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crashnburn55

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Everything posted by crashnburn55

  1. Hmmm, that is awesome food for thought. I can see how what you're saying does make a lot of sense. Well, I definitely can try the quicker, float method. How long do you think you would typically float the bag before adding to the QT tank? And if I still have the same outcome, maybe it's the tub itself or something in the tub?
  2. Unfortunately, both places had no fish policy. . . essentially all sales are final . . . . I tried two different LFS to see if it was a problem with one of the LFS. But since there were casualties in the fish from 2 different places. . . it is sort of pointing toward something wrong with the thing that ties them both together. . . me or my QT tank. I wish that wasn't the hypothesis, but the evidence is pointing toward that. I definitely can try to the float the bag with the fish in it and add some water into the store bag as a different method of acclimation. Perhaps it's just paranoia after watching so many Youtube videos but all the videos and blogs on fish infection/disease combined with the nightmare and cost of having to treat the entire display tank was what drove me to opt for the QT process before addition to the main tank. Maybe it's overkill?
  3. I can definitely try the float acclimation for a shorter period, and then pour into the QT. From a biochemistry standpoint, though, it just boggles the mind that a little fish could regulate the pretty significant change in pH (7.3-7.4) to 8.0 so rapidly (plop and drop) without an adverse outcome. But, since it has worked for experienced fishkeepers, who am I to argue with success, and maybe I am overthinking things and should have more faith in the biology of the fish? But if it wasn't the pH, that lends itself to what was the culprit? hmmmm. . . .
  4. Wow, even if the LFS's pH is significantly off from the pH that you have your main tank at? Or is your main tank at a more reasonable pH than mine so there isn't as much disparity? Again, the pro's make it look and sound so easy. But I guess these are the "hard knocks" that newbies most figure out.
  5. I don't believe the tub/container had any dryer sheets in it, definitely no moth balls, the clothes that we washed and put in the tub may have been dried with a fabric softener? Maybe washing the tub with my hand and water and drying it in the sun for a day wasn't enough to get out the residue? Here's a curveball in the whole story. . . I recently finished quarantining 4 tetra glo-fish in the tub before I tried with the hillstream loach and they survived a 4 week quarantine. The only things changed with the tub were fresh water, an additional sponge filter, the extra plastic plants, and the bluish glass marbles. Not exactly sure if the new items brought with them something or I inadvertently did something new. Yes, the pH from the tap is 8.0. Go figure. Maybe it's whatever the local municipality adds to the water? Not sure though. The first fish store that I got the first juvenile loach said their pH was 7.2-7.3 and the 2nd LFS that I got the 2nd loach from said their pH was 7.4 but when I did a test strip on their water it was >7.5 but less than 8.0 if I read the strip color correctly. So, one long success story with the tub but recent bad failures. . . .
  6. Two hillstream loaches now rest in a sandy grave. I was inspired by a couple of Youtube videos on hillstream loaches and instantly thought that they would be the awesome next members to try add to my aquarium. I filled 10 gallons of dechlorinated tap water into my Sterilite (held clothes before, cleaned with tap water and my hand then out in sun for 12 hours) translucent tub/quarantine tank (QT), added a couple of cycled sponge filters (because it is said that hillstream loaches need good oxygenated water), a heater (set to 75'F), a couple plastic plants, and silly or not, I added some glass marbles to the bottom of the tank to give the bottom more surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize (as I had the dickens trying to get the barebottom tub to cycle). Parameters, pH 8.0 (tap water's pH), KH 240 ppm, GH 30 ppm. Using a master test kit, made sure no ammonia, nitrite in tub. Nitrate was 40 ppm (level in tap water). Got a juvenile hillstream loach (about 1 inch in size) from the LFS who stated their pH was 7.2-7.4 and temp at 74'F. Typically I drip acclimate new additions, so I set up a bucket, added an airstone (again for the oxygenation), and started a long acclimation period. Perhaps I went a bit overboard. . .. 6 hrs later I decided that the loach was probably acclimated and so I put it into the main tank. Less than 24 hrs later. . . . lifeless loach. Tested the water the loach was in. . . ammonia and nitrite were zero, temp at 75'F, all filters working. What gives? Now, I know the IDEAL pH for hillstream loaches are less than 7.5 but I have heard from others that they were doing just fine in 8.0 pH. Maybe it was just that the juvenile couldn't acclimate because it was so young? Ok. Let's try again. Just to be sure there were no residual bad "voodoo" or whatever was in the previous tanks water, I siphoned out some of the water from the QT into a bucket, put the filters in, exchanged 100% of the QT tank water with fresh dechlorinated water, put the heater back in, got temp back up to 75'F (took about 12 hours) then added the sponge filters back in. Checked tank parameters. Again, pH 8.0, no ammonia nor nitrite, nitrate at 40 ppm, KH 240 ppm, GH 30 ppm. All the same peripherals, 3 plastic plants, about 2 lbs of bluish glass marbles on the bottom. Got a more mature hillstream loach (this one about 2 inches long) from a different LFS. Put it in the bucket with airstone, and did a faster drip acclimation (maybe the long acclimation process stressed the prior loach out too much?). 1.5 hours of drip acclimation later, pH in the bucket with the loach was 8.0 so I figured it's time to introduce to the QT tank. Checked the QT tank parameters, ammonia and nitrite zero, water at 75'F. In it goes. AGAIN, LESS THAN 24 hours later. . . lifeless loach. Tested the water, ammonia and nitrite zero, pH 8.0, nitrate 40 ppm. ???? Pictured are set up with loach in bucket to drip acclimate, then pictures of the 2nd loach when just added into the Sterilite QT tub, then when I took out dead loach #2 into a cup. Is it just that the loach can't survive in a pH of 8.0? Is there something that leaches out from the Sterilite tub that is toxic to the fish? Is there something I'm missing? Where did I go wrong? Any thoughts?
