Christhefishman
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Posts posted by Christhefishman
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Okay one thing, I just noticed the test I was using for Kh was totally expired so I got a new one and now it’s saying the KH is just shy of 80ppm in the tank and it’s about 100ppm out of the tap.
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On 12/18/2023 at 4:12 AM, nabokovfan87 said:
4-8 is about the range of light I mess with in my tanks. Intensity and duration are the two variables I try to limit as much as I can because for whatever reason I have the luck of dealing with one of the most resilient strains of staghorn and BBA in my tanks for years now. I don't say that as a badge of honor thing, but just as a means of... I'm really frustrated by it! I do have an algae thread in my links in my signature that have thoughts along that journey on dealing with algae. Caveat aside, more than 8 hours and I really run into an issue. Ticking the light up slightly as well and it's like the tank goes a bit crazy on me really fast.... taking weeks to remove the algae I just introduced.
By the initial title you posted I wanted to ask about the balance of the tank in terms of minerals. The rule of thumb is usually that you want GH to be higher than KH. Let's start there. What is your GH and what is your KH. Over time the plants pull from that GH/KH and you'll do your maintenance to replace it. If you don't then you have what is called old tank syndrome set in. Essentially, not enough of the things building up being removed and not enough of the things being used added back in.
Although it might be frustrating at times, the fun thing is that there is always something to learn. Let's dive in and see what makes sense for further discovery.Yep... I have been there! I am dealing with this right now with my Staurogyne Repens and it's just been an issue for months where I have growth, but the plant isn't thriving much at all. Algae takes hold, especially bba, on dying parts of the plant. The plant then uses the resources from those areas and leaves to feed new growth and try to outlast the algae. Then the algae grows or triggers some spores and the cycle continues again. One of the best things to do is increase plant mass by propagating them out. Using root tabs may be literally all you have to do here to "perk up" the plants right now. Checking the above parameters as well as your maintenance schedule is also just a good place to start. Please feel free to ask the questions you might be without fear of sounding new to the hobby. We all want you to thrive and you might just get to see some of the awesome aquascapers we have here!
Thank you for all of your feedback!! I’ve been keeping fish for 15 years but it’s always been larger Central American cichlid tanks or Malawi tanks. I haven’t given an honest shot at planted tanks until the past year and holy cow it’s like relearning everything!! The thing is though, now that I have planted tank I just can’t picture myself NOT having live plants, the whole environment just feels and looks so nature I’ve fallen in love with planted tank. But, as we both know it can be a real frustration when you think you’ve finally got everything looking good and growing good just to all the sudden have an algae explosion or the plants start looking bad but that’s what this happy is about, facing challenges and learning how to deal with them!
So, I just did a test of my GH/KH and Gh is right between about 200 and 250.
my Kh however is really low.. right around 40 or even a tad less. Uh oh. Although I haven’t noticed and Ph swings it’s always sitting at the high 7’s (usually 7.8)Is that odd that my general hardness is high yet the alkalinity is next to non existent? Rest of my tap water came back the same as well. Could that be a big contributor to the issues I’m facing? Would crushed coral in a big in the filter help or something like seachem equilibrium help?
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On 12/17/2023 at 10:37 PM, lefty o said:
10hrs is a good chunk of light. id probably knock an hour off both the morning, and night, and see how that goes for a while.
I’m going to try this out, I’m so used to my old mbuna tanks without plants and being able to have the light on longer hours for viewing but looks like when it comes to planted tanks I just have to suck it up and wind down that viewing period! Would it hurt the plants too much if I knocked the light down considerably to maybe 6 hours total for a bit to really make some progress with the algae more quickly? Or just knock a couple hours off like you said and slowly try to win the algae battle? I could also knock the intensity down from 75% to 50% if that will still be enough
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Hey everyone!
So my plants over the last 2 weeks have just started to look a little crummy and I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. Low tech tank so no co2 injection.
0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrates are consistently around 25 ppm, Ph is always right around 7.6-7.8 and moderately hard.
hygger 24/7 plant light that runs for 5 hours, then a 4 hour siesta, then back on for another 5 hours. I’ve been running the light at 75% intensity.
Easy Green is used at the recommended dosage after each weekly water change of 25% and I have co op root tabs in the sand that I replenish every couple months. I also add wonder shells for my 2 mystery snails and ramshorns.
