Plant newbie

[JessLynne7]

So I got a Java fern windolev and it’s still alive a month or so later. I got some Java moss and tied it to drift wood. I tied it to loose and I did loose about a third. Some of it is resting in various places. I’m just gonna let it be and hope for the best I think. Enough stayed in place.

today I got an Anubis nana. I just sat it in the driftwood between the branches its staying in place.

 

any advice? I’m worried bc my fake plants have black spots(not fuzzy) and some of the substrate does too. This is a newer tank 

 

 

[lefty o]

the black stuff on the gravel and fake plant looks to be algae. good choice for the live plants, they are all fairly easy to keep alive. a squirt of fertilizer now and then will keep them happy.

[JessLynne7]

On 4/29/2022 at 6:49 PM, lefty o said:

the black stuff on the gravel and fake plant looks to be algae. good choice for the live plants, they are all fairly easy to keep alive. a squirt of fertilizer now and then will keep them happy.

I was thinking the same algae. Ugh. I scrubbed some of the substrate and one of the plants yesterday.

I didn’t want to do everything at once bc I was afraid to crash the cycle since it’s a new tank.

and I ran out of peroxide.

 

would phosphate removers help!?

[Guppysnail]

On 4/29/2022 at 6:51 PM, JessLynne7 said:

would phosphate removers help!?

Phosphate is one of the three main plant nutrient needs.  Adding phosphate remover will starve your plants. 

As you get more plants to absorb nutrients it will balance out.  Maybe cut back on light to reduce algae as those are lower light requirement plants. 

[Brandon p]

Black and green is not always bad in tanks. Have you been i a river, stream, or nice aquarium that is totally cleaned up for an amazing picture that dont have balaclava or brown every fake pals t I have every had had needed with that algae and substrate is going to have some to. Go through pictures on the post and look closely at the tanks and the more natural there are the more you will probably see. I would not not try to much about it . The more you do to the tanks that harder and less fun the like are to keep. The smaller the tank the hard it is  have a pa tank that doesn’t have anything you can see. These rocks are fine you made a poor choice of white rocks probably and not something that will hide natural heathy grow for micro organisms.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Brandon p

[Torrey]

On 4/29/2022 at 4:46 PM, JessLynne7 said:

This is a newer tank 

Tanks go through a series of algae growths that correlate pretty closely to the age of the tank. It's why Cory did the video on the value of a *seasoned* tank versus a cycled tank.

A cycled tank has the beneficial bacteria growing, but a seasoned tank has gone through the "awkward teen stage" and has already had the diatom algae ==> hair algae ==> Staghorn/BBA growth stages, and as long as the tank is not getting more light than the plants need and there are no nutrient deficiencies/imbalances negatively impacting plant growth, the aquarium will achieve a kind of homeostasis and you won't have excessive algae growth.

The more plants you have, the easier it is to find the "sweet spot" in my experience. Before I got better at keeping aquarium plants alive, I used emersed plant growth (pothos, dracaena, philodendron, spider plant, marsh marigold, etc) so there were roots in the tank sucking out the nitrates and giving fish places to hide in the roots as well as appropriate support for microfauna to grow in the tank. That microfauna is like a 24 hour buffet for fish (especially fry) to graze on, and those microfauna require live plants as well as algae to do their best. A tank with zero algae isn't actually a healthy tank.

Try to be patient as your tank moves through the awkward teen stage, and evolves into a thriving ecosystem.

[JessLynne7]

On 4/29/2022 at 6:57 PM, Guppysnail said:

Phosphate is one of the three main plant nutrient needs.  Adding phosphate remover will starve your plants. 

As you get more plants to absorb nutrients it will balance out.  Maybe cut back on light to reduce algae as those are lower light requirement plants. 

I have only been running the light in the evening but I will try to cut back even more to 3-4 hours tops 

On 4/29/2022 at 7:10 PM, Brandon p said:

Black and green is not always bad in tanks. Have you been i a river, stream, or nice aquarium that is totally cleaned up for an amazing picture that dont have balaclava or brown every fake pals t I have every had had needed with that algae and substrate is going to have some to. Go through pictures on the post and look closely at the tanks and the more natural there are the more you will probably see. I would not not try to much about it . The more you do to the tanks that harder and less fun the like are to keep. The smaller the tank the hard it is  have a pa tank that doesn’t have anything you can see. These rocks are fine you made a poor choice of white rocks probably and not something that will hide natural heathy grow for micro organisms.

