll post a picture of it with this post.
If you have any suggestions with this plan I'd love to hear them because I'm not sure if this plan is good or not.
Thanks,
Kieran


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

I would rubberband or twist tie the anubius to the driftwood (until the roots take hold, then remove). That four hour lighting tip may work for some of your plants not others. I would recomend that you get a timer and set it for 8 hours (plants need consistent light, i.e. Same amout everyday with a rest period). And who ever told you plants don't need food aaaggghhhhh!!! No fish + no fertilizers = nothing for the plants to eat. I recomend Seachem flourish, Seachem excel once a week (other brands will work just look for the ones that have multiple nutrients). Don't stop the ferts once you add fish, remember plants need food and they won't get everything they need from fish waste


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thank for replying, 
Do you think the plants would last a week or so with out food or is this an urgent problem?
Thanks


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

Just as soon as you can no big rush to the store haha


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Ok thats good then...
Anubias (Anubias barteri) Profile
That link ( if it works ) was where I read that Anubias didn't need fertiliser.
Thanks so much for your help
Kieran


----------



## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Anubias are slow growers and so don't need as much fertilizer as other plants. However, as stated, your other plants might need more if they are heavy feeders. What other plants do you have? I dose my tank with Seachem Comprehensive once a week for my anubias. Theyalso like to be shaded. Too much light will turn their leaves brown and also they'll tend to get algae on their leaves. They are a tough, low light plant that doesn't require much. Oneof my favorites.


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

The "other plant" looks like Crinum calamistratum. It is a bulb plant that need high light but I might be wrong. Crypt aponogetifolia looks similar and is a low light plant.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks so much for your replies,
Currently in the tank there are four small anubias and 1 'other plant' (pictured above). The anubias still look bad, but I suppose it takes longer to inflict damage on to them than it does to fix it.
I have a feeling our other plant is the later of what you suggested because it also has a slight brown tint to it, which would suggest it also needs low light.
I would put up a picture of them but the pictures don't really accurately show what state they are in. 
I found a really nice rock, but am unsure what it is and what it could do to the water if I left it in my tank. I'll put up pictures of it ( each picture of one of its sides ) and if anyone knows what it is and if its safe for water I would really appreciate it.
If anyone has any suggestions as to how to get the plants looking good again please tell me. I was thinking floating plants might dim the light which the Anubias might like? Any suggestions are extremely appreciated
Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to hearing back from you.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Decided just to upload the two most appropriate images.
This side view is the worrying one as it looks like it has a brown hue which could be a problem?


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hi all,
I think that the rock is something like schist but am still unsure so if you have any opinions please give them.
Yesterday I was looking in the tank ( which is still cycling ) and I saw a tiny snail crawling around the leaves of an Anubias! I did a bit of research and found they multiply quickly, and don't need a mate to do so, so I took out the snail. I presume he came in with the plants, so that means he has had 3+ weeks to drop eggs so there's a chance we'll soon be riddled with them. To be honest I am a bit clueless about these snails. I read online that they were a danger because they ate plants, and then I read they were great because they ate algae and fish waste. I would really appreciated any information you have about them.
Thanks, Kieran


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hi,
Today we went to our local pet shop and got our water tested. They said it was perfect for fish so we got 13 harlequins and 5 panda catfish. They are just in and seem to be ok. I also got MultiFit Pflanzendünger Plant Fertiliser for the plants. Hopefully that will help. 
Any tips?
Kieran


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

I don't trust pet shops. They are there to sell.
I think you got too many fish at once.
How did you "cycle" the tank?
Try to find some floating plants (frogbit, water sprite). They do well if the water surface is calm.
Don't feed your fish for few days.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hi all,
Just wondering, is algae good or bad for a tank? There is loads growing all over the tank. I scrub it off the front of the glass because it looks bad, but should I do the same with the algae on the back? I am not sure if it takes out or gives oxygen to the water or what it does to it. Thanks for the help,
Kieran


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

A bit of algae is normal in any planted tank. A lot of algae however will suffocate your plants and is a sign of imbalance between light and nutrients.
Scrub them off just before a water change so you don't pollute the water with a mass of dying algae.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks so much for replying. Idiots question here- is it too much light and not enough nutrients or not enough light and too much nutrients??? I guess the former???


