riioKen

Honestly, your experience is very helpful, I bought 12 of them and I never "restock" them, in fact, since I have them I never bought any other fish, cause I'm afraid that the new addition will be infected (in the tank, as I said, there are ember tetra, pygmy, otos, none of them has these symptoms, well in fact none of them died in these months except ember tetra, but only 2 or 3 in the first month, I have all my stock since May). It makes sense, after bending, swim bladder issue appears as last "symptom", this happened to you too?

Just for reference, last death was mid January, but I've noticed a new "infected" 2 days ago, 0 symptoms meanwhile. I live in Europe, I literally can't find ANY antibiotics, the "kanaplex" i got it on ebay (around 45$ for the little ones) I searched for minocycline, ofc nothing for aquarium use, but instead I found it for human use, ofc I need a prescription from a med. Could work it? https://www.my-personaltrainer.it/Foglietti-illustrativi/Minocin.html?google-amp=1

Hi guys I have a problem with CPD since May 2023. I start from the very beginning. My initial tank was a 20g, with an Oase Biomaster thermo 600 with 4 liters of seachem matrix and tropica aquasoil as substrate. Fully cycled for 2 months before adding any livestock. Water params: Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 5ppm Gh: 10 KH: 4 Ca: 80ppm Mg: 9ppm TDS between 280 - 330ppm Temperature 25-27 c° (it was summer) and 23-25° from Sep to Nov 50% wc weekly The initial livestock was: CPD: 12 Ember tetra 11 Pygmy cory: 5 Otocinclus: 6 Amano shrimp: 2 When I first set up this tank, everything went smoothly for about 3 months. But in summer the CPDs started to die (and repeat, only CPD), it isn't an immediately death but more like a "process" that end in that way, during this process the fish act normally, eating, chasing each other and other behaviors cpd's typical. How it starts? Discoloration, the CPD firstly start to "wash out" its color, it become pale, then it start to curve its shape (like bending, not always sometimes the bend happen to the end of the "infection") and in the last few days, it's as if the scales are lifting, when this symptom appears, it just a matter of time and swim bladder issue appear, usually 2-3 days and it dies. The process between first symptom and the death takes about 30-40 days. ----- Above is the past, this is today ----- 3 month ago i set up a new tank, 90g, 2 oase biomaster thermo 600 and around 7L of seachem matrix, tropica aquasoil. I moved all the livestock in this new tank. livestock in the new tank is: CPD: 6 - 1 (every fish death is always the same), the -1 beacause i have a cpd in the old 20g (im using it as QT tank) with the same symptoms. Ember tetra: 10 (during the transfer, phisycal was perfect, just like any other ember tetra) Pygmy cory: 5 Otocinclus: 6 (proudly 100% survival rate, from the shop to my home, and going strong since may) Amano shrimp: 2 + 8 (bought for the new tank) In this new tank, i've added only shrimp as extra livestock, all the others are from the original stock from May. I've started using RO water too. Water params (RO recontituted with MgSO4 and CaSO4) Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 5 to 15ppm (after wc i do double dose of ferts, i use EI index, the tank is a dutch style) Ca: 23ppm Mg: 9ppm GH: 5-6 KH: 0 Tds: 170 - 240ppm Temperature: 22° 50-60% WC change weekly (now im doing 2x weekly due some to algae) What i did trying to deal with this "infection"? i've used Kanaplex. Everytime i had an infected fish, i mixed kanaplex in food and feed the fish for 1 week, then stop. The infected fish would not change its shape, but usually start to color up a bit. Then what happen is, someday after the kanaplex treatment, starts swim bladder issue, i remove it from the main tank and put it in the 20g with the 20 litres of water, an heater, an airstone and a scoop of kanaplex (as suggested by seachem). I can't use Kanaplex on the main tank due to Shrimp and plants (its stated that kanaplex kills both). I love cpd, i would like to have a tank with a school of 50cpd but i can't risks other casualties with newly added fish, i need to fix this problem first. Any suggestion? Photo as reference, it's not the one in my tank, but the symptoms are the same, I heard It could be columnaris but I heard it is very deadly and in a short time, so idk if we should exclude it, never experienced white mouth. Only on the sides.