Thank you and your right there is going to be bacteria and algae. As long as it’s not harmful it is what it is I guess.

your probably right on the light colored rocks but man they are pretty 😃

[Guppysnail]

For Java and anubias that all they need. Unless the tank is in a room with no window and no ambient light at all.  I have Java and anubias that exist in small set ups with only ambient window light and about 2-3 hrs moderate direct sun at the least intense evening sunset. 

[JessLynne7]

On 4/29/2022 at 7:30 PM, Torrey said:

Tanks go through a series of algae growths that correlate pretty closely to the age of the tank. It's why Cory did the video on the value of a *seasoned* tank versus a cycled tank.

A cycled tank has the beneficial bacteria growing, but a seasoned tank has gone through the "awkward teen stage" and has already had the diatom algae ==> hair algae ==> Staghorn/BBA growth stages, and as long as the tank is not getting more light than the plants need and there are no nutrient deficiencies/imbalances negatively impacting plant growth, the aquarium will achieve a kind of homeostasis and you won't have excessive algae growth.

The more plants you have, the easier it is to find the "sweet spot" in my experience. Before I got better at keeping aquarium plants alive, I used emersed plant growth (pothos, dracaena, philodendron, spider plant, marsh marigold, etc) so there were roots in the tank sucking out the nitrates and giving fish places to hide in the roots as well as appropriate support for microfauna to grow in the tank. That microfauna is like a 24 hour buffet for fish (especially fry) to graze on, and those microfauna require live plants as well as algae to do their best. A tank with zero algae isn't actually a healthy tank.

Try to be patient as your tank moves through the awkward teen stage, and evolves into a thriving ecosystem.

That is a great explanation thank you.

I am glad I’m out of infancy and into the teen years 🤣🤣🙂

[JessLynne7]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:09 PM, Guppysnail said:

For Java and anubias that all they need. Unless the tank is in a room with no window and no ambient light at all.  I have Java and anubias that exist in small set ups with only ambient window light and about 2-3 hrs moderate direct sun at the least intense evening sunset. 

Some ambient light but no direct sun at all.

I’ve never had plants before so it’s all new to me lol

[Torrey]

On 4/29/2022 at 6:06 PM, JessLynne7 said:

I have only been running the light in the evening but I will try to cut back even more to 3-4 hours tops 

If you get a chance to check out Dr Diana Walstad's "Treatise on the Planted Aquarium" I found it to be incredibly helpful in stepping up my planted tank game, and set the foundation for having my first success with red plants (they do require brighter lights than what typical plants need... so I added side lighting).

For anyone not interested in CO2 for their tanks, it's a great approach. Dirt is not a mandatory substrate for success (my experience with my water supply was a much better initial success.... with a rapid growth pattern I loved, followed by a lot of pinholes and other plant nutrient deficiency symptoms, which sped up my learning curve if not my immediate success rate, lol). The light siesta approach? Literal night & day difference in algae. More than worth what I invested in better timers, lol.

My tanks are on a 4 on/4 off/ 4 hours on schedule, and my pico tanks are on a 4 on/ 4 off/ 4 on/3 off/3 on schedule that is turning out to be the sweet spot for minimal algae growth and fantastic plant growth. Picos get a little reflected from the building across the way ambient light from outside.

[JessLynne7]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:41 PM, Torrey said:

If you get a chance to check out Dr Diana Walstad's "Treatise on the Planted Aquarium" I found it to be incredibly helpful in stepping up my planted tank game, and set the foundation for having my first success with red plants (they do require brighter lights than what typical plants need... so I added side lighting).

For anyone not interested in CO2 for their tanks, it's a great approach. Dirt is not a mandatory substrate for success (my experience with my water supply was a much better initial success.... with a rapid growth pattern I loved, followed by a lot of pinholes and other plant nutrient deficiency symptoms, which sped up my learning curve if not my immediate success rate, lol). The light siesta approach? Literal night & day difference in algae. More than worth what I invested in better timers, lol.

My tanks are on a 4 on/4 off/ 4 hours on schedule, and my pico tanks are on a 4 on/ 4 off/ 4 on/3 off/3 on schedule that is turning out to be the sweet spot for minimal algae growth and fantastic plant growth. Picos get a little reflected from the building across the way ambient light from outside.