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

That would be my guess as well since this is often the case with new tanks: not enough organics to provide nutrients and a brand new bright light.
Instead of bringing the balance at the higher level (adding ferts), I would subdue the light with some floating plants. 
Floating plants have the "aerial advantage", meaning that they take CO2 from air, don't get algae and grow fast, competing with algae.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hey everyone,
Today we got a Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Braun' for the tank. It looks very nice, but I'd like to know your opinion on it. Also we were considering setting up a CO2 system to help the plants, but I'm just not sure if the fish would be okay with it? If anyone knows I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks, 
Kieran


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

I don't run co2 on any of my tanks, doesn't seem to be cost effective, besides that you have lots of fish making co2 in there so I don't think you will need to add more. 

I would argue that you would only need co2 if your hording plants, or you have an odd one that has a huge co2 requirement....

Can we get a current pic of the whole tank?


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

Nothing is cost effective in our fish/plants keeping. That's why we call it "hobby".
CO2 gas itself is cheap. Delivering it safely into your tank is expensive.

Crypts tend to "melt" when moved from one tank to another. If that happen, do not disturb the roots and new leaves will grow soon.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks for the replys,
Yeah Corina I think they are already king of melting away, there are holes in the leaves already.... Unless it would be the Corydoras Pandas or the harlequins eating at the leaves?? The leaves certainly seem to be weaker than the Anubias or Crinum. And I'll post a pic or video of the tank as well.... It is only a beginning though, it still looks quite bad... We were thinking of getting big tall plants for the back and a plant that would just grow along the gravel like the one in a pic I will put up. And I think we might set up a CO2 system... My only concern is how it affects the fish?
Thank again,
Kieran
P.S. The tank below is obviously not ours... However in our tank we'd love the kind of mossy grass that is in that one, or similar.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Oh we were also thinking of floating plants to dim the light a little because it seems that both the 4 Anubias and the Crytocoryne don't like bright light at all... If anyone had any experience with them or suggestions of good ones it would be very much appreciated.


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

Its floating plants and anubius or co2 and the grass like carpet in my opinion. 

Anubius could work with the co2 grass option if you shade part of it with something. 

Also grass is harder to grow, I tried dwarf hair grass and it was annoying beacuse the fish bump it and then it wants to float.


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

Carpeting plants are the hardest to grow in an aquarium. One of the reason is because they lay deep in the water. CO2 is not even a question. Ideally the substrate should be soil (dirt). The lights should be good enough to provide the bottom of the tank with a good PAR. Plants don't need the full spectrum for photosynthesis. Mostly red and blue. Red light has poor water penetration.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Ok then... Thanks for the replys... Here is a few pics of the tank, plants and fish... It still looks quite bad because we got bogged down on a few basic errors... But we're back on track now and hopefully we'll start to improve the tank soon.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

These are the different Anubias


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Here is another...


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

And here are the last two... The other two Anubias (shown above) got out ok of the fiasco with the lights okay- they are a little brown but that is the type of brown you can just rub off. However these two are still quite badly burnt and I was thinking of cutting off some of the really burnt leaves??


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Here is the Crinum- it is slightly brown on one arm but seems to be doing well and I think a second one is growing off it??


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

Looks like diatoms to me. Have you tried to remove it by rubbing the leaf between your fingers?


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Here is the Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Braun'. You can't really see the leaves from this angle but I think eventually they'll face towards where the picture is coming from because the natural light comes from there.