  7. Actually nothing specifically, but the parameters of my tap water are: pH: 8.0, Nitrate: 40 ppm, GH: 30 ppm, KH: 240 ppm, Phosphate: 1-2 ppm The parameters of my RO waters are: pH: 6.6, Nitrate: 0 ppm, GH: 30 ppm, KH: 0ppm, Phosphate: 2 ppm I currently have guppies and glo-fish tetras, cherry shrimp, amano shrimp, and nerite snails. Planning, at some point, to add Corys, neon tetras and hillstream loaches. I do want a pH of 7.0 but my RO filter won't support the large water changes that I need to make for my 60 gallon tank (especially now that I have to do it more frequently with the algae issues) so I have to go with majority of water changes with tap and some RO (right now closer to 70/30 split) to not have it quite so high a pH.
  8. I hope my newly inserted plants consume some of the nitrates (to try get nitrates to 20 ppm) because the treated tap water that I refill the tank with has 40 ppm of nitrates to start with so I usually can't get below 40. If I use my RO water, the pH is pretty low at 6.6. So I usually have to do a 60 tap/40 RO mix to keep the pH of my tank around 7.8. Big conundrum. I will try to continue larger weekly water changes and more tightly control the nutrient levels. Do you think 50% intensity lighting on a Fluval 3.0 for 8 hrs a day is not too high?
  9. So you removed the whole stemmed plant, treated and then replanted the plant? I read somewhere that some painted/sprayed the H2O2 and left on for 5-7 mins then put back into water. Was that similar to what you did? Did you do the H2O2 treatments daily? For how many consecutive days did you need to treat your BBA infested plant with H2O2?
  10. Great tips from Koi and ChefConfit. I will try implementing those recommendations. So I did the DIY CO2 and. . . I think there's a mild amount in the aquarium, not to where I'd like it to be, but better then having none, I guess. Second, the decrease in intensity of lighting to 50% for longer periods of the day (8 hrs now) seems to be helping some. I did manage to get some additional plants (a few Pogostemon, Watersprite, and a couple of Cryptocorynes) so will need to see if I can keep battling that The Ludwigia. . . . succumbed. The Bacopa seemed to be developing some good roots and the plant looks healthy, no more "strings" at the bases. . . woohoo. . . . BUT, here's the problem. . .now I think I see black-beard algae. . . $@&^$*! I just started to use some Seachem Excel squirted directly onto the largest patches. . . but any other tips? I did remove the one shown in the picture and may consider transporting all of them out, treating with H2O2 and then replanting if they survive? Should I have held off on the new planting until I got rid of the blackbeard algae? What do you guys think?
  11. I decided to try a DIY CO2 system with the 2L bottle citric acid bottle connected to a 2L baking soda bottle then connected to the tank. Not sure if this will do anything really for the size of tank (60 gal) that I have. I'm hoping even a little CO2 would be helpful to the plants that I have remaining and the new ones I hope to get? What do you think?
  12. Wow, 8 little fish make THAT MUCH POOP? If what I pull up is all poop, they must be going constantly, there is so much everywhere. I never see them poop, although honestly I don't watch them for hours at a time so maybe they do their business in when prying eyes aren't staring. Yeah, I guess my obsessive compulsiveness allows me to use the nano python. I used it for my 10 gallon tank, now my quarantine tank, and I got proficient with it so I figured why change . . . save some $ that I could devote somewhere else. Whenever you have time for the planting video, thanks. No rush, whenever it is convenient for you. Cutting back after a few INCHES of hairgrass growth? Most have negative (death) growth. The ones that remain, I don't think it's even grown 1 cm yet. At this rate, I won't be cutting anything. My best bet is replanting with new purchases.
