Jungle Fan

You might already be doing this but I thought I'd mention it anyway; whenever I introduce new fish to one of my tanks I generally do so in the evening after returning from the LFS, I usually feed the rest of the community while the new arrivals are still acclimating in their bags, after the new fish are released into the tank I turn the lights off for the evening. By next morning when the lights come on my new fish normally have regained their color, and are hungry and ready to explore their new environment. I have found my wild caught Cardinal Tetras overall to be hardier, and more resilient than farm raised fish, the gene pool in the Rio Negro is just naturally bigger than the limited environment of a fish farm. If your Cardinal has a parasite this could be made apparent by weight loss, but it isn't necessarily one of the first symptoms, there are plenty of different parasites out there. The rocking back and forth movement seems a bit worrisome, although I have seen stressed fish display that behavior and turn out to be normal a few days later as well. I've also currently got two, or three Cardinals in my swarm of 35 in the 75 gallon tank that love to hang out by themselves every once in a while and then rejoin the school later as if they had never left.

@PlaneFishGuy I generally agree with the statement of not leaving bare stalks and hoping they will recover, although I've seen some where they had two, or four leaves after they were cut and then lost all four but still recovered but I would not count on the recovery of mere stalks as general practice. As best practice I would leave at the very minimum four, or five leaves but the more you can leave the better so the plant can use fertilizer, CO2, and light to photosynthesize to be able to produce new growth. I know it's sort of an off comparison, but think of the Ludwigia's leaves as the solar panels it needs to create energy, the bigger the surface the more energy you get. As to experience, it has always worked for me in conjunction with fertilizer, light, and in my case CO2. As to answering your question if it will work, it should as long as you provide all the elements the plant needs in regard to light (spacing so that light can reach the lower leaves is part of that, just like timing, and intensity), fertilization (the Easy Green dosed according to your tank size, and root tabs because Ludwigia is a red plant and craves that extra iron), and although not absolutely necessary, but a great asset if you can provide it, CO2 with which plants will always grow better, and faster, and have a much better chance to out-compete algae for nutrients. That said added CO2 is not absolutely necessary for Ludwigia but it might take longer for the recovery process so you will need to give it time. The picture is a fisheye orb shot I took of my 75 gallon tank but behind the stump with the Java fern, and the Pogostemon erectus, the reddish plant is my Ludwigia repens. I hope this helps.

Looks much better now.

Just another thought, if your Cardinal is wild caught it might prefer a little lower pH since 7.8 is usually the upper tolerance level for Cardinals.and the pH in the Rio Negro around Barcelos in Brazil where most of the Cardinals originate can sometimes be as low as around 4. They usually do really well at neutral pH or just slightly lower, and It just might need some time to acclimate, but as already said if it had a rough trip already, temp and pH could add to the stress and a parasite would have an even easier time with the added stress.

@Lee Friedmann I would cut out the blue altogether since algae seem to appreciate blue light most, and right now your total photoperiod amounts to only 7 hours when plants generally prefer anywhere from 8 to 12 hours depending on brightness,and fertilization. Depending on the size of your tank the way you dose may, or may not be enough, although I would assume you are following the instructions on the Easy Green bottle. From the pictures it seems your battle is primarily with brown algae which tends to occur a lot in new tanks right after cycling when the tank is still maturing. I would increase my photoperiod to at least 8 hours, maybe up the intensity, gravel vac the substrate, do frequent larger water changes, and would try to remove as much of the brown algae manually as you can, maybe add a few otocinclus since you mentioned you already have snails. In my experience military helmet Nerites are the best snail grazers. You might want to look at the light programming over all but I'm no guru on the Fluval 3.0, so I would defer to @Streetwisefor that, he's had some great content in regards to that recently. I'll post a link to his thread, and some links with info on brown algae here: https://fishlab.com/brown-algae/ https://www.thesprucepets.com/brown-aquarium-algae-1378629

One reason could be the temp of 24 °C, Cardinals prefer a temp range from 75-84°F (24-29 °C), the 24 °C is at the very bottom of their range. If they had a rough journey from the dealer to your LFS their immune system could already be compromised. I'd try to gradually raise the temp some and see how he reacts. And as @Colu suggested a parasite could be another suspect.