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

I would wait for few new leaves and then I would cut the tip of the plant to start a new Anubia. The rhizome should have at least 3-4 healthy leaves and few roots.
Don't worry, Anubia is hard to kill.
As for the crypts, try some root tabs under the plant. Seachem makes better root tabs than API according to some members. How deep is your gravel?


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks for replying. The gravel is about 11cm (which is 4 and a half inches) at the back which is where the Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Braun' is planted. It then falls steadily so that at the front where there is probably only half a cm of gravel or less. However it is raised to about 3cm (which is around an inch) in the front right corner where the Crinum is (maybe should we give him a bit more gravel?). We have the gravel like this because it means you can see the fish better and also apparently it makes most of the poo and uneaten food fall to the front which means water changes will be more effective. 
Root tabs are a good idea but do the Anubias need them?? Two of the Anubias are kind of in gravel so I can see how we could get the root tabs to them but two of them are completely out of the gravel in bogwood so it would be tricky to give them the root tabs. But certainly the Crinum and Crytocoryne could take them.
Thanks again,
Kieran


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

I have run a few bare bottom tanks and ya its easier to clean, no bacteria tho to process it. So I would add some gravel to the light spots. 

Anubius grows awesome with roots open to the water, not planted so no tabs needed its taking ammonia and stuff right out of the water colum. It grows best on driftwood but I have it growing on rocks quite well... Important part about that plant is its roots need to be in open water not covered, let it grow roots into the gravel but don't put it there.

Other than that it looks great haha keep up the good work


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks so much for the replys, they're really helpful... Just wondering do the Cryptocoryne plants have a rhizome because I can't see one.... I presume it doesn't. 
I was looking at your Amazon tank Corina savin and I thought the floating plants were really nice... What species are they, and does anyone ever have problems with the filter pushing all the plants into one side. Maybe your filters work differently to ours but I think if I put floating plants in our tank they would get pushed into one corner. 
If anyone knows the affects CO2 has on the fish in a tank I would really appreciate it because that would be the only reason I wouldn't try and get a CO2 system.
Yeah Embouck, two of our Anubias our growing on root wood, two are just on gravel and they all seem to be doing good.
Thanks again for the replys, it's great to have this facility to ask questions and get help from experts... We're a bit clueless at the moment!
Thanks,
Kieran


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

On the left it is floating water sprite, on the right- its Amazon frogbit. That tank has pressurized CO2 but both are doing OK in another tank without CO2 (of course, much slower growth). I tried both plants under T8 light and did not work. Could be the light or the agitated water surface from HOB filter, I don't know.

CO2 in water is my favourite topic...Unlike all kind of information we have access in our hobby (more or less empirical), carbon dioxide in water is a truly scientific subject, a multi-million dollar study, because....CO2 is a greenhouse gas, its rising levels that threatens our own existence.


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

you want your plants to be amazing go dirt haha so simple, dirt is also 2 bucks for 40 lbs. I set one up not to long ago back in december. The same plants that grow slow in other tanks are just exploding in my dirt tank. My ludwigia rippens shows the most transformation its about 4x as big. I just put iron in that tank to keep up my reds but thats it.

And the water is clear, wouldnt really know the difference now haha it was coffee for a week or so


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Ok then... Thanks for the info... We also have a small FLUVAL Edge 23 litre aquarium and today the filter broke. I had a good poke round it and it seems to be the motor isn't working. I was just wondering does anyone know how long the fish could survive without the filter? In the tank there are 3 Cardinal tetras, 1 black phantom tetra and 2 honey sunset gourami ( 1 male, 1 female,). 
Thanks,
Kieran


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

It's fine actually thanks... I took the filter ( leaving all the filter medium like the carbon and sponge in a bowl of tank water to keep the good bacteria alive ) to our fish shop and the guy there fixed it for us. Thanks anyway though.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hi all, the tank is still ticking along fine, no fish have died and the water has tested good. In fact two weeks ago I did a water test and the Ammonia and Nitrite was at 0ppm and the Nitrate at 20ppm. Then a week later I did a test and the Nitrate was at 5ppm! Is it possible that the plants consume so much nitrate that it went down by around 15ppm? (give or take a bit of course).
Also we were thinking of getting some Cardinal tetras or neon tetras. If anyone has any advice on which is better, or if it's too soon to get them, or anything else related I would love to hear it! 
Also could the panda Corydoras prove a problem if trying to grow a moss/grass along the bottom? They might uproot it?
Thanks, Kieran.


