Martin

Thanks so much gang. I totally forgot, I bought some plants from ACO a few weeks back that I added to that tank! 😬

Whaaaaa!? How in my 43 years of life have I never heard this!? Thank you for the information guys. Not sure if that is the cause, but something definitely worth checking and monitoring given the level of greenery in the tank.

Huh... like there was low O2 in the water? I suppose that is possible... woudnl't suspect it due to the amount of plants I have in there. What is a titration test?

Thanks guys... The heater seems fine, the water feels right by touch. I'll need to find a test for ammonia specifically. I only have test strips, though I will say the animal life isn't giving any signs of elevated ammonia (i.e. they don't appear lethargic). I don't think I've forgotten the dechlorinator... I'm somewhat OCD about that bit lol.

Hey guys! I've got a 20G long that has been established for maybe 7-8 months now, heavily planted and thriving. The animal life has been a mix of neon tetra (roughly 20), a mix of both cherry and amano shrimp (about 6-8 nowadays, hard to tell since they hide), and 2x mystery snails with countless bladder snails. In the past couple of days, I have come across 3x dead tetra and a dead cherry shrimp without clear cause. None of the bodies appear diseased, but I cannot 100% confirm as the shrimp sometimes get to the bodies before I do. All of the tetra have migrated to the back of the tank, which, while not totally unusual, it's not common for them ALL to be back there for a sustained period. I have never observed any predatory (or even hostile) behavior by anything ever. Tank parameters have been solid and unchanged since day one, roughly: pH: 6.8ish GH: 30 KH: 40 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: 20 Typical routine: Fed once daily, EZ Green weekly, 20% PWCs about every 3 weeks with root tabbing. Otherwise, nothing else. I haven't suffered any losses like this until now, and it is just strange to have them grouped like this. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

Ugh @Beardedbillygoat1975... I have wood envy. An aponogeton would fill up the space, but you would have to deal with the seasonality of it.

No clue on the plant, but what beautiful growth in your tank! What do you keep in it? I bet shrimp love it in there!

20G long for me, though I've only been fishkeeping for just over a year and haven't gotten any larger tanks. I'm not sure I want to venture any bigger just due to the maintenance... that and my wife would murder me. 😆

Thanks guys. I had considered a tree as well, but not so much the "moss wall". The pieces of plant aren't as fine as say, java moss, so I'm not sure how well it would carpet the mesh? I had never considered an upside down approach... I'll have to fiddle around and see. I'm not fond of superglue, so it might be tricky.

Anyone have any neat/creative uses for Susswassertang? This plant is practically unkillable and has a such a lovely color and texture, but I can't seem to find a lot of great ways to use it. I did find a video on YouTube for making vines, which works out really well, but I'd like to consider other options. Any of you big brains have any ideas?

Don't forget your floaters! Red root floaters are a personal favorite. Amazon frogbit is also pretty low maintenance, just be forwarned, the way they propagate can make them very difficult to remove if you ever change your mind.

I tend to change every 3 weeks or so, though like you, my tank parameters are pretty rock-solid. I change out only about 20% and use the opportunity to replenish any water lost from evaporation. For me, it is more of a preventative thing. I know that tank could probably go a couple months (maybe longer) without a change, but if anything were to come up, I know that the time since the last change would not have been long ago. That and I like to keep a tidy tank. 😃

Lucky duck! I tried a scarlet temple once... it did not go well lol. Beautiful plant! I usually don't trim my plants unless there's dead material that needs to be removed, especially if there is a lot of room. If you have space, I vote to let it go for a while... who knows, maybe it will propagate for you!

I vote Ulvaceaus (sp?). Those babies are gorgeous when they grow out. Just be aware they are HUGE when fully grown, but oh so beautiful.

On a side note, you can avoid this problem if, before trying to bury them, you submerge them in the water with your fingers and give a few gentle squeezes until it stops giving off air bubbles. It's the trapped air within the capsule that causes them to break free of the substrate and float. If you do this, they will actually sink to the bottom. Just bury them deep down and you shouldn't have them poking up through the substrate.

How beautiful. It's really nice when mother nature starts to do her thing!

When you say the pH was "a little lower than it has been", can you offer specifics like before and after?

I agree with fertilizers. I would probably still make an effort to remove the plant from the pot and attach the rhizome to something; maybe a medium river rock if you want to keep it "mobile". Judging by the photo, it may be a tad late. 😪

Yup. I can attest. I am throwing away healthy red root floaters almost weekly.

Thanks guys! That simplifies it a lot. I was thinking the moving the water would be less shock to the fish, but that will make things MUCH simpler.

Hey guys, I recently purchased a 20 gallon long and I have been trying to figure out the logistics in setting this tank up if I am actually upgrading from my 10 gallon. I plan to actually move everything over from my 10 gallon. I want to move all of the substrate and also the water. My method for moving the water was to do several serial water changes but to take the water I remove from there and put it in the new tank. Once the tank is about 25% full, I would do a full move of everything including the water. Theoretically, this should lead the new tank to be roughly 75% full of "old" tank water and 25% new water to cap it off... essentially at 25% PWC in the end. Would I need to cycle this tank? I figure it should be stable from the get-go, but then again, I'm an idiot so... Any considerations I am neglecting? Thanks in advance! Martin

I just bought a 20 gallon long a couple weeks ago! Wife gave me another "one of those looks", but nothing can be done about that! Can only move forward from here! 🤣

Wow! I am always blown away by the ingenuity of others. That's really cool @Atitagain. Alternatively, I heard of some people putting down a mesh in between the two substrates. Anyone have luck with that? I just foresee the mesh coming up or some other problem like that.

Oh thank God you guys caught the reference. Was afraid people were gonna think I was losing my grip on reality...

Wait whaaaaaa?!? How do I find these treasures!? mY pREciOuS!!!1!