# What are your "pro tips"?



## Koenig44 (Aug 19, 2016)

Test and document tank parameters every day. This way, should something go wrong in the tank, you'll know exactly when your water parameters took a dip.


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## FreshPuff (Oct 31, 2011)

Don't make toast and do a water change at the same time.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Water alarms are certainly one of my requirements to avoid the big spill but then they can also be really handy for backing up the old mind that may lose track of what water is running where. One of my big bugs is starting water moving at some point and letting it overflow but the small alarms with probes on long cords can really save you. I have one which floats around to have the probe hung in the tank or barrel being filled and at a level which gives me time to catch it before it hits the floor! 
But for a bigger item for all my tanks? I look at each tank and set it to meet what the fish and plants find best for them. Giving each fish the best conditions to avoid stressing them is one way to avoid medicines! If your fish run into the walls every time somebody walks into the room, you need more hiding places! Fish hide less if they have lots of options for hiding.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

The answer is usually CO2.


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

kaldurak said:


> The answer is usually CO2.


The only thing I regret about co2 is not doing it sooner.


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

varanidguy said:


> kaldurak said:
> 
> 
> > The answer is usually CO2.
> ...


I agree. In fact I believe Co2 should be looked upon as mandatory just like lighting and filtration. It helps every setup since all tanks are technically Co2 deprived. 

You’ll definitely look more like a “Pro” using it.


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## Deanna (Feb 15, 2017)

In no particular order:

- As a beginner, or expert, use Purigen in your filter.
- As said: pressurized (not DIY) CO2 will make most plants perform best at ANY lighting level.
- A high-end UVS helps control algae spores and – more importantly – most vectors that cause disease in fish.
- Try to make a Python or Python-like (I DIY-ed mine) water changing system work (it greatly improves the quality of your life).
- Learn either/both EI and PPS approaches to fertilization.
- Glut (Excel) is your friend for many forms of algae control.
- Search any topic of interest here on TPT.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Search before you ask!


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Search before you ask!


And if can't find the answer...................ask Maryland Guppy!

Now there is a good pro tip!:wink2::wink2:


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

If you have to ask whether your CO2 is good or not, it probably isnt


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

burr740 said:


> If you have to ask whether your CO2 is good or not, it probably isnt


And listen to Burr!

That's all my pro tips. But trust me they work!:wink2::wink2:


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

I don't consider myself a pro, and I really hate to even sound like it's a boast when I say it, but for those of you who ever want to try their hand at discus-keeping, contact me first, ask me anything, and I guarantee I'll get you started the right way, so you don't fall into the usual traps and pitfalls, and make the mistakes which result in you quickly losing these expensive fish !


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## Surrealle (Sep 19, 2018)

varanidguy said:


> The only thing I regret about co2 is not doing it sooner.


Me too! I just set up my first system recently, and I'm kicking myself for being intimidated by it for so long. The really funny thing is, I bought a bunch of plants for my new 10 gal (with the CO2) expecting at least some of them to die, since that's been my experience with low-tech in the past, and they're all doing really well, lol. So now I've got an overgrown tank and it's only been a week.

Oh, and for this tank I decided to get the hang of CO2 before I put ANY fauna in it, and I'm super glad I did. It really lowers the stress to know you won't kill a bunch of fish if you make a newbie mistake.



FreshPuff said:


> Don't make toast and do a water change at the same time.


I feel like there's a story there..


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Most important medication with regards to fishkeeping to have , is clean water.
Still working/experimenting on whole plant thing.

Some folks read and follow threads to learn, or consider,and other's only to respond.Find someone's advice or suggestion's you trust,and follow their advice or method .Then you can say you tried.Hopefully achieve similar result's.Don't be too stubborn to learn new approaches.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

I'm not a pro, but I did stay at the Planted Tank last night.

1. Weekly water changes, weekly parameter testing (religiously follow this)
2. If you need RO water, get a beefier system than you think you need, if possible automate.
3. Daily ferts, Excel helps tremendously with algae
4. H2O2 spot treatment works well to control/kill algae
5. CO2, and don't be intimidated by it. Take the time to read up on it and by the time you put your system into use you'll be embarrassed that you were intimidated at the beginning.
6. Listen to people on this forum (and other forums); they have more experience than you do in the beginning and you'll find things much easier relying on their experiences/expertise
7. If possible, buy flora from people here, you'll typically get much bigger and more mature plants than from online retailers (even if online retailers have a larger selection) 
8. Find time to just sit and watch and enjoy your tank(s)


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

Seems pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many don't do it. When you startup your tank and your ready to fill/add plants make sure you have everything you need. In other words if your starting a high-light tank, don't start it up and add co2 later. The damage will already be done by the time you add the co2. 