  13. Thanks for the tips regarding the planting. I do have aquascaping tools although my proficiency is significantly lacking. Working at it slowly. I think I've been planting my hairgrass all wrong. I buries just the root parts with most of the grass sticking out and lo and behold. . . . floating islands of hairgrass. Scores of grumbles later and I still have some issues with it not firmly adhering to the substrate. So mostly submerging it and at an angle. . . now that sounds like a better recipe for success! I like the theory of the dwarf saggitaria (who can argue with being set up for success?) . . . but my better half vetoed the plant . . . wanting finer bladed carpeting and other plants. . .hence the narrow leave stem plants that I've been trying. Wow either you have very nice contrast lighting, or your plants are pretty darn lush green! Both aspects I am aiming for. Kudos to you either way. When I barely touch into the gravel I get a lot of miniature log-like solid debris. If I just hover over the gravel, a little bit comes up. About 1/8 inch into the gravel the debris comes up in the amount shown. I don't think it's mulm right? Mulm should be more cottony and cloud the water. This stuff just comes out as solid debris. This essentially coats the substrate top layer. This stuff should be cleaned up. . . shouldn't it?
  14. Thanks, yes, it is a 48.5 inch 60 gallon tank. I definitely had high hopes in my mind of how it would look at its zenith, a live-bearer, Zen-type of aquascape. . . . but that seems to be a fading dream given the difficulty of just trying to get the carpeting plants going and keeping any type of stem plant from rotting away. Guess we all have to adjust on the fly in this hobby. I am trying to salvage the Bacopa. . . fingers crossed. . . yeah, the ludwigia is. . *gulp* another member of my compost heap. Thank you for the plant recommendations. I'll see what I can fit into my budget this month and what is available. Dreams, dreams, dreams. . . . if only I had an unlimited budget and a "green thumb!" Is the opposite corner placement of the intake and output the best way to get complete tank circulation? If I am able to get some additional dwarf hair grass, any ideas on how, with my Eco-complete substrate, to keep the new dwarf hair grass from floating up? I had read somewhere about using push-pins, but does that really work with a larger gravel substrate like mine? I really appreciate the advice and wisdom!
  15. I wonder what's in my mulm. . . . I hope there's baby cherry shrimp in there . . .somewhere but so far I don't see any with the naked eye 😞
  16. Thanks for the additional thoughts Koi. I will try to trip back the bases to healthy stem and try replanting, but not sure there's much to trim from the tops of the stem plants Picture 1 is a distant view of what my tank looks like. Pretty sparse. (Yes, I know, my airstone is flipped over and the two light green balls in the foreground on the right are unsightly--but I am planning to add those two to my quarantine filter media.) Picture 2 is of the hair algae encasing my bacopa. Picture 3 is of my uprooted ludwigia with algae connecting to my bacopa. (all of my Scarlet temple dropped all their leaves after being covered by the green algae and have since been removed from the tank.) Picture 4 is a view of what the rest of my remaining stem plants look like in the tank. Picture 5 is a different view of the rest of my remaining stem plants. Picture 6 is a sad view of my remaining dwarf hair grass and the surrounding green algae on the substrate. The nitrates are around 40 ppm because of my tap water. And I do a 50/50 mix so I can have pH of 7.8 My tap water parameters are: pH: 8.0, Nitrate: 40 ppm, phosphate: 1-2 ppm, GH 30 ppm, KH 240 ppm My RO water parameters are: pH: 6.6, Nitrate: 0 ppm, phosphate: 2 ppm, GH 30 ppm, KH 0ppm I am planning on adding a couple of water sprite (planted or should I keep floating?), 2-3 cryptocoryne wendtii, 2-3 pogostemon stellatus octopus, and would like more easy to care red plants. . . maybe retry the ludwigia or scarlet temple or maybe try rotala (any thoughts?)
  17. THAT is a sizeable pile of mulm. In my naivete, previously I would have sucked that sucker up with my gravel vac thinking my tank was being invaded. Now, after being enlightened, I would probably just re-distribute it to make it less . . .obvious. . .
  18. Wow, that is intriguing! Was that tadpole looking like critter a baby cherry shrimp? What were those clear oval shaped organisms vibrating? Unique perspective on mulm. Amazing.
  19. I missed that article. . . duh. . . you already answered my question and more even before I asked. Oh and my kids watched your cherry shrimp video and LOVED it. Hence I now have some cherry shrimp. Keep up the inspiring videos!
