10 Gallon tanks Issues/Fail

[Wolfden]

Hi all I am mainly a lurker, but have been around for quite a while. I have 2 fish tanks one is a 5 gallon and the other a 10 gallon.  My 5 gallon I love. Fully planted and haven't had to a water change in at least 6 months. Just top off with fresh water when needed. My ten gallon however has become the bane of my existence. I have had the tank for about 5 years and no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to look nice. 

Water parameters are 0 ammonia, nitrite 0, Nitrate 50 ( no mater what I do) GH 150, KH 120-180, PH 7.8-8. I am running an oversized sponge filter along with a Top fin Pro 30 HOB. There are some Java ferns that are failing and to Anubis also have some bamboo. 3 that are doing good and one that seems to be turning yellow. I have two Marineland LED aquarium light bars on it cause I felt one wasn't producing enough light. Fish in the tank are four zebra Danio's, one mystery snail, Clown Pleco, 3 kuhli loaches and a bunch of Malaysian Trumpet snails. It gets weekly water changes as well cause that is the only way I can keep the nitrates at bay. No ferts at the moment since it just makes the nitrates sky rocket, but would usually be using easy green.

First tank is my amazing 5 gallon and the second is my 10 Gallon (Not happy with Tank)

I would love to hear anyone's ideas, suggestions, tips on how I can make this tank thrive. I would like to have it fully planted as well.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/3/2022 at 5:50 PM, Wolfden said:

Hi all I am mainly a lurker, but have been around for quite a while. I have 2 fish tanks one is a 5 gallon and the other a 10 gallon.  My 5 gallon I love. Fully planted and haven't had to a water change in at least 6 months. Just top off with fresh water when needed. My ten gallon however has become the bane of my existence. I have had the tank for about 5 years and no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to look nice. 

Water parameters are 0 ammonia, nitrite 0, Nitrate 50 ( no mater what I do) GH 150, KH 120-180, PH 7.8-8. I am running an oversized sponge filter along with a Top fin Pro 30 HOB. There are some Java ferns that are failing and to Anubis also have some bamboo. 3 that are doing good and one that seems to be turning yellow. I have two Marineland LED aquarium light bars on it cause I felt one wasn't producing enough light. Fish in the tank are four zebra Danio's, one mystery snail, Clown Pleco, 3 kuhli loaches and a bunch of Malaysian Trumpet snails. It gets weekly water changes as well cause that is the only way I can keep the nitrates at bay. No ferts at the moment since it just makes the nitrates sky rocket, but would usually be using easy green.

First tank is my amazing 5 gallon and the second is my 10 Gallon (Not happy with Tank)

I would love to hear anyone's ideas, suggestions, tips on how I can make this tank thrive. I would like to have it fully planted as well.

From what I can see your substrate is incredibly low; I'd double or triple it if you're serious about growing plants. Normally I only add fertiliser when the tank is quite well-planted and I want a boost in growth.

Give it a serious re-planting (after topping up substrate).

Good Luck and Keep us posted!

[PineSong]

My first thought was that you need deeper/different substrate and if you fertilize with Co-op root tabs in addition/alternating with Easy Green, you will be adding some holding power in the form of the clay that is in the tabs settling down under your sand substrate and improve it.

My second thought is that you may have a lot of flow in that tank with those two filters--I can't say from a still photo, but it may be a lot for some plants.

I do have 'lushly' planted tanks, but there are lots of plants I have had zero luck with, so it may be that you will have more success with other plants.

Anubias can be very slow to grow in my tanks although it does. I have failed at bacopa, pogo octopus, water sprite, dwarf hair grass, and about ten other plants, but I have "ok" results from java fern wendelov, great results from corkscrew val, sagittaria, aponogetons, lilies, and guppy grass. I just planted my first crypts recently so the verdict is still out. The tank below is one of mine that cannot grow lots of kinds of plants. Luckily, it can grow others. You may just need to find your 'others'.

 

[Wolfden]

Thanks for the thoughts. Would it be ok to put fluval plant stratum as a bottom layer with the sand on top. There is definitely a decent flow in that tank. It did put a small but tall piece of mopani wood under the HOB to help with some of out flow also have the HOB on the lowest flow setting.

I really want the tank to have a jungle look with corkscrew val or another tall background plant.. But it is so hard for me to get corkscrew val. Was thinking about ordering a bunch of val or jungle val (from aquirium Coop) but I want something that stays more in the background with a carpet in the front. Possibly dwarf hair grass or dwarf chain sword.