Recently I’ve noticed a short green hair algae is appearing on a lot of the plants, my patch of Bacopa is looking less vibrant green and more of a yellowish pale color and the older leaves towards the bottom are getting algae all over the place. Anubias are getting dark unsightly looking algae on the leaves. The dwarf aquarium lily is doing extremely well but when I look closely I can see short green hair algae on those leaves as well. Everything just looks kind of crappy right now and I’m not sure if it’s a light problem or a nutrient deficiency (esspecially with the color change of the Bacopa to looking more pale) and the hair algae is starting to really get on my nerves so I’m looking for advice on how to move forward! Still new-ish to live plants so if I’m missing something obvious bear with me. Thanks everyone!!
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On 12/10/2023 at 2:30 PM, Colu said:
It could be a cyst or an injury to the tail fin that has caused localized inflammation what I suggest is quarantine and treat with aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 3 gallons for a week
Okay great, thanks @Colu! I was hoping you’d see this post! I’m happy that it’s atleast looking like inflammation from a minor injury and not some kind of parasite or start of a bad infection. I’m off to grab some more aquarium salt. Appreciate it!
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Hey guys,
wondering if anyone might have an idea what’s going on with the tail fin of one of my young Congo tetras. Appeared randomly about a week prior to me posting this and seems to slowly be getting larger. Not sure if treatment is needed or if it will go away on its own since I haven’t encountered something exactly like this before. Fish swims, eats, and acts completely normal.
planted tank with no signs of illness on any other fish.
0 ammonia,0 nitrite, 20 ppm nitrate for plants, PH 7.6, moderately hard, temp is 79
thanks everyone!
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Hey everyone!
So, I’ve had a marble angelfish who I dearly love growing out in a 29 gallon for the past year along with a Pearl gourami, a male/female pair of bolivian rams, and 8 panda Cories. All of these fish were tiny a year ago and I always planned this tank as a grow out for them all. Everyone gets along awesomely and the rams have bred for me multiple times. My plan was always to upgrade them to a 75 (my favorite tank size) but life happens and money is just so tight these days so I am moving home for the next year or so. Due to space in the new living situation, the best I could shake was a 40 breeder. its been set up now for over a month and ive been slowly planting it with trimmings from the currently heavily planted 29.
anyway, since this new 40 breeder isnt as large as I originally hoped the next tank would be, im curious to hear your opinions on stocking options. If you were me, would you just move the existing fish over with no additions or could i get away with turning my pair of bolivian rams into a small group? or do i have enough space to add a school of larger bodied tetra species or peaceful barb like cherry barbs?
I know the height of the 40B is pushing it with how tall angels get, but its the best i could do for now. last thing I want to do is something that would disrupt the harmony that has been shown over the last year so if you think im better off keeping the stock as it currently is then please let me know.
i still have one more month before the move, and I will continue planting and fertilizing the 40B so that when I move the fish, there will be an abundance of plant life (a whole bunch of Bacopa caroliniana, as well as italian val, anubias nana, dwarf aquarium lilies, and Amazon frogbit) so that all these plants will aid the beneficial bacteria in processing ammonia in this new set up once fish are added. I just want to do what’s best for my current fish as I’ve grown really attached to them. Give me your thoughts on this tank size and if it gives me room to make additions or if I’d be better off keeping the stock the same as it is now and letting them continue to grow.
sorry for the long winded post, and I appreciate your feedback!!
-Chris
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Hey guys,
I recently got 8 golden pristella tetras and I’m deeply regretting being impatient and not putting them through a longer quarantine period. I came home today to find out of nowhere there are multiple pristellas that have this strange thing going on where it looks like there are white spots just underneath the scales in the body. It doesn’t look like ich but I’m stumped. Since this color variant allows us to “see through” the body of the fish, I’m not sure if what I’m seeing is the effect of an external parasite or if this is purely internal. Tank is planted and has lots of snails so I want to be certain what I’m dealing with before I start taking action that could potentially hurt the plants or snails or other fish.
tank: 29 gallon running problem free for about 11 months.
temp: 77-78 degrees
PH: 7.8 (my tap water runs high, close to 8).
GH: moderately hard about 100ppmBuffer: 80ppm
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: maintained right around 20ppm for plants (anubias, dwarf aquarium lilies, Italian vallisneria
thanks everyone!!