I will check her out. Thanks for the advice.

I am I’m the learning urge stage for sure and could use the help.

 

 

thank you

[lefty o]

On 4/29/2022 at 7:29 PM, JessLynne7 said:

Some ambient light but no direct sun at all.

I’ve never had plants before so it’s all new to me lol

direct sun is magic in its ability to grow algae, and turn tank water green.

[Brandon p]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:06 PM, JessLynne7 said:

I have only been running the light in the evening but I will try to cut back even more to 3-4 hours tops 

Thank you and your right there is going to be bacteria and algae. As long as it’s not harmful it is what it is I guess.

your probably right on the light colored rocks but man they are pretty 😃

We live and learn I have lots of tanks so I have a different approach  I sometimes forget that if you have one or two tanks you want them to be almost perfect and they can be. It just takes lots of work. I think you are doing a good job and it shows that you care about your tank and the system as a whole. My and several others are working on several substrate choices for plants including sand but we are decided between a black sand and a brownish sand pea greaves an l small er label rock it’s really to see about plant growth hopefully the tank will show even  when under prime cleaning conditions that some the algae will be there. The fake plants I have the same plants and changed to all live simple plant’s that are hard to kill.

[JessLynne7]

On 4/30/2022 at 7:51 AM, Brandon p said:

We live and learn I have lots of tanks so I have a different approach  I sometimes forget that if you have one or two tanks you want them to be almost perfect and they can be. It just takes lots of work. I think you are doing a good job and it shows that you care about your tank and the system as a whole. My and several others are working on several substrate choices for plants including sand but we are decided between a black sand and a brownish sand pea greaves an l small er label rock it’s really to see about plant growth hopefully the tank will show even  when under prime cleaning conditions that some the algae will be there. The fake plants I have the same plants and changed to all live simple plant’s that are hard to kill.

That’s my goal to have a good ecosystem and switch over to live plants. Hopefully I will have luck

[Brandon p]

I had fake plants for years just due to time and the fish didn’t mind. I don’t want to tear you down. There is about a million way to keep fish correctly.  I think most us are here to help and just because we suggest something it doesn’t mean if you can’t do it right away or ever that you are a bad fish keeper. Stay positive sounds like you have great. Goals keep it up.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Brandon p

[JessLynne7]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:59 AM, Brandon p said:

I had fake plants for years just due to time and the fish didn’t mind. I don’t want to tear you down. There is about a million way to keep fish correctly.  I think most us are here to help and just because we suggest something it doesn’t mean if you can’t do it right away or ever that you are a bad fish keeper. Stay positive sounds like you have great. Goals keep it up.

I didn’t think you were tearing me down. I am on here asking for help. I still have fake plants because I want the fish to have lots of hiding places. So I have a mix of real and fake. I’m trying to go low tech no light no fertilizers. I realize eventually I may have to add a fertilizer. I added some Amazon frog bit too.
This is my Coldwater temperate tank I have a Paradisefish coming on May 11

 

I am having a lot of trouble with my 10 gallon beta tank. I have the big Java fern and Amazon frog bit I’m there. That’s my only fish in there. But I’m having problems with old tank syndrome. My only keeps spiking even though I have plenty of nitrates. I just did a water change I was at 40 nitrates I’m at 20 ammonia was at 1.0.

 I’m only running a spinner filter and used to run job in there after the switch lots of issues. I made sure I seated it with bacteria and ran both filters for a while first. But the sponge filter is giving me no mechanical filtration at all. My ph is dropped to 6.2 which is fine for beta and I have no wood in there just a couple of chestnut pod botanicals. I’m considering tearing the whole thing down and using a under gravel filter with only one air intake and doing a deep substrate plenum.

I gotta do something bc that tank is giving me grief.

 

I’ve working really hard to make my new tank pictured abover even better

On 4/29/2022 at 9:20 PM, lefty o said:

direct sun is magic in its ability to grow algae, and turn tank water green.

Sounds like I did good them bc I am in no direct light at all 😃

[JessLynne7]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:09 PM, Guppysnail said:

For Java and anubias that all they need. Unless the tank is in a room with no window and no ambient light at all.  I have Java and anubias that exist in small set ups with only ambient window light and about 2-3 hrs moderate direct sun at the least intense evening sunset. 