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

mine up rooted grass by swimming into it repeatedly... Moss should be ok I think


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Ok I think I'll try and get our local pet shop to order in some low-growing plants. If anyone has any advice on a good grass/moss which grows along the substrate I'd love to hear it. It doesn't have to be the fastest growing one, just one which looks good and isn't impossible to keep. Time isn't really an issue. Also if anyone has any advice on a nice tall background plant I'd be interested to hear it.
Yesterday we welcomed some new residents to our tank. We got 10 rummynose tetras and 6 Rhino horn goby. They are two very interesting fish. The rummeynose tetras shoal together beautifully. It is like they aren't ten little fish, but one conscience. The rhinos are completely unique in the way they swim- it's so slow and graceful. And then they perch themselves on top of a bog wood and look like they are the kings of the tank- it's great. Is it possible though that they mightn't go well with the panda Corydoras? The pandas hide in the shade of the bogwood a lot more and seem less active, Maybe they are just a little unnerved by the new arrivals and will regain their confidence? Sadly one of the rhinos died today, so we only have 5 now. I tested the water and it was fine- Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm and Nitrate about 5-10 ppm. Is it possible that he just died due to the stress of moving tanks?
While we are in the fish shop we also got Tropical Quintet, a pack of frozen food which contains Artemia, small bloodworms, large blood worms, Daphnia and Mysis. There is no feeding instructions on the packet, so if anyone knows how I should go about feeding them I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Kieran


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

Not sure where to start so, 
Frozen fish food just needs a thaw and it should be good to go.
Most likely you lossed a fish due to stress.... Happens.....
Background plant- jungle val, lidwiga rippens, ormy new fav cabomba
Some sore of short dwarf val for the grass or java moss........no dwarf hair grass that is a pain you will regret buying it


----------



## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi and welcome.
i wonder if the jungle val would grow a little too big,i had them
last year and they grew so big they covered the top of the water lol.


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

Thats what my cabomba does, I trim it back when it looks like a mess... Most plants can take a good trimming every now and then.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Ok so in the last 2 weeks or so there has been a lot of activity in the tank... We have lost 4 Rummeynose tetras and a panda Corydoras since the last post. I have tested the water several times and it was fine. A week ago we got 6 Siamese Algae Eaters so maybe they are attacking them?? I have never seem them do so, but maybe they have? We also added 2 what I think are known as honey sunset Gouramis, one make and one female. Also a week ago we got another Crinum, and 2 plants which I don't know the name of, but I'll put up a pic of them.
Today we got 5 different plants to add to the tank- a Rotala indica, a Rotala spec. Grün, a ophiopogon japonicus nana, a Vallisneria australis 'Gigantea' and a Lobelia cardinalis 'Mini'. I am planning to leave all of the plants, except the Ophiopogon, at the top of the water unplanted for a week so the roots can get strong because they are close to the lights? Is that ok, because it seems to me that the leaves are too close to the lights and might get burned?
Any help is very much appreciated as always.
Thanks ,
Kieran


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

This is the unidentified plant.


----------



## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

I don't float plants to grow roots, the whole thing doesn't make sence to me...... Plants roots hate sunlight so why is the method to expose them to uv??? I always plant right away, never lost one plant doing this method...


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Hi all,
Recently the tank has been going through a bit of trouble, with fish dying quite frequently. I have done many water tests and the water always seems to be fine, and yet fish will die in it. Since I am pretty much clueless I though I would put up absolutely everything about this tank and see if anything is glaringly obviously wrong about it.