[MattyM]

Do you have nitrates in your tap water? I think the suggestions are good about getting a nice deep substrate, at least 3 inches. And some fast growing plants will help with those nitrates. I really like vals and Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus in the background - both have been quick and hardy for me. Gotta do crypts if you're ordering from AC, for foreground I like Dwarf Sag and Micro Sword. I took me awhile to find plants that grow for me (yes I even killed an Amazon Sword). I didn't have much luck planting Water Sprite, but I float it in a couple tanks. 

I can't speak to using anything other than gravel or sand, both have been good for me w/ root tabs. I micro dose Easy Green here and there, I find that promotes less algae. 

Driftwood and rocks always make cool points of interest. Good luck, can't wait to see what you do!

[PineSong]

@Wolfden, I'm not sure where you're located so apologize if this is not an option for you, but I ordered mine from an online shrimp seller who I was getting shrimp from. I have seen people sell it on Etsy and Ebay as well.

[Wolfden]

On 11/3/2022 at 4:04 PM, MattyM said:

Do you have nitrates in your tap water? I think the suggestions are good about getting a nice deep substrate, at least 3 inches. And some fast growing plants will help with those nitrates. I really like vals and Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus in the background - both have been quick and hardy for me. Gotta do crypts if you're ordering from AC, for foreground I like Dwarf Sag and Micro Sword. I took me awhile to find plants that grow for me (yes I even killed an Amazon Sword). I didn't have much luck planting Water Sprite, but I float it in a couple tanks. 

I can't speak to using anything other than gravel or sand, both have been good for me w/ root tabs. I micro dose Easy Green here and there, I find that promotes less algae. 

Driftwood and rocks always make cool points of interest. Good luck, can't wait to see what you do!

There are no nitrates in my tap water. Our water is just hard. I like the idea of using Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus as a background. I've never had any success with crypts they just die on me.

The image is what my tap water comes out as

[JettsPapa]

Hello.  I have similar water parameters.  My suggestion would be to add more substrate, as mentioned above, and get some crypts for the background.  They do well for me.

I would not get corkscrew vals.  They also do well for me, but I wouldn't put them in a 10 gallon tank.

Did I understand correctly that you have two lights?  Maybe that's too much light for a tank that shallow?

Edited November 4, 2022 by JettsPapa

[PineSong]

Your water is quite different from mine--equally hard GH, but mine is always low @ 40 on KH and pH is around 6.4-6.8

I do have corkscrew val in all but one of my tanks including my 10g shrimp/guppy fry tanks. I like that it spreads quite well but not fast enough to be a hassle and in my gravel substrate it is very easily yanked out if it becomes too much. That might be a bigger mess if it was in a dirted tank. 

The primary downside for me is that it makes catching fry and shrimp in the back of the tank impossible. That said, it grows so well that if it's frustrating me I just yank it out or cut it in half like I'm cutting grass and do my netting, then wait for it to grow back. I would never do that to my $15 per bulb aponogeton, but I paid like $7 for a handful of corkscrew val and could repopulate the earth with the amount that I've thrown away since I bought it in February 2022. Oh, wait, that was only six months ago so....maybe that's why @JettsPapathinks it's not the best for a 10g, lol. 

[Wolfden]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:09 PM, JettsPapa said:

Hello.  I have similar water parameters.  My suggestion would be to add more substrate, as mentioned above, and get some crypts for the background.  They do well for me.

I would not get corkscrew vals.  They also do well for me, but I wouldn't put them in a 10 gallon tank.

Did I understand correctly that you have two lights?  Maybe that's too much light for a tank that shallow?

@JettsPapa

Yes I just added the second one as one light doesn't go completely across the tank. I know in the future I should replace it to a light that goes the entire length of the tank but I have a lot going on this month and just don't have the money to buy a hundred dollar light. The current light I have on the tank is a Marineland LED Aquarium Light Bar. I just feel like it isn't enough light even though all the plants in that tank are classified as low light plants.

[PineSong]

My tanks have Hygger lights, Which are relatively inexpensive as lights go,and they are on for five hours at a time twice per day. I have heard Cory say many times in videos that most aquarium lights provide more light than most plants need, Especially in a shallow tank like a 10 gallonI would not suspect that not enough light is the problem. That said, I’m not familiar with the Marineland light specifically.

I think you would be safe sparing yourself the cost of a new light until you have more information about the results you get from improving your substrate.

Edited November 4, 2022 by PineSong

[Wolfden]

I went ahead and redid the tank. I just couldn't stand it. There is a layer of fluval plant stratum on the bottom and a mixture of black and white sand since I didn't have enough clean white sand.

I did go out and get get some dwarf hair grass and a Java windelof. All of the Java's are attached to pieces of wood. I already like it ten times better. Just hope I can keep the plants growing. There is also a large piece of water Sprite floating in there that came out of my five where it grows like a weed. I hope it survives any other time I had put in a piece it up and died and just disappeared.