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On 9/17/2022 at 9:07 PM, TOtrees said:
Professor Google says “Larvae are mainly herbivorous scavengers, feeding mainly on fragments of plant material, living vegetation, and other living and dead organisms.”
I wouldn’t worry about it.
Phew! Alright cool thank you, I googled some different species of caddisfly larvae and found some pics that are exactly what I’ve found in my tank so that’s it. Sounds like they really won’t harm anything and I actually saw one of my dwarf acaras just found one while swimming through the plants and ate it so looks like some free food for the fish!
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On 9/17/2022 at 1:06 PM, MattyM said:
@Christhefishman I kinda did the same thing in a way - over gravel vac'd and kicked a bunch of nutrients into the water column, eventually got myself a tank of pea soup. Plants and fish are happy, just could barely see into the tank. Got the Green Killing Machine, after a few days already much better. Good luck! And yeah, I also think it's a good thing to just have around.
That’s the exact model I bought! I’m happy to hear that you had great results. Mine will be arriving on Wednesday and then finger crossed I’ll be able to actually see and enjoy the fish and plants again!
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Does anyone have any idea what the heck this thing is??
I’ve noticed and removed multiple of these things but I’m totally at a loss as to what they are and if they’re harmful to my fish or snails. They seem to wrap themselves in the leaves of the guppy grass and protrude outside of them. Just noticed them today and I have no idea what I’m dealing with and if they will grow into something that goes after my fish OR turn into some kind of fly that will then be buzzing around my house..
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On 9/16/2022 at 10:28 PM, Cory said:
It's hard to say, if the plants are really thriving, usually they handle a week no problem.
Gotcha! You know what I ended up purchasing a UV sterilizer last night because I saw people have such incredible results. Plus, I figured it would be something g good to have lying around in case this problem ever arises again down the road. Thank you Cory! as always I appreciate the advice.
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On 9/16/2022 at 7:07 PM, Cory said:
Water changes are unlikely to get you through this. I would use either a uV sterilizer or black out the aquarium for a week. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/aquarium-algae
Wow hey Cory!! Super cool thank you for commenting! Funny enough about an hour ago I was watching that same video. You’ve helped me so much getting into planted tanks with your videos and live streams! Time to hop online and check out some UV sterilizers. With the plants that I have do you think blacking out the tank for a would kill them? Thanks again Cory!
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Well I really screwed myself here! Accidentally double dosed easy green and a couple days later my tank started getting cloudy and now it’s got a very green tint to it. It’s been over a week now and I’ve done multiple partial water changes and it only seems to help for 24 hours and then back to hazy green. Been testing all week and just tested again.. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 15ppm nitrate, PH 7.4
im not sure what the best course of action here is that will get rid of this free floating algae without killing my plants. My plants are very hardy species (guppy grass, dwarf aquarium Lily, and aponogeton ulvaceus). Took my a while to get everything going well with the plants (I’m not new to fishkeeping but deff new to live plants) so I’m frustrated that my mistake caused this whole algae bloom. How much can I cut down in light without it negatively impacting the plants? Should I stop doing multiple water changes since it hasn’t helped get rid of it so far? I haven’t added any more fertilizer since I accidentally double dosed. I’ve got a school of brilliant rasboras, a pair of dwarf acaras, and some panda corydoras for fish stock if that help too. Tank is 29 gal. Thanks guys!! I want a clear tank again!
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On 9/11/2022 at 1:06 AM, Jenja said:
I second the root tab under the bulb. I've got a nymphaea rubra and yeah, it thrives and has the best leaf coloration with regular tabs added, so I'd imagine a dwarf aquarium lily would be the same.
Doesn't look like cyanobacteria on it to me, possibly a bit of green hair or fuzz type algae. Plus if you had cyanobacteria you'd smell it from the tank - a rotten spinach smell, no mistaking it.
Just out of curiosity how often to you stick root tabs around/under your nymphaea? I feel like I must be going crazy but I put two co op root tabs underneath the bulb a little over 24 hours ago and I swear it looks like somehow the amount of small leaves emerging has almost doubled!! The green color has gone away considerably as well from the bulb. I’m pumped!! Didn’t realize this could happen so quickly. I want to get this thing on a regular schedule with the tabs.. I know there are lots of other variables that determine how often someone would need to dose with root tabs (nitrate levels, lights, ect.) but what’s a rough estimate? Every month? Sooner/later than that? Thanks so much Jenja and you too Kurt!
