Tami

I just float mine in the tank

if you don't dose fertilizer how are you feeding your plants?

nice journal - I am going to start a 29L planted community tank this summer - Corydoras are the first fish I plan on living there and Amano. Look forward to hearing more about your tank

rinse your plants - I was lazy this time and gained at least one bladder snail that quickly multiplied. I believe it was hiding in my microsword since I didn't rinse it

i would say let it ride you are well on your way

Thanks for all the thoughts - I have learned so much from Cory's videos and this forum. I am at a loss but am doing my best to care for the fish until this balances out as I have checked/done everything mentioned (as I have learned). 29 gal tall with some live plants (all healthy and showing new growth). 2 glass fish, 3 serpae, 2 priscilla x-ray, 5 zebra danios, 2 otos, 1 amano shrimp (bought as glass) and 2 glass shrimp - no snails, no dead stuff (looked). Set up last January fishless and added fish starting in June - Danios and 2 otos in December (1 of each died and removed) Source water verified before changes - test kit checked with new test kit My water did seem a little less green(I use a white bucket) with change yesterday, but haven't changed anything to change it. Started with beneficial bacteria when water change wasn't efffective. and added extra Prime to tank, use it with water changes. Parameters have been: temp76 ph 7.6 Ammonia 0.5-1 Nitrites 0 Nitrates 40+ I use easy green once a week with leaf zone every other week, root tabs about every 3 since everything is growing. The only thing new is I put stress coat in with new fish and again when one of my danios scraped itself last week.

for sure - been there and done that before. I was bringing water home from work because I don't feel comfortable using my well water - I mix it with purchased spring water but the work water became totally wacked out which I discovered when I had this issue before. now i use purchased spring and RO water from Walmart - test pretty regularly before changes I prepared for adding my 6 zebra danios by slowly increasing the feeding in the tank while they were in quarantine, expected some spikes after adding them but all has been good until this week. I lost a tiny danio (literally, moved everything and always stir my plants with adding water) and an oto a week later but all has been going well Oh yea - one the fasting topic - I fast my tank every Sunday after "Shrimp Saturday"(they get frozen brine shrimp) - I tried a mid-week fast and they ate all the new leaves (a nice size bunch) off my wisteria plant!! such an adventure!

@Brandyso does lower the water temp also help with dealing with ammonia spike? sadly I have a spike out of nowhere (last new fish 12/27) and I have done everything everyone is saying but I can't get it below 0.5 - I do use prime in my changes and added it to the entire tank while i figure it out - not sure the reason but I believe the cycle has crashed.

One of my zebra danios scraped the scales off her back when she got stuck today. She is in a community tank and seems to behaving as herself except I can see her scales are missing on her back. I am not good at getting photos of my crazy danios. Should I medicate her and if so, with what? I have stress coat in the tank from last water change and am doing a change today. All I have at home is sulfaplex - I have shrimp in my tank now, so I don't think I can use that. What should I do for her to help her heal and not get an infection? Thanks

@gardenmanI couldn't agree more! I am more anxious about my plants dying, they aren't cheap! and I really want live plants. Everyone says buy a bunch and figure out what grows for you - at $6-12 a pop thats a little rough.

@Tomhaswhat substrate did you pick? I am planning my next tank to be planted with Cories but am stuck with all the confusing discussion about substrate and Cories since plants won't do well in sand

speaking from the point of just celebrating my first anniversary as a fish keeper - it is hard to just pick one because then you want more. i started out like squeegee79 suggested - i started with 2 glass fish, but fell in love with so many others. so taking the time to list and learn about your favorites is a good idea so you know who can live together when you add more. I LOVE danios( i have 5 zebra, sadly on just up and disappeared in my community tank, they are so fun and so active! My dream with be a tank big enough for Giant Danios

@LyssI live in Nixon (south of Butler, PA - north of Pgh). very new to this all and don't belong to a club but close by

Thanks the micro sword I planted in my established tank is shedding a few blades every day - it was a pain to get out of the rock wool. Can I keep some rock wool on it when I plant it?

I was wondering the same thing - I bought some plants thinking I could temporarily plant them in my 10 gal for the next 4 months or so - now I am afraid I will kill them when I go to move them - I know the anubius and wisteria will be fine but what about baby tears, micro sword, dwart chain sword and cryptocoryne wendtii? I just have them in their pots right now.

same here - BTW I like your data tracking

so here's what I am hearing: wonder shell to raise GH and crushed coral for KH --- KH will buffer my water to keep my pH stable, so why would I want to raise my GH (other than to have harder water for particular fish). thanks

Thanks everyone - I have had root tabs around my sword since day 1 - added more and continued to get worse (actually faster) - did trim old leaves but was afraid to take them all off since all my new leaves died - the crown is above the gravel i can see where the roots are coming off it - also I see some new roots above the gravel line Should I take off the last 3 "leaves" if thats what you call them at this point

@Kat_Rigelmost are saying the sodium for the salt softener but have just as many say it isn't an issue

@Danielwell I think: I was adding Nitrites with my source water along with triggering a die off of the algae in my tank by decreasing water ferts and light after I did a water change and my numbers went higher, I checked my source water and it had 1 ppm Nitrite and 0.5 Ammonia. - I checked the tank parameters in the first place because my water was cloudy (now figuring it was bacterial bloom trying to counter nitrite spike) -- some of the knowledge dots started to connect when i stopped freaking out

That is awesome - will you come make me one

mine did the exact same thing, then the leaves went translucent and all came off when I stirred the water around it! planted it Oct 15 and it looks terrible

@lefty othat is the contradiction I am always finding. I don't want to spend the money on the RO but am tired of buying water and I get 50% for and 50% against using softened well water

@classicshooterso you hook it up when you need it? how complicated is that? I think this is my next step - i just had issues with my parameters, tested my source water and it was the cause (that's why a water change didn't lower the nitrites). i already buy purified and RO water from Walmart and I think my own system will be easier @Danielis your system always hooked up? - BTW figured out my water issue