@Guppysnail

i got the repashy.

for now I got a little shrimp dish and put cubes in there so it doesn’t fall thru.

my piggy barbs won’t stop eating it. I wait until after dark and they are asleep and put it in and a few hours later when I check they have made their way over to it and literally sleep and eat on top of it.

 

 

the pleco has lots of biofilm to eat but I have not seen him eat and am worried he’s not getting any

[Guppysnail]

If he is hungry he will.  My voracious 🐷 adult female whale guppies mob the repashy.  When Angel my BN pleco wants some he swims after guppies and runs them off.  Almost nothing stands between a hungry pleco and food. It’s cute to see.

Ps..off topic..I love the walls to the right of the vase.  Can I ask where you got them?

Edited April 30, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Torrey]

@JessLynne7 keeping bettas stable can be a full time job, all on its own, if we don't live in FL, the Philippines, Malaysia, or some other country they are native to. It is obvious you are trying, very hard.

I used to breed bettas, and I *still* learned a ton from Gianne Souza, including the fact that I unintentionally shortened their life span after I moved to high desert. I kept them at the 82 F they needed.... I didn't keep them at the humidity they needed for their labyrinth organ. And I was a breeder.

My point is, please don't beat yourself up for what you don't know, and what you didn't know when you got started. You are doing the more important thing of being vulnerable, honest, and willing to learn.

By the way, I killed windelov for years before I learned how to have success at it, so consider yourself ahead of the learning curve, lol.

You have seen the difference sunlight makes in Cory's big breeder tubs on his videos, and you have seen the difference in fish health and coloration when they are outside in the tubs. So you have another advantage there, with the windows you have. Eventually, you may need to add a more high tech light as your tank grows more plants, and at the same time I have seen Dr Diana Walstad's tanks and many of them are dirt, plants, indirect sunlight, and an airstone. Some didn't even have airstones back in 2013. 

I'm going to look for a thread for you to follow, on a vintage tank in a vintage house. I think it will help a bit.

The betta will need a heater, plenty of air, and solid biological filtration. Most bettas are used to a fair amount of silt being suspended in the water, that's why they evolved their labyrinth organ. They reap a lot of health benefits from heavy tannin water, and sometimes our desire for a specific appearance has to tke a backseat for what *they* communicate they need for a living environment.

BRB, I need to go find a journal.

[Ken Burke]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:20 PM, lefty o said:

direct sun is magic in its ability to grow algae, and turn tank water green.

Yep!  Even a bright room without direct light can cause a tank to erupt with algae 

[JessLynne7]

On 4/30/2022 at 4:25 PM, Guppysnail said:

If he is hungry he will.  My voracious 🐷 adult female whale guppies mob the repashy.  When Angel my BN pleco wants some he swims after guppies and runs them off.  Almost nothing stands between a hungry pleco and food. It’s cute to see.

Ps..off topic..I love the walls to the right of the vase.  Can I ask where you got them?

Guppysnail that makes me feel a little better to know when he’s hungry he will go for it and move the piggies out of the way. That vase came from chewy! It’s an actual aquarium decoration and I love it bc it’s a huge hide out. It has Egyptian stuff on it and it was cheap too 16 or 18 bucks and worth every penny.

On 4/30/2022 at 4:46 PM, Ken Burke said:

Yep!  Even a bright room without direct light can cause a tank to erupt with algae 

That’s good to know. I always liked a dark house now I have even more of a reason

[Torrey]

On 4/30/2022 at 2:46 PM, Torrey said:

@JessLynne7 keeping bettas stable can be a full time job, all on its own, if we don't live in FL, the Philippines, Malaysia, or some other country they are native to. It is obvious you are trying, very hard.

I used to breed bettas, and I *still* learned a ton from Gianne Souza, including the fact that I unintentionally shortened their life span after I moved to high desert. I kept them at the 82 F they needed.... I didn't keep them at the humidity they needed for their labyrinth organ. And I was a breeder.

My point is, please don't beat yourself up for what you don't know, and what you didn't know when you got started. You are doing the more important thing of being vulnerable, honest, and willing to learn.

By the way, I killed windelov for years before I learned how to have success at it, so consider yourself ahead of the learning curve, lol.