1.We have a Fluval U4, we normally run it on the top seeding (A) with air/bubbles mixed into the water. 

2.The temperature is 25 degrees Celsius/77 degrees Fahrenheit and remains consistent. 

3. It is decorated with 3 pieces of bogwood ( many driftwood or another kind of wood?) one of which is the Mopani type. There is also several pieces of slate in the tank.

4. The live plants in it are: 4 anubias ( 3 different species ), 1 cryptocoryne wendtii Braun, 1 Rotala spec. Grün, 1 Rotal Indica, 1 Vallisneria Australia's ' Gigantea', 2 crinums - one Natans and another one I don't know the name of, 1 lobelia cardinal is 'Mini', 1 opihiopogon japonicus nana along with two plants I don't know the name of, but their picture is in the post just above where I say 'this is the unidentified plant. We also have some floating plants which I will give a picture of below.

5. Tankmates- 11 harlequin rasboras, 1 corydoras panda ( we had 5 ), 3 rummeynose tetras ( we had 10 ) 6 Siamese Algae Eaters, 4 Rhino horn gobys

6. We feed them Novo GranoMix mini- around three clicks a day, everyday. Every now and again I put in 50ml of MultiFit Pflanzendünger plant fertiliser. Once I fed them a small block of frozen food.
7. PH is around 7.5, maybe a bit more as far as I can tell, and the water is hard. 

8. I rarely do water changes as the tank isn't full and the plants keep the nitrates down and tests using the API Master Freshwater Test Kit show that the water is always good.

9. The lights are GLO POWER GLO 36"/91cm 30w T8 and there are two. I turn the on from around 5/6 pm to 11 pm.

10. There is a small amount of algae on the glass, plants, bogwood and slate. Some of it is weak and comes off easily, others are really hard to get off, they are like little green spots and I have actually found it physically impossible to get it off.

11. Very rarely I put in a small pinch of SUPA Tonic Salts.

12. The fish tank is next to the TV. It is not used often and the volume is never up very high, but maybe the lights and/ or noise might be bothering them?

13. Several fish have died and we never have found them so I presume they decomposed in the aquarium. I know that is bad, but it was only a few over a period of time and if it seriously affected the water would it not turn up on tests?

I hope that someone can find something in that long list for us to fix, because it is concerning seeing fish dying like they are. Any feed back is greatly appreciate and I will happily answer any questions about the set up if there are any of course. 

Thanks again,
Kieran


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Here are the floating plants.


----------



## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi kieran
the siamese algae eaters perhaps as they are known to be aggressive, i think
as they mature with age,and not as great as people think.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks willow, I have noticed the SAEs fighting amongst themselves, although I have never seen them fight other fish... But maybe they strike at night or I just haven't noticed them attacking others. I was kind of surprised to see that they ate the Granomix as well as the algae on plants. 
Thanks so much for your post again,
Kieran


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

What size is the tank?

What are the _exact_ parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)? Ammonia and Nitrite should be 0ppm and Nitrates less than 20ppm.

How often do you do water changes and how much?

25/77 seems a little low for most of the fish you have.


----------



## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

I still believe that you stocked your tank with too many fish at once. If fish die shortly after the cycle it is still because they went trough the cycle.
Most fertilizers are dosed at 1ml/10 gallons. I am not familiar with your product, just make sure 50 ml/50 gallons is the right dose.
I would remove the unknown rocks, stop the salt and change lighting schedule in the morning.
The floating plant is Salvinia and doesn't look very green. Don't let it rot in your tank if it is dying. The other "unidentified" plant looks like Hygrophila.
Don't miss the weekly water changes. Lots of things can go wrong in a tank and we don't have tests for all. You can never go wrong with a water change if it's properly done.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> What size is the tank?
> 
> What are the _exact_ parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)? Ammonia and Nitrite should be 0ppm and Nitrates less than 20ppm.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for helping... The tank is 53 U.S. gallons or 200 litres.

