grimms

No fertilizers. The substrate is aquasoil (Caribsea). Do I need to use fertilizers now? Or root tabs?

I have a 10 gallon planted tank, and it’s been running for about 3 weeks now. I tested again today, and my water parameters seem mostly okay? My Nitrate level was 5.0ppm. The only thing is that my pH seems to be a ..high? Anytime I’ve tested it it always reads 7.6. Even in my smaller non-planted betta tank pH is 7.6. My plan is to only have a betta in the 10 gallon planted tank. But I’m just wondering how will I know when this planted tank is done cycling? Can I put my betta in now? Should I wait till plants are more settled in?

Awesome, thanks so much!

Will do. Thanks for all the help!

There's movement from the filter. Is it a good idea to move all decaying plant matter as well?

How should one dispose of snails if I don't want them in my tank..?

I have not used fertillizer. Just the beneficial bacteria by Seachem, and that was for 7 days. My lights are on for 6-8 hours a day.

Should I remove them? I don't want them to keep producing waste. If they do stay in there, what kind of care do they need? I want to put a betta in here eventually, would it be better without the snails?

OH no! I found this white fuzz on my plant recently. Is it bad? There are no fish in this tank yet, it's only been running for 3 weeks now. Plants are still taking root. What could be the cause of this white fuzz? How can I stop it. It hasn't spread to any of my other plabts yet. This is a 10 gallon.

Hopefully you can see here! I know there's another snail of the same size as that bigger one, but it's shell is paler.

okay! I'll try to get a pic soon, they're hard to find. thanks so much!

They are VERY small. I wasn't even supposed to have them. And I thought I had 3, but now I see ANOTHER tiny one. There are two bigger ones now, but I'm not sure if you'd be able to tell. Maybe once they grow up a little more!

oh my goodness 😅 I didn't have that rock in there at first, and now after only a few days it's covered. And these snails are tiny right now!

I found some snails in my plants, and then I placed these rocks inside my tank. Are those worm like things snail poop? What IS it?

@Gator No, I only have the 10 gallon tank to set up right now. I agree! they're so nice, but I'll have to do without them for now. I really like guppies so maybe one day I'll get them set up. Thanks for the info, much appreciated!

@Gator I'm just doing a freshwater tank with 1 betta. Would the pH eventually settle down if the tank is cycled long enough? Or will it continue to affect the pH as long as it is in there?

My grandmother gave me these pieces to put in my tank, but just wondering if they'll be safe for a new planted tank I'll be setting up. The first one has these red spots on it, and won't scrub off. Do you think it's fine? The second one looks like it has paint and some dirt. Will the paint affect my tank in a bad way? Is there a way to properly disinfect both of these for the tank if I can use them? p.s I did not get these rocks/shells myself, my grandmother got them a LONG time ago. Thanks.

Hello, I am going to cycle a new 10 gallon tank soon, but I don't have any plants yet. I bought a bag of CaribSea Eco-Complete, but I think I need another 10lb bag (I only bought one 10lb bag). Can I start cycling my tank now? Or wait until I have all the aquasoil, and plants? Can I start cycling without any substrate? In GirlTalksFish video: 5 Things I Wish I Knew About Substrates for Planted Aquariums, she says using bigger gravel substrate is better for plants to grow roots in. Do I need stone gravel underneath Eco-Complete aqua soil? Or is the CaribSea Eco-Complete the only substrate I'll need?