I'm sorry but I've never used a Green Killing Machine clip on UV-sterilizer, from looking at the manual on Chewy it seems it would have to be a perfect fit to make it work and if the unit is too large for your outflow opening on the Finnex Pure 7 Power Filter I don't know how to fit it, there is a video that lists compatibility with Aquaclear, Marineland, Aqueon, and AA but not Finnex. I posted two videos I found about it in case someone might have a better idea on how to mount it on your HOB. the only idea I could come up with if it doesn't fit would be to either use a smaller type plastic hairclip to attach it to the Finnex and see if you can clip the GKM to that, or to superglue one or two neodymium small battery sized magnets to the GKM, stack several of the same on top so it protrudes from the outflow chute and attach it to the same my holding it to the chute with another one, or two magnets behind the plastic lip. Alternately you could superglue one or two pieces of plastic to the chute on to which your GKM might be able to clip on. Mind you this is just from looking at the manual and seeing the GKM in the videos. Other forum members might have better more practical ideas. I hope this might give you some ideas, or get other forum members inspired.

I know, and I hate this aspect of learning in our hobby in that regard because there are people out there who don't care that our pets can die over their little ways to deceive us, even though it's legal I still consider it deception. I've been keeping fish since 1968 and I'm still learning and will keep doing so until I'm gone, it's just the mistakes where you feel you were duped that are hard to deal with. Whenever you want some help with something you're not sure about it's a good idea to post on this forum. You'll get a better idea of what questions to ask, and someone might have experience with exactly the same item.

The water is not the deciding factor, your filter media, i.e. sponge, or bio media with beneficial established bacteria colonies is what you want to keep alive during your rebuild. I remember when I first started in the hobby in the 1960s, there was still a lot of talk about 'aged water' but really what will keep your tank from having to go through full blown cycling again is to keep the filter media in use. Nothing wrong with using your current water but just make sure whatever type of filtration you might use to keep the media wet and in flow. If you manage to do this there would be nothing wrong with moving your fish back immediately as long as you use the same filter with the same media, however you might want to let any dust settle first.

In regards to my fish tanks I gave up on banana floats years ago. LOL😄

If you you could name the brand of your UV-sterilizer and HOB, and maybe provide some pictures so we can get a better idea of what the problem could be it would help a lot. Without knowing what your UV-sterilizer, or HOB look like it;s hard to tell.

@Fish Folk No concerns, just benefits. Red clay holds iron and is beneficial to all root feeders like Sword plants, and Cryptocoryne, your dwarf lilies will also benefit, as do all red plants generally. Some companies even market plain red clay balls as fertilizer, but you'll do much better with Easy Green root tabs, or other specifically composed root tabs because these root feeders also need potassium.

If you want red with a nice pattern try Red Flame Sword, or for all red Echinodorus 'Rubin'.

To my embarrassment I have to admit I'm still very German in that regard. Cable flags although not made in Germany, yet a solution that could have easily come from there. LOL😄

A consumer report type rating magazine, or online site for all aquarium products from lights, to CO2 equipment, fish food, filters, water tests, UV sterilizers, substrate... If such a publication would exist and be honest, impartial, and not on the take from manufacturers they would rake in the money from aquarists world wide.

@Maggie you might still want to get tested by your doctor though because these allergies generally do not disappear and if you displayed symptoms of anaphylactic shock needing the administration of an epinephrine pen you might want to be sure. If you come up positive for a specific allergy the doctor can then prescribe an epi pen to carry with you in case you get stung and have symptoms. I have seen patients whose lives were saved by their epi pens.

I might have to check that one out as a cover for the soft belly Amazon soil substrate I like to use.

@Rhondain all my time using CO2 I have noticed that a good many companies capitalize on the fact that there are a few companies out there that actually produce a good quality dual stage regulator, those opportunists in turn will try to imitate those dual stage regulators as much as they can and then market their product as a 'dual gauge' regulator. This is factually correct because they sport two gauges for the high pressure in the cylinder, and another for the working pressure, the pressure with which the CO2 is supposed to be released into the tank, further dialed in by the needle valve; however it says nothing about them actually employing dual valves that guarantee a continued steady release pressure of CO2 in gaseous form when the tank nears its end. Beginners usually don't understand the difference between the term dual gauge and dual stage and will buy the product because it looks like a higher priced actual dual stage CO2 reactor and is usually around $100 cheaper thinking they got a great deal. The same goes for the needle valves, there is a huge difference in types and quality of needle valves on the market. Some are prone to fail, and others last a very long time. Unfortunately we don't have a type of aquatic consumer report, so our main source of information are each others reports of what worked for us, and what failed. My worst disaster was the one I previously described with a single stage CO2 regulator, and much as I hate to admit it while I was still in my pressurized CO2 learning phase I got duped once more by a cheap overseas produced 'dual gauge' CO2 regulator, which happened to be nothing but another single stage CO2 regulator under different label, that time I lost not quite as many fish as the first time. I also later had a carbon doser CO2 regulator,which when they first came out was marketed as electronic CO2 regulator, that one also failed because of the needle valve control and I wasn't impressed with the warranty. It was then that I decided to buy a Green Leaf Aquariums dual stage regulator, and I haven't had any issue in years, I have seen their warranty in action, only for minor issues but it was never a problem. I have had questions answered in a more than timely manner, and in courteous fashion. I no longer recommend regulators because they fit a budget because I have experienced for myself how much money I wasted as my 'apprenticeship money' learning that way. I don't recommend what I would under no circumstances ever use again, and in all the variants on the market the only reliably working brands I've seen are the GLA, and CO2Art, that doesn't mean there might not be others out there, it just means that if there are I don't have knowledge,or experience with them. Here are some links that might shine a bit more light on the subject, it even has links to building a DIY regulator from quality parts for those who are savvy enough to do so. Sorry this got so long but my past experience with shoddy CO2 regulators and your heartbreaking story prompted this. http://scapefu.com/co2-regulators-explained-scapefu034/ https://aquanswers.com/best-co2-regulator-aquarium-stable-planted/#single-or-dual-stage https://www.compgasspecialtygas.com/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-a-single-stage-and-a-dual-stage-regulator