You have seen the difference sunlight makes in Cory's big breeder tubs on his videos, and you have seen the difference in fish health and coloration when they are outside in the tubs. So you have another advantage there, with the windows you have. Eventually, you may need to add a more high tech light as your tank grows more plants, and at the same time I have seen Dr Diana Walstad's tanks and many of them are dirt, plants, indirect sunlight, and an airstone. Some didn't even have airstones back in 2013. 

I'm going to look for a thread for you to follow, on a vintage tank in a vintage house. I think it will help a bit.

The betta will need a heater, plenty of air, and solid biological filtration. Most bettas are used to a fair amount of silt being suspended in the water, that's why they evolved their labyrinth organ. They reap a lot of health benefits from heavy tannin water, and sometimes our desire for a specific appearance has to tke a backseat for what *they* communicate they need for a living environment.

BRB, I need to go find a journal.

@Streetwise I am not seeing links to journals in people's signatures. I suspect it's due to massive lag in our internet due to the fires here having done some infrastructure damage. I was looking for Daniel's journal on his vintage tank, as it has some of the easiest to read information on the forum regarding the research he did behind the natural light?

My UPS just kicked on, so I am logging off. Hope to see everyone later.

[JessLynne7]

On 4/30/2022 at 4:46 PM, Torrey said:

@JessLynne7 keeping bettas stable can be a full time job, all on its own, if we don't live in FL, the Philippines, Malaysia, or some other country they are native to. It is obvious you are trying, very hard.

I used to breed bettas, and I *still* learned a ton from Gianne Souza, including the fact that I unintentionally shortened their life span after I moved to high desert. I kept them at the 82 F they needed.... I didn't keep them at the humidity they needed for their labyrinth organ. And I was a breeder.

My point is, please don't beat yourself up for what you don't know, and what you didn't know when you got started. You are doing the more important thing of being vulnerable, honest, and willing to learn.

By the way, I killed windelov for years before I learned how to have success at it, so consider yourself ahead of the learning curve, lol.

You have seen the difference sunlight makes in Cory's big breeder tubs on his videos, and you have seen the difference in fish health and coloration when they are outside in the tubs. So you have another advantage there, with the windows you have. Eventually, you may need to add a more high tech light as your tank grows more plants, and at the same time I have seen Dr Diana Walstad's tanks and many of them are dirt, plants, indirect sunlight, and an airstone. Some didn't even have airstones back in 2013. 

I'm going to look for a thread for you to follow, on a vintage tank in a vintage house. I think it will help a bit.

The betta will need a heater, plenty of air, and solid biological filtration. Most bettas are used to a fair amount of silt being suspended in the water, that's why they evolved their labyrinth organ. They reap a lot of health benefits from heavy tannin water, and sometimes our desire for a specific appearance has to tke a backseat for what *they* communicate they need for a living environment.

BRB, I need to go find a journal.

Ok cool I’m definitely going vintage.lol

i get a lot of humidity from the lid that is a plus and the betta tanks light is sad hahahhaha

 

thank you for all your help

On 4/30/2022 at 4:56 PM, Torrey said:

@Streetwise I am not seeing links to journals in people's signatures. I suspect it's due to massive lag in our internet due to the fires here having done some infrastructure damage. I was looking for Daniel's journal on his vintage tank, as it has some of the easiest to read information on the forum regarding the research he did behind the natural light?

My UPS just kicked on, so I am logging off. Hope to see everyone later.

I saw some of daniels vintage tank posts they were cool.

I will start looking thank you for your help 

[JessLynne7]

On 4/30/2022 at 4:56 PM, JessLynne7 said:

Guppysnail that makes me feel a little better to know when he’s hungry he will go for it and move the piggies out of the way. That vase came from chewy! It’s an actual aquarium decoration and I love it bc it’s a huge hide out. It has Egyptian stuff on it and it was cheap too 16 or 18 bucks and worth every penny.

That’s good to know. I always liked a dark house now I have even more of a reason

@Guppysnail

dis you find the case on chewy.

 

other exciting news my new juvenile calico BN pleco found the drift wood finally. It’s spider wood and I swear there are rasp marks in it. I’m so proud and excited. My previous BN didn’t have the things she needed. This one has sertculia pods, spider wood, and his own pleco cave covered by plants to hide