  20. Thank you for the in-depth response. Let me tell you some of the paramaters of my tank to see if it adds any refinement to your suggestions: I have a 60 gallon pH of my tank is 7.8, ammonia 0 ppm, nitite 0 ppm, nitrate 40 ppm, temp 77'F. I do have an airstone. I have one guppy, 7 glo-fish tetras, 10 amano shrimp, 5 cherry shrimps, and 4 nerite snails. I started with my Fluval 3.0 light at 90% intensity of 6 hours + 1 hour ramp up and 1 hr ramp down. I only did root tabs at the very start when I planted about 5 bunches Scarlet temple and about 10 bunches of tissue culture dwarf hair grass. For the next 4 weeks I dosed with liquid iron and Easy green weekly. Doing weekly water change of about 30% comprised of (50% dechlorinated tap and 50% RO).Then the algae exploded and coated the Scarlet temple and most of the hairgrass. The stems did keep floating up every so often so I did have to try replanting several times so the stems could have been less than optimal. Soon the base of the stems became translucent and then white and stringy, the leaves also became translucent and wilted. I read that too much iron spurred algae growth so I stopped the liquid iron and dosed Easy Green every 2 weeks. Algae raged on and eventually covered what was left of the first planting so I culled them all and replanted with another 7 bunches of Scarlet temple, 5 bunches of Bacopa and 10 new tissue culture cups of dwarf hairgrass. I decreased lighting intensity to 75% for 5 hours+ 45 mins ramp up and 45 mins ramp down. I decreased my water changes to about 40% every 2 weeks and then dosed Easy green every 2-3 weeks. Wondering if my plan going forward is appropriate: 1) trim back the stems like suggested to get rid of thinned out areas, very few salvageable survivors at this point I think 2) get additional plants to help consume some of the nitrate down to 20 ppm 3) keep dosing Easy Green 6 pumps weekly 4) do 25% water change weekly with less gravel vac disturbance of mulm (I like that turkey baster idea!) 5) decrease lighting intensity to 50% but increase duration to 8 hrs with 1 hr ramp up and 1 hr ramp down 6) try replacing root tabs every 2-3 months 7) try add a large sponge filter with airstone (to replace just the airstone) to add to my canister filter 8 ) continue spot treating algae areas with liquid CO2 Should I be adjusting my plan any?
  21. Any clue as to what the tannish-brown layer just beneath the surface is? When I gravel vac, a lot of tan-brown debris can be sucked up. The substrate was formed from only Eco-complete substrate about 3 months ago. I planted root tabs only at the beginning of the plant in November. I've been inconsistent with liquid fertilizers as when I was adding weekly it seemed to cause more algae growth All the stem plants I put in the tank seem to develop thinned out, translucent rotting bases that eventually become a white string. . . . Scarlet temple, Bacopa caroliniana, Ludwiggia natans. . . all with rotting bases. I am battling staghorn and hair algae as you can see in some of the photos, but it is SLOWLY improving with liquid carbon. But everytime I gravel vac, there's a significant amount of brown debris. Is that brown stuff a contributor to lack of stem plant flourishing? What is it? HELP?
  22. My nitrates are about between 40-80 ppm, I would say closer to 60 ppm. I was thinking of getting some floating plants to help re-process the nitrates but didn't want something that blocked out the light from the grass since the grass hasn't actually taken "root" yet.
  23. Thanks for the thoughts. I had some Scarlet Temple but they aren't doing so well. . . . . had about 10-12 individual stems. . . but they got WAY OVERGROWN with the hair algae and now I am left with a few semi rotting stems. I added the root tabs in hope that that would spur the Scarlet Temple's growth. . . but maybe they were too far gone. I tried to wipe the leaves a bit but the hair algae wouldn't come off. When I was a bit more aggressive wiping, the leaves came off. Are Scarlet Temple more challenging to grow?
  24. I am still left scratching my head after many weeks. I have a 60 gallon tank about 14" depth, with Eco-complete substrate and dwarf hairgrass planted in the distribution as seen below. I put root tabs in about 1 month ago and have been dosing with Easy green liquid fertilizer weekly (6 spritzes). I have about 10 (put in 15 but can now only find 10) amano shrimp and 4 nerite snails as my "clean up crew" so far. I have one guppy and 3 glo-fish tetras. I do about a 20% water exchange every week. If I go much longer time period between vacuuming up the algae it gets REALLY BAD. I have a Fluval 2.0 light that I have on about 80% for 6 hours. During the water exchange I try to vacuum up as much of the hair algae as possible, but yet within about 1 week, the hair algae comes back with a vengeance. With that much algae on the hairgrass, I'm not sure that they will spread and are even looking like they are dying. I put in the hairgrass about 2weeks before Thanksgiving and am in this repeating cycle. They seem to have a more difficult type rooting, possibly because of the bigger substrate size but also am concerned the algae is blocking their ability to get the light. I am considering using the Flourish Excel but was wondering if there is a way to control the algae more "naturally." What am I doing wrong? Lower light time? Less intense light? Just try to Flourish Excel? Add in another member to the clean up crew? What do you guys think? HEEELLLLPPP!!!! Algae Infested Tank Owner
  25. That is true. Makes sense. Thanks for the honest appraisal and feedback! Will give it a go.
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