I had that same problem with the two Goosenecks for my Kessils with the frame lip inside my 75 gallon tank, and after looking at it and deciding that two small cutouts would not compromise the frame's bracing effect, since the frame still grabs the glass in the U-groove, I used the Dremel tool with a plastic cutter disc to cut out the two small openings I needed for the clamps from the lip.

Looks interesting, does it contain any clay?

I love your new tank scape @Betsy! I would maybe add a Red Flame Sword to the back corner on the right, and some Bucephalandras and some Christmas Moss Vesicularia montagnei to the rocks in the front right, but your driftwood looks great with the Java fern. If you still want floaters, I would look into Red Root Floaters Phyllanthus fluitans, or Amazon Frogbit Limnobium laevigatum. The whole scape looks natural and flows, great work!

It happened to me once when I first started messing with regulators with one of the old single stage Milwaukee CO2 regulators; it's the reason why I now don't recommend any of the small paintball CO2 regulator systems, single stage regulators, or El Cheapo systems of unknown manufacture, with no, or dubious warranties. I still remember how upset I was over losing my prized fish, some that were pets really and long term friends. Back then I was just trying to save a few bucks, in hindsight losing my fish cost me a lot more dearly than if I had put the couple of extra bucks aside and waited a few more months With both Green Leaf Aquariums, and CO2Art I have never heard about end of tank dump occurring, and I know Green Leaf Aquariums from personal experience with customer service and their lifetime warranty. With anything that has a needle valve it is likely that one might need to make use of warranty sooner, or later and I'd rather it be here in the U.S. when I do need it than overseas. That said CO2Art also has quality dual stage regulators and as a German company that worries about its hard earned reputation not just here in the U.S. but Germany as well they would be my second choice for a reliable regulator.

- How To set Up aquarium Co2 System the Easy way -How To Get Explosive Growth for Aquarium plants the Easy way -The Easiest Aquarium Fertilizer on the Market -Easy Green -Aquarium Fertilizer Dosing the Tutorial -How to get rid of Aquarium Algae, - Causes, Different Types, and Algae Eaters More content in those areas sure would be helpful to many, beginners and and those who might not be so new, there seems to be a lot of confusion out there leading to frustration, lighting and how it intersects with fertilizer, CO2 and plants and algae would be another great subject area. A lot of the questions on the forum seem to deal with why are my plants dying? Or how long will it take to see new growth? Or how do I use fertilizer in conjunction with lighting, or CO2?

With moss you always want to be careful not to use too much glue just a drop at the base where the branches connect, and mine tends to turn a bit brown when it gets too close to the surface and with it the light. My shrimp love to take care of that part of it. It looks like you've got some green growth on it though so I would give it some time and leave it alone for a few weeks, or months. Generally the brown does not recover though in my experience it just gets replaced by new green growth. What material are the structures made of, are they resin, or plastic, or something entirely different, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm no large scale water pump guru but I have several friends who were professional divers and who maintain an array of fairly large marine tanks and they all seem to use Ecotech Marine Vectra water pumps, they are quite large, and from what I understand pricey varying from $300 to just shy of $500, they have a lot of flow but are surprisingly very quiet, and from what I understand are supposedly high rated in the marine fish community. Now mind you I don't know how much flow you are looking for, nor what price range, and all my experience with those is limited to looking at them in action and hearing their praises being sung. So I don't know if this helps but I thought I'd mention it.