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Okay great thanks for the tip! Once I get
home today I’m going to stuff a couple tabs underneath the bulb. It does have roots coming from the bulb and down into the substrate already so hopefully it will be quick to suck up those root tabs and really get going!
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Hey guys so I’m not quite sure what’s going on here.. I’ve been keeping fish for years and years but in the past it’s been mostly malawis or large American cichlids so I never did much with live plants. This tank however is my first real attempt with plants. After watching every plant video from Cory that I could find, I settled on trying out a dwarf aquarium lily. There is also guppy grass and some dwarf sag that seem to be doing fine. Over the past few days though, the lily bulb suddenly has green stuff growing on it and it seems to be killing off the shoots/leaves. I’ve had the bulb for 2 weeks and I thought it was doing great, sprouted very quickly. Now though I’m concerned this green stuff is going to kill it off. Is this some form of algae or maybe Cyanobacteria? I’ve never had to deal with Cyanobacteria before. Any help would be greatly appreciated since it seems to be spreading and killing the young leaves quickly. I want a chance to see this plant all large and beautiful.
tank is 30 gallons
fish stock:
-1 male/female pair of Laetacara curviceps (dwarf acara)
-10 brilliant rasboras
- some ramshorn snails
PH is always right around 7.2-7.4
ammonia & nitrite are both zero
nitrate is around 10-20ppm depending on how close it is to water change day.
root tabs for dwarf sag and I also dose a bit of easy green after water changes.
The light is a hygger 24/7 planted LED and runs for about 10 hours a day.
here’s some pics. Pic of the lily bulb in question, and the male Laetacara because I love to show him off lol. Thanks everyone! Hopefully it’s not too late to save this Lily!!
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Hey guys so I’m not quite sure what’s going on here.. I’ve been keeping fish for years and years but in the past it’s been mostly malawis or large American cichlids so I never did much with live plants. This tank however is my first real attempt with plants. After watching every plant video from Cory that I could find, I settled on trying out a dwarf aquarium lily. There is also guppy grass and some dwarf sag that seem to be doing fine. Over the past few days though, the lily bulb suddenly has green stuff growing on it and it seems to be killing off the shoots/leaves. I’ve had the bulb for 2 weeks and I thought it was doing great, sprouted very quickly. Now though I’m concerned this green stuff is going to kill it off. Is this some form of algae or maybe Cyanobacteria? I’ve never had to deal with Cyanobacteria before. Any help would be greatly appreciated since it seems to be spreading and killing the young leaves quickly. I want a chance to see this plant all large and beautiful.
tank is 30 gallons
fish stock:
-1 male/female pair of Laetacara curviceps (dwarf acara)
-10 brilliant rasboras
- some ramshorn snails
PH is always right around 7.2-7.4
ammonia & nitrite are both zero
nitrate is around 10-20ppm depending on how close it is to water change day.
root tabs for dwarf sag and I also dose a bit of easy green after water changes.
The light is a hygger 24/7 planted LED and runs for about 10 hours a day.
here’s some pics. Pic of the lily bulb in question, and the male Laetacara because I love to show him off lol. Thanks everyone! Hopefully it’s not too late to save this Lily!!
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On 8/20/2022 at 6:29 AM, Fish Folk said:
To your question . . . I'm still lost down the NERM-hole on this one . . . 🤣
IF you forced me to guess, I'd still say they're probably L. curviceps.
For me, the reasons are (1) lack of halo around prominent dorsal dot (2) yours have black "lip-lining" which makes them look like they're smiling
I'll share this link as well for some stunning L. dorsigera photos as well as an interesting discussion thread.
At any rate, you've got the most gorgeous specimens ever there!
Thank you so much for all this info!! This is exactly what I was hoping for now I can go through all of these and closely compare so much appreciated! I’m so happy I chose to go with dwarf acaras I’ve been so happy with their colors and attitude and there’s quite a few more species in the Laetacara genus than I realized! I’m inclined to agree with you that after going through these photos they do look very much like curviceps but their colors and patterns seem to develop more by the day it’s incredible so time will tell and I’ll have to go through these more closely but thank you so much this was extremely helpful
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On 8/19/2022 at 8:10 PM, SimmonsSnailsNScales said:
I don't know anything about them, but I wanted to let you know that you have some gorgeous fish!
