Mmiller2001

Exactly! I need a grow out tank, but that's more work.

There's no way around it. I'm going to have to reduce the amount of species if I want to get away from this jumbled mess. Decisions decisions.

I would monitor Nitrates for any spikes.

It also made sense to me as well. However, it turned out to cause more problems as the root tabs leached from the substrate. How much ppm are those things adding to the water? No one really knows as too many variables are in play. It's much easier and simpler to just control water column dosing. There are plants that prefer nutrient uptake from soil/ substrate, but root tabs rarely fill that void with inert substrates. That said, they can fill the gap for the less vigilant dosers. The truth is, the term "heavy root feeders" is misleading. It implies failure without root tabs, and this just isn't the case. A good balance of water column nutrition, coupled with weekly maintenance goes a long way in improving plant health. More so than root tabs, in my opinion.

Use your hand to disturb the substrate and then quickly do a 90% water change. You could do this several times.

Thank you, I think he scrapped his head on the ECO Complete and it developed a bacterial infection. He was perfectly fine 2 days ago, so it was a very fast progression. As far as resources, I will PM you, I think it's a rule violation to link it here. As far as "the needs of the plants", I 100% rely on the Estimative Index dosing philosophy. And in a nutshell, that means making sure there's "enough" of each nutrient that the tank never reaches 0ppm of any component. This goes for both high energy and low energy tanks. Many assume EI is for CO2 injected tanks, and my experience with EI in my non CO2 tanks, is that they have never looked better. And recently, I've noticed that these "easy" plants have responded quite well to Micro dosing near EI ratios. If a plant is not doing well under the parameters I set, then I would consider them a difficult plant. Usually this means it requires a specific pH, or some parameter is not being met that's atypical. Some plants like lower amounts of X nutrient, or higher, and some get upset with tiny fluctuations in consistency. Usually, this is a TDS fluctuation. Plants love consistency, and they will regulate themselves to the tank they are in. If the tank has a large enough detour from your consistency, those "difficult" plants well let you know. I find myself going away from difficult plants, and sticking with easy/ moderate plants. Most of us just want a pretty tank, and I'm no different. To quote an expert underwater gardener Greggz, "sometimes, it's best to invite those that like the soup you are serving." This is one of the best pieces of advice I have read. I'm all for trying different plants, but do you alter the whole tank for one plant? I don't, because it's a pain in the butt 🤣. This is most likely what happened, I moved these guys from the 40 to the 75 with the substrate change. I only have plants in the 75, no hardscape.

Haven't thought to that. I will shortly.

Thank you! I probably update too much, but I'm hoping to leave a trail that I can look back on.

Start it, just keep the lights off. I toss in a dime size piece of raw shrimp to cycle my tanks. You could go even smaller for that tank size. However, as @Ken Burke says, it's kinda nice to fully plant it, scape it and enjoy it while it's cycling.

Thank you and yes; I have read through that one and a few others. I will have it reduced to the final 9 or 10 within the next 3 weeks. ***And on a positive note, I received my Spatulata this evening, it's officially on the list. And is now the rarest plant in my tanks.

Root tabs are not necessary and cause too many problems, in my opinion. I stopped using them a while ago. Water column fertilizing is all that's needed.

Updated plant list, I have reduced it to 13 species now. Big maintenance day as I'm really starting to get the new tank algae. I added 4 Rams Horn snails and I will be adding more as I pull them out of the 75. I added an additional bag of soil and I think I'm good with soil depth. I rearranged a few plants and a 90% water change. Ammonia has dropped to near 0ppm and I will begin stocking it soon, but not before 30 days QT in meds. My QT tank is just about ready. I feel like I'm behind on stocking. But for now, I will keep adding snails. Hopefully they will keep things a bit cleaner. I've also settled on Serpae Tetra as my stocking. 14 of them! Maybe Oto's?

https://www.co2art.us/collections/complete-kits/products/pro-se-series-complete-aquarium-co2-system-with-in-tank-flux_-diffuser Or/ depends on your filter. https://www.co2art.us/collections/complete-kits/products/pro-se-series-complete-aquarium-co2-system-with-new-inline-co2-diffuser Tank prices vary. I'd look local to price ones. A 10lb tank will last quite a while.

What's your budget?

Here a great resource for new CO2 users. Helped me immensely. https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/choosing-co2-why

Yes

I trim it until the lower bottom looks ratty. Then I top and replant and start all over. Sadly, I must report my Apisto is dead. I'm rather upset about this. He was beautiful.

And now I see a huge injury on my male apisto. He's going to die. What a day.

And....I broke my glass intake. Tank is looking like a mess also.

This is why I love Estimative Index dosing. It removes all the guess work! 1 plant or 20 plants, makes no difference!

Use a turkey baster to agitate the substrate surface while holding your gravel vacuum right above that area.

The bottom picture looks more like detritus buildup. If you increase filter turnover rate inside the tank, that should take care of it.

Cardinals and Apistos really enjoy soft water! I keep my water at 145 TDS, 5dGH and 0KH. Don't be afraid of lowering KH. I would do 10% water changes, with distilled water, every other day until my GH was down. I would ignore KH and pH. You could even go every 3 days if you are worried. 5dGH is plenty for those fish, and plants will appreciate it too. PH "crashes" is an old wives tale. GH, KH and TDS are way more important than pH. As mentioned above, remove anything that could be actively raising TDS. Things like non inert rocks, shells or decorations.

Excellent. When I first started EI, things went well too. But then I found out that I was over calculating my water volume. I figured my 75 gallon was about 71 gallons. Turned out it was closer to 66 gallons. When I recalculated for 66 gallons, things got interesting! I was then advised to lower my CSM+B even more, and add DTPA 11% to keep Fe higher. That made a huge difference too. Here's my dosing now. If you have any questions, please ask. I front load all my Macros, so all I do now is dose Micros daily.

They will. Just keep a close eye out for secondary infections.