The Nitrite always comes out as 0ppm and when I test for Ammonia it is a little hard to tell on the test kit but it seems to be either 0ppm or 0.25ppm. The Nitrates always seem to be 20ppm or lower when I test for them and when I last tested the water the PH was around 7.6.

We don't do water changes that often, certainly not every week and that is mainly because when we test the water it is always fine and so I just leave it because I don't want to mess around with the tank if the water is ok. However I think I will start to do water changes every week now anyway, just to be safe.

And sorry but I am not sure what you mean when you say 25/77 seems a little low for most of the fish you have.

Thanks for all your help, 
Kieran


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

corina savin said:


> I still believe that you stocked your tank with too many fish at once. If fish die shortly after the cycle it is still because they went trough the cycle.
> Most fertilizers are dosed at 1ml/10 gallons. I am not familiar with your product, just make sure 50 ml/50 gallons is the right dose.
> I would remove the unknown rocks, stop the salt and change lighting schedule in the morning.
> The floating plant is Salvinia and doesn't look very green. Don't let it rot in your tank if it is dying. The other "unidentified" plant looks like Hygrophila.
> Don't miss the weekly water changes. Lots of things can go wrong in a tank and we don't have tests for all. You can never go wrong with a water change if it's properly done.


Thanks so much for your reply... From now on I will definetly do a weekly water change. I haven't been doing that recently because the tests always showed the water was acceptable but what you said makes total sense- I really should have been doing weekly water changes from the start. 
What would you recommend we change with the lighting schedule? Right now it is on from around 5/6pm to around 11pm. 
Thanks again for your help, it is great to get it because it is quite worrying having fish die for reasons unknown to me.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

+1 corina savin If you added all of those fish at once that could well be your problem. When I add new fish or inverts I also dose with Seachem Stability to help feed the beneficial bacteria. 

Did you cycle the tank?

I leave my lights on eight hours from 2:00 pm-10:00 pm. I believe yours have not been left on long enough. Your best friend is a timer. 

I meant 25 C (or 77 F) might not be warm enough for some of your species.

Here's something which may help you:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=507585


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Oh right I see. Yeah we did cycle the tank for over a month, from early January to February.
Thanks for your help and the link, it was very useful.


----------



## Kieran (Jan 15, 2015)

Ok thanks for all the help everyone... I was kind of worried we were doing something completely wrong, like too many plants or something like that. But it seems like nothing is too far wrong. Looking to the future from now on I will do a water change weekly, maybe increase the temperature a degree Celsius or two, take out any unhealthy floating plants, stop putting salt in the tank and keep an eye on the SAEs to check to see if they are bullying other fish.

The only rocks which I have in the tank now is slates. I am fairly sure slate doesn't do anything to the water- I don't think it affects the PH or hardness or the water, however if any can back-up or disagrees with this please tell me.

Also how much do you think the weekly water change should be? I have been doing around 10% and the water always seems acceptable after.

Thanks again for all the help,
Kieran.


----------



## beaslbob (Oct 17, 2012)

I haven't read the entire thread but I understand you basically have a new planted tank with little to no ammonia, no nitrates and a little nitrates.

And that the fish seem to be doing well at least recently.

If that is the case I would simply not do any water changes and let it run. I think you find that in a few weeks nitrates will drop to 0 and hopefully ph rises if not already high now.

The plants are probably consuming ammonia now missed by the bacteria. But the bacteria is building up and eventually the bacteria will get all the ammonia. At that point the plants will be consuming more nitrates so you will get a nitrate drop.

You may also see a pH rise (just before lights out) as the plants are consuming co2 and returning oxygen. So the tank becomes a net consumer of co2 and source of oxygen each 24 hour period,

All of which is very healthy for the fish, plants and the tank.


and requires no man made filters, air pumps, and the like. IME all I can do is to screw up the process by trying to "correct" things. :lol::shock:

Still just my .02


----------