Thank you!! I’m absolutely loving these guys they show such nice colors while still showing cool cichlid behaviors but in a small size and without all the aggression. Laetacara is an awesome genus I wish I had kept them sooner!
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Hey guys
So I picked up some Laetacara curviceps recently (or at least that’s what they were sold as) but as they’ve settled in and colors and patterns have shown, I’m now questioning if they actually are curviceps.. after researching around I have a feeling they may be the very similar Laetacara dorsigera, especially since I’ve heard that dorsigera are often mistakenly sold as curviceps. This is my first time with dwarf acaras and I totally love them! Whether they are curviceps or dorsigera doesn’t matter since I love both but I am very curious to know exactly which I have! If anyone has experience with these guys please let me know what you think, and some tell tale signs to distinguish the two species. Thanks!
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On 8/6/2022 at 5:54 PM, Patrick_G said:
We keep Dwarf water lettuce in rooms that get into the low 60sF during winter months. As long as there’s a tight lid they do well. In the same room I have also grown Salvinia in a nano tank without a lid.
Okay awesome that makes me feel hopeful! I like running tanks with floaters without lids but I have a glass top for this tank in the closet so I can use that once the temps really start to dip
On 8/6/2022 at 1:33 PM, asondhi said:I personally have kept salvinia alive in tank temperatures as low as 70°F-72°F and air temperatures as low as 64°F-66°F.
Note that these are usually tropical plants so they do prefer higher temps but the most important thing will be temperature stability (for any plant).
Tank lids, even if they're loose, can aid in maintaining humidity and temperature! The air above a tank w/ a decent sized lid will probably match the tank temp. It's also worth noting that even without a lid, the temp of the air right above a tank will be slightly warmer.
TL:DR I think you'd be okay. Floaters are often prolific growers and I'm sure local hobbyists would be willing to give away some starter portions. If you're worried, try a tank lid for temp stability.
Very good point, even if the air temp in the room is chilly, so long as I keep the water temp in the high 70’s the air a few inches above the water level must be warmer than the rest of the room. The LED lighting definitely throws a bit of heat as well I didn’t really think of that until now
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On 8/5/2022 at 3:59 PM, Simon Buys said:
I have the same feeling with the rainbowshark. Cory said in his species guide that you can put one in a 29g and there where a lot of good experiences in the comments. Every other person on the internet seems to disagree however.
I guess it's difficult to give advice when there is a fine line between succes and failure. Especially if it depands on a lot of different factors.
@pjust9steenfott aquatics did a tour of dan's fish a few days ago. He mentions an angelfish which stays a bit smaller apperantly. I don't know the species but maybe you could look into that?
@Simon BuysAh yes! I remember seeing that video on the rainbow shark. Perfect example. There will always be conflicting info from one source to another, and in these “right on the fence” situations, sometimes you just have to give it a shot and see if it works for you. I’m glad you brought up Dans fish as well, I just discovered him literally 3 weeks ago and I already want to place an order. @pjust9If someone had a species of angels that stays a bit smaller, it would be him. He has lots of super cool harder to find/rare fish all super healthy. Deff worth checking out the Dansfish website and YouTube channel.
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Hey everyone I’ve got a quick question.
In the past I’ve kept floaters, some of my favorites being Salvinia and frogbit, but it’s always been a big pain doing so in this tank because of the large HOB aquaclear. I’ve done the whole plant barriers by the filter and this and that and something always ends up going wrong so I’m in the process of converting the tank to sponge filters only. Finally keeping floaters will be more enjoyable!
Anyway, I’ve only tried floaters in summer months in the past. My apartment is older and frankly not insulated well at all.. I live half an hour outside of Boston so it gets pretty darn cold here during fall and winter. My heaters are plenty powerful enough to maintain tropical water temps year round, but during winter the air temp in the apartment can be around 60 degrees while I’m out at work.
Can plants like these handle those air temps? Would it screw with the plants if their water temp is in the high 70’s but the air temp only low 60’s?thanks!
Plants suddenly not looking well. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers
Posted
First off I I just want to say thank you!! That video was absolutely excellent more people need to see it! I’m going to re watch it again tomorrow it was that good. As for the off gas testing, I think that’s an excellent idea and will help plan of course for what needs to happen on my part. I’ll start that testing process tomorrow as well. Seriously thank you, you’ve been really helpful and I greatly appreciate it. I’ll come back here with some more testing results and we’ll go from there!