Ahhahaha, just this morning I read about the Aga, but I didn't know that "unexpected" was you Fingers crossed for you

Really? I've always wanted to show you the updates to this new aquarium, also because you recommended the light I have. I'm using lots of your suggestion, very glad to you and @nabokovfan87 I didn't noticed your nick on ScapeCrunch, is it the same?

New update. Almost all melting ended, there is still some here and there but I'm sure that plants stocking won't change. I'm thinking to get a Ro unit (arka myaqua 1900) what do you think? @Mmiller2001 if I'm not wrong I talked to you some months ago about my old 20g, you helped me a lot. I'm thinking to swap position of rotala h'ra and AR Kleines-Papageienblatt, the first is growing horizontally but short, the second straight up

As Italian I have same problems with medical products. I solved with eBay and stocking all the meds that could be needed in future. Bought kanaplex, metroplex, prazipro, another for anchor worms and both api (something)Fix. Except kanaplex, never used the others. Almost 1 month for delivery

Probably the best thing is to plant stems directly without splitting them. After I see new and constant growth on top, I'll cut and replant the top, seems the safest thing to do. About photoperiod, I have the light on for 5h (with 30m for sunrise and 30m sunset) at 50% When is the right time to increase intensity and/or duration of photoperiod? For now, I think is better to remain as it is, because I'm having melting ongoing

If I receive a single stem of around 15-20cm from a local seller, should I split it in more pieces or plant it as it is and then after established I'll cut it?

Well TC plants are more delicate, some melt some not, idk what to think honestly... I'm buying new plants but this time I'm searching for potted version or some local grower where I can buy them from.

@nabokovfan87 based on your infos, aren't difficult plants. In fact myriophyllum Roraima grows like a weed (it almost doubled its size in a week, then started melting from the bottom).

I have just cleaned all the mess, I uprooted all the plants affected and all of them had roots like mush. Plants affected: - Ludwigia polycarpa and brevipens (those two only few stems, the other seems healthy) - rotala indica (all of them melted and removed from the tank) - myriophyllum Roraima (same) - ludwigia super red (same) - proserpinaca palustris Cuba (same) To all the plants that I've "removed from the tank", I cut the tops still alive and I'm floating them in a net, maybe stronger light and unlimited CO2 can let grow in some way.

Sure, kh 3 gh 6.5 Yeah, it's leaning a bit to yellow but it was at the end of photoperiod and I'm sure that for plants is only a positive thing. Kh3 pH 6.5 so around 33mg of co2

New update guys, after 1 week since planting, 3-4 vitro plants are melting. Honestly I was expecting some melts, but not this much. The plants are melting from the bottom, seems that roots die (likely due to fresh aqua soil) and then the tops follow after 1-2 days. If I see the bottom melting but the top is somewhat healthy, if I cut the top e discard the bottom can I recover something? The plants that melt are: Rotala indica, almost disappeared Ludwigia polycarpa, brevipens and super red mini Proserpinaca palustris Cuba Myriophyllum Roraima

Yep, I already added fish in this tank because 1 of the 2 Biomaster 600 was already cycled with the same livestock in a 20g (7month old tank). The new Biomaster Is running since early September with some media from the other cycled Biomaster. When I measured the water of this tank after 2 weeks, the ammonia and nitrites were already 0, then I waited 4 weeks more before adding livestock and plants. Before adding more livestock I want to obtain some more growth from the plants and check if melting happen. Ember are always stunning, I bought them as dither for cpd but I'm enjoying way more them than the others. Bit the true eye catcher are otos and pygmy with their swim behaviours

I already have fish in the tank. Celestial pearl danio, ember tetra, otocinclus, amano and pygmy Cory. I was thinking in buying 4-6 pearl gourami but after 1-2 months. I would like to achieve stability with plant growth before adding more livestock