Also don't rush to put fish in. Get the plants growing. You might want to move the plants and other things around, etc. which is never good for fish. Once they are established and you have a good system that is working and growing plants slowly add fish.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

This is super important. The excitement of getting an aquarium and getting plants and getting fish and getting it all together can cause people to rush and not research and little steps that should be Easy like a fishless cycle. And sometimes it's the littlest steps that can trip us up down the road.

No one wants to lose fish or plants due to mistakes or rushing, but we see it all the time. Patience is the best asset one either brings to the table and uses, or gains as they quickly (slowly?) learn that aquaria is a low speed game.


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## Leaky Filter (Nov 30, 2011)

Many of the designer tanks that are showcased in pictures are set up for that one photoshoot, then broken down. Not everything is going to look perfect all of the time.


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## Koenig44 (Aug 19, 2016)

I know it's hard, and we're all victims of it....but keep your hands out of your tank as much as you can; other than water changes, feeding, etc.

Let nature take it's course. You have germs, bacteria, dirt, soap remnants, etc on your hands. Not needed in the tank.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

Koenig44 said:


> I know it's hard, and we're all victims of it....but keep your hands out of your tank as much as you can; other than water changes, feeding, etc.
> 
> Let nature take it's course. You have germs, bacteria, dirt, soap remnants, etc on your hands. Not needed in the tank.


I'm at the polar opposite end of the spectrum. Constantly going elbows deep to pull off an errant leaf here and there, blowing some detritus around with a turkey baster so it gets sucked into the filter instead of settling. There's always a good reason to reach in 😄

Just rinse off at the sink without soap before and after, it's never negatively effected a tank of mine.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

kaldurak said:


> I'm at the polar opposite end of the spectrum. Constantly going elbows deep to pull off an errant leaf here and there, blowing some detritus around with a turkey baster so it gets sucked into the filter instead of settling. There's always a good reason to reach in &#x1f604


+1.

Probably one of the most common habits of successful planted tankers that I follow. 

Extra attention to detail. Extra attention to maintenance. Extra attention to everything.

Pays dividends.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

Greggz said:


> kaldurak said:
> 
> 
> > I'm at the polar opposite end of the spectrum. Constantly going elbows deep to pull off an errant leaf here and there, blowing some detritus around with a turkey baster so it gets sucked into the filter instead of settling. There's always a good reason to reach in 😄
> ...



Wi-five!


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

1. Don't be afraid to cut losses. From unhealthy leaves on slow growers (cryptocoryne, anubias, etc) to whole species that aren't working (looking at you littorella uniflora).
2. When you have it "just right," that's temporary. Plants grow, wood rots, equipment wears down, you buy more flora and fauna. It's a living thing, so don't get fixated on a certain setup.
3. Corollary to 1, don't be afraid to try things that are supposed to be wrong (as long as they aren't _really_ wrong or too expensive).
4. Fish die, algae blooms. As long as you are taking care fundamentals (water changes, etc.) don't overreact. The cure might be worse than the disease.


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## Optix (May 31, 2011)

You need more CO2

Learn to take your time...even when you are excited and want to rush
...if you wait long enough...the patience comes


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

Greggz said:


> +1.
> 
> Probably one of the most common habits of successful planted tankers that I follow.
> 
> ...


+2

Constant short maintenance prevents larger problems. It's always better to be preventive then reactive.


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## AdamRT (Jan 23, 2018)

Since I went pro straight out of high school and am basically the Lebron James of aquariums, I’m probably more qualified than anyone to offer some pro tips. So in the immortal words of Ben Affleck from his masterpiece of cinema, Gigli, “sit at my feet and gather the pearls that emanate forth from me”. 

Lol joking aside, I am by no means a pro but I’ve been at this long enough to know what’s worked for me and here it is: 

1. Enjoy your aquarium! Health benefits aside (watching an aquarium for just 10 minutes a day can: lower heart rate, lower cortisol levels, lower blood pressure, and reduce stress), spending a few minutes just watching your tank without fiddling with anything is probably the best diagnostic tool available. If you watch your tank everyday just for the sheer joy of it, you will quickly get a feel for what “normal” looks like and any deviation from that baseline will jump out at you that much faster. 

If you’re on this forum, chances are you work very hard to keep a nice planted tank so please please please take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’ll learn a lot about your system and it will continually inspire you to stick with it. 

2. Take care of your plants, not problems: I think I picked up this concept from Tom Barr (if there is such a thing as an aquarium pro- it’s Tom). If you focus on providing optimal conditions for plant growth, everything else will fall in place