paul1478

I am by far not expert but my assumption is, is the issue fixed? if not I assume they will not come back. My issue was way to low fertilizer and now that it is fixed they are coming back fast and looking great.

Thank you. Yea did 2 large ones only because I think it needed it to ‘reset’. it started out great but I was not keeping the total Fertilizer high enough. I will go back to 20 percent changed or so now. And keep a closer eye going forward. Again huge improvement from 3 weeks ago.

I got it 2-3 months ago. I do not see a date. It seems rather consistent with the co-op strips. API shows a bit higher but close.

It has been 2 full weeks now that I think the issue was identified. Big water change last week and added easy green to around 30 PPM, big water change (40-50%) this past Friday and easy green to about 30-35 PPM. Checking mid week for PPM and TDS and keeping it at this point. Plants are really taking off again. all plants. Algae is way better BUT, I seem to have some blue-green algae. This started about 2.5 weeks ago. I have been removing it by hand. Mostly on the gravel and I have removed top layer. Did a good gravel vac. keep coming back. Not bad but not good. I added Maracyn Saturday and hope this resolves it. I also hope I addressed the issue, better water quality and I feel I was over feeding the little piggies. I will attach some photos of the new growth.

Thanks. this is what my results are today when I arrived home. tds 240. API seems to be around 30 -35 but that is my guess. strips seem to be around 20. I follow the API direction exactly. Shake 1 add drops shake. shake 2 for 60 seconds. Add shake 60 seconds. Read at 5 min. test strips. Shake in water for 3 seconds lay flat without shaking water off. read in 60 seconds.

I am using the co-op test strips and API. API is showing higher than test strips. test strips showing very very light pink. API shows a orange color. I am thinking about bring in a sample to local shop and seeing what they say.

I was traveling Friday-Sunday, checked nitrates, 0. Did small water change and add 15 pumps of easy green. Nitrates 0. waited 2 hrs added 20 more, 0. waited 4 hrs and added 20 more, it was around 5. Checked this morning and added 20 more. I will check tonight. I plan on keep adding slowly until I get around 20 PPM. I will also watch the TDS and not allow them to get too high. I have to assume the plants are taking it in as fast as I add it. This is also a large volume of water but still, that is a lot of easy green.

Ok good to know. I will keep checking levels using tds meter also and reduce water changes to 15 percent for a month and see were it is. thanks.

I think I understand. change water 25 percent (around 45 gallons) Add easy green as filling the tank about 10-13 pumps (3 per 10 gallons) Mid week should I check tds and adjust accordingly? I assume so. as for dry I am in so much deeper than I wanted to be. This was to be one fish for my 4 year old granddaughter and turned into this. I love it best tank I had by far but more work ? Not yet anyway. all your help is greatly appreciated! again I will gladly take any advise I can. Paul

So should I just try and keep it around 190 200 and nitrates around 20-30ppm? I after adding 70 pumps over the past several days and being sill at 25 PPM snd 190 tds I think I now know the reason the plants were melting. so far I have learned a lot and hope to keep learning.

53. I measure no nitrite’s.

well I was at the aquarium store and picked on up and canceled the amazon order. I have added 15 pumps easy green Sunday after a 25% water change. 15 on Monday and Tuesday, 20 Wednesday and 20 today. from what I can tell nitrates are around 20 ish. my new TDS meter is telling me 190. tap water pending.

Ordered ! Thanks. I really want this to work and appreciate any advise.

OK, I will get one. Do you have a recommendation on brand? I will test my source water today. I have been adding easy green everyday and trying to get the level up, I think the plants have been consuming it. It just goes up slightly everyday but I am getting close to 20 PPM. Thanks for the input.

Thank you. yes I am sure I was under dosing. using the test strips made me rethink. bio load is low. Just getting it started. I have some Rummy nose tetras and some neon tetras Amino shrimp and a few autos. no I have no way to check TDS. Should I? How can it help ? I have not seen any tests really other than nitrate. thanks for any advise. Paul

The more I think about this the more I think about it. Seems like nothing changed but it has like everyone I have spoked to said something changed. It took over 6 weeks to get the glass covers. So when I put them on that had to have reduced the amount of light getting to the plants. I have upped the percentage last night. When I first started the tank I had the easy green up to around 45 PPM. I have been adding 1 pump per 10 gal per week up to 150 gal (my estimate amount of water in the 180) but reading the instructions, that is for a low light setup. I have 3 kessil A360s and a LOT of plants. The test strips I received Friday made me start to think about this. They are showing around 0-5PPM have a feeling my actual amount is close to that. I did some testing last night, API really seems to be showing around 10-15. Hard to tell for me but it is for sure not 45. I added more easy green last night, I will check when I get home and if need add more slowly until I get close to 40-45, then check every other day and try and keep it at this level for a month. If nothing else putting this all down helped me think it through. I hope to see results in 2-3 weeks and I will report back. Thanks for "listening" and your comments.

I have a soil with nutrients, I don't recall the name but did make sure to chose one that had it. I can add some in, I have several.

I did check it at first just to see what was coming out of it but seeing how the water in the tank has been stable I assume it was/is still the same.

Hello, I have a 180 I have had running as of early June 2022 PH 6.8 GH 75 KH 40 CO2 via inline diffuser on my FX6 checking with drop checker using a spray bar under the water to spread the CO2 Nitrates around 25-30 when checked with API test kit (I think, I just received the CO-op test strips and it shows a LOT lower than API and I read and follow the directions on the API exactly like test strips 5 and API 25) using aquarium co-op easy green. 1 pump per 10 gallons after weekly 25% water change. plants plated in plant substrate I got around 65 plants, it was some stem plants, moss, ground cover red dwarf lily etc. and several crypts. I have been very very lucky. Only a very few plants did not make it. Last week I noticed one of the crypts starting to melt. During my weekly water change I noticed all of them doing this some worse then others. I know this can be a thing with being submerged but I thought not this far into it. Should I be worried or can this happen this last in being summered? I do not see any new growth just death. any input would be great.

I noticed this also. What I did was to completely untie them and glue each one. I don't know if I would do that again or not. It worked very well. It has been about 90 days and have WAY more plants that I know what to do with. Each one has more leaves coming up and most have many many babies hanging of original leaves. The reason I say I may not do it again was it was not easy messing with individual plants and getting them to standup. All worked in the end. Paul

0 days. I have lost over half of the fish (excluding 20 rummy nose that I was waiting for them in the store wen they came in, never went into there water). I no longer buy fish at that store. The new one I go to has great fish, no loses but 0 days.

Great! Thank you very much. I never had plants so new to me. And thank you for your compliment on the tank. We love it !

Good day to you all I have a question in regards to starting fertilization on my 180 gallon tank. When I originally dosed the easy green at the recommended amount the water test showed no nitrates at all. Should I continue to dose until the nitrates are showing up on the test ? no fish yet tank not cycled. 65 plants. Ranging from stem plants Java ferns cryps. Also c02 via online defuser. I have media for plants were the plants are thanks for any input. Paul