Ambush0908

Hello, Sorry to hear about your issue. I am always hesitant about giving advice because any success I have had with my planted tanks is most likely attributed to luck and a lot of trial and error. Where do you get your plants? I have found if they were not grown fully submersed that they will sometimes melt and seem like they are dying. When I first started I would give up on them but after some research I left some in and they slowly started growing. This didn’t happen every time but enough times that I became much more patient. I have also read that a high PH could cause issues with some plants.

I have been following the Aquarium Coop water change guide because I started using easy green. I am still fine tuning but have been doing 30% every 2 weeks. Like everyone will tell you, every tank is different and may need different maintenance. I am in South Jersey as well. I remember getting a cheese steak in North Jersey and it had potato’s on it. I am still scarred. 😀 Not sure where you other South Jersey people are exactly, but I am 10 minutes from the Aquarium Center in Blackwood. It is a great store.

I think is very cool what ever it is. Please keep us updated. Still hoping someone can identify.

I have never seen anything like that. How fast does it grow and what do you do to get off before it grows back? I am very curious to see what this ends up being.

Hello, I see Ottos in the stores around me all year long. That being said this is one little fish I have had no luck with. Maybe it is the water in my area but I successfully keep many different fish, cherry shrimp and crabs. I can not keep those guys alive. Maybe it is because they are wild caught. I didn’t know that.

I had a piece that would not sink. I waited 3 weeks and must not be as patient as you 😀. The way I was setting it in the tank I was able to strategically zip tie some rocks to it and they held it in place. I had to hide one place you could see it with a plant. One note, about 2 months later I had to move it to get another piece out and the rocks fell off. Well, it floated! I reattached the rocks and put it back, my guess it will still float if I removed them. 🤷🏻‍♂️.

I used BDBS when I went to a bigger tank about 8 months ago, I didn’t notice any diatom issue. I have also had success with root plants using root tabs. Like you I based the decision on a lot of positive posts online. So far I think it was a great choice.

I use my aquarium claws almost every day,

My Rummy Nose are never not schooling. Of all the schooling fish I have had they are by far the most consistent schoolers. I like your idea.

Hello, I recently did a similar transition. My tank is 210. I also am running 2 48” Fluval 3.0 lights. I had trouble with getting the CO2 right at first. What I did was buy a dual regulator with 2 bubble counters. I put the diffusers on either side of the tank. I looked into a CO2 reactor but decided to try and have the diffusers bubble into the intakes of my 2 FX6 filters. I read conflicting opinions on this method but the majority I saw said it was ok so I went with it. So far so good on that. This solved my CO2 issue. My indicator turned green that day. I also confirmed using the chart where you use your PH and KH to check CO2 levels. That confirmed the indicator reading. As far as bubbles I think that can be different depending on pressure and different regulators. I would say both mine are at 2 to 3 a second. I would start slower and adjust up, I did initially have a BBA issue and I had to remove some plants and decorations and sprayed with H2O2. I also started dosing Easy Carbon for the algae. I use East Green twice a week and have been very happy with the results using that. I do not consider myself an expert but these things worked for me. I find that much of the fun of having an aquarium is maintaining it and getting it tuned to how you want it. Good luck with your journey! 😀

Welcome. I am a newer member to the forum as well. So far the experience has been much better than most of the forums I have dealt with. I already have seen the benefits. I think you will get a lot out of it!

Thanks Chris!!! I don’t have a shot of the Anubias but if I can get one I will post and see what you think that is as well! I actually have red claw crab in there as well. Somehow he hitchhiked over when I switched tanks. Still not sure how and I hadn’t seen him in months. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I do not mind you asking, but I am also not sure. It was given to me a while ago and I moved it to my brackish tank when I was trying to deal with a BBA outbreak. It was more of an experiment to see if the algae would die off. It eventually did by the way.😀 I am fairly confident that it is nana petite. It has been about 5 months so your analysis may end up being correct. So far no die off but I am surprised because I have not had that much luck in the past. Previously I tried Java fern and it would die within weeks. One change I did make was I added an air stone and increased the filter flow. This was for the crabs and not the plants but figured I would mention it. By the way, I love keeping these crabs. I have a couple that are almost 2 years old. It is a nice alternative if you are looking for something different. And who isn’t in this hobby!! 😜

Hello, I keep a brackish tank with Endlers and Fiddler Crabs. I am normally between 1.005 and 1.008 so I am on the low end. I have Java fern and Anubias in the tank with a Fluval Aquasky. I would not say they are growing like crazy but they are definitely not dying. They look healthy. No fertilizer and the light is not directly on top of them because of the way I have it set up.

Hello- I have also been fighting some BBA. Before I say what I am doing I should mention that I am new to a high tech tank and still learning. I actually watch a lot of Irene’s videos on You Tube and can assure you she is more of an expert than me. They are really informative. I don’t think you mentioned if you are running CO2. I am and found I needed to increase it. I also removed some of the plants that were too far gone which I really didn’t want to do. Any plant or driftwood I could easily remove I took out and wiped down with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide. I let it dry for a little and than put back in. I have to say I was skeptical about doing this and still won’t put directly in tank but this really worked. Within a week algae was turning red and dying. I have also been dosing Easy Carbon. It is still early on but I am not seeing any new growth. The algae I could not take out to use peroxide on is not dying yet but also does not seem to be spreading much. I also watched some videos on you tube by Bentley Pascoe. He is also very helpful. On his recommendation I lowered the blue light in my Fluval 3.0. He has a great series of videos about the Fluval light. Good luck and I would love to hear what else you are going to try and if it works.