Here comes THE UPDATE, the aquarium is officially underway. The initial idea was to make a Dutch style, during the "Dark Start" period, I studied the techniques and forms to follow in order to create a true Dutch style. In the end however, when choosing the plants, I chose them completely based on my tastes and not based on the needs of "a good Dutch style" So it would be more correct to say a riioKen's Style, rather than Dutch style. I followed the rules of alternating the colors and shapes of the leaves, but in the end I'm not an aquascape expert, this is my first attempt to an Aquascape and this is my first large tank. Here are the photos I need to move the soil around because it moved due planting. Plants naming, left to right, 3 layers (front mid back) Front: Rotala indica bonsai -> ludwigia polycarpa -> hygrophila polysperma Tiger -> ludwigia verticellata white -> Althernathera Reineckii mini Mid: ludwigia brevipens -> rotala ramosior Florida -> ammannia capitellata -> ludwigia super red -> rotala Wallichi Mid-Back: Althernathera Reineckii "Kleines Papageienblatt" -> rotala macrandra Back: limnophila hippuridoides -> myriophyllum Roraima -> rotala blood red (Singapore) -> Proserpinaca palustris Cuba -> hygrophila polysperma Rosanervig

No, I didn't notice any difference, in fact I bumped Fe to 0.5, but I start to see some decoloration on new and old growth (and I lost 1 amano, but probably it was just a coincidence), now I'm at 0.3 weekly and seems fine. New growth are healthy but rotala h'ra and orange juice has horizontal black stirpes on old growth.

The tank right now is a farm, because I need plants to use in my 300L. Last thing that I didn't tried is to "clone" APT1, so 0 nitrates and 0 phosphate and see how it goes from there. Considering I'm dosing 7ppm per week of no3, but after testing the nitrates, seems that it is around 20ppm which is way higher than expected. The tap water has 2ppm.

50% every 7 days 140 - 160ppm Around 50%, I'll post photos after the WC and maintenance that I should do later this day. 6 otos and 1 amano shrimp, sadly 1 amano died a week ago, idk why, but this one seems healthy and did a molt 2 days ago. Is running since May with tropica aqua soil. True, I heard about redfield ratio, but I noticed a bloom in GSA which it lessened when I increased my po4 1ppm more. I'm using a Biomaster Thermo 600, on a 20g tank, the flow should be fine.

Exactly, should be 0.030ppm Fe daily too. I have a question for both of you, as I said, seems that plants are fighting algae from their leaves (even bucephalandra is cleaning his roots and leaves) GSA isn't growing or at least not fast, but I'm growing some filamentous algae on the glass, which is strange for me. Some taller plants are bending to the middle, where the light is, should I increase intensity without touching the photoperiod time?

I wrote container size, because I used 500ml of water, you can use the same amount of water with a container of 2 litres, it doesn't matter.

Your tank looks stunning even with algae lol. @JoeQ The APT3 "Clone" Recipe is: Macro 10ml x 100L daily, 500ml container - 8,8g KNO3 - 3g KH2PO4 - 15,9g K2SO4 - 12,2g MgSO4 Micro 10ml x 100L daily, 500ml container - 1,8g APFUK Chelated Trace Elements (the target is 0,21ppm FE, which is the only nutrient available in the "micro" mix for APT3) This gives me weekly - 7,56ppm NO3 - 2,94ppm PO4 (i add 1ppm more due GSA per week) - 15,96ppm K - 1,68ppm MG - 0,21ppm Fe I tried EI but my macrandra after only 1 week had brown/green shades in it, now its again red.

Ahhahaha how? If you check 2 comment ago, i have installed the week aqua light, the tank is doing a Dark Start period (almost 3 week in). Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, 100 nitrates, I need a WC for sure

It's been a few weeks since the last update. I went back to using APT3 (but created by myself with dry ferts). The results are "amazing", I am currently dosing exactly the recommended dosage, but have been adding 1ppm more po4 per week. In this way, after almost 10 days, I see little new growth in GSA (should I increase po4 just a bit more?). But moreover, I made a radical change, I switched to having the light on for 4 hours (+ 1 hour ramp up and dim), at 50%. After I did this change, I can clearly see algae fades away day after day. My bucephalandra are cleaning themselves from algae, same thing for Althernathera reickii. I still have some black stripes on the leaves of Rotala orange juice and rotala h'ra, but are growing (rotala orange juice need a trim every 2 weeks, h'ra is slower). After almost 10 days, I noticed that some plants are bending towards the light, so I thought of increasing the light to 60% and see if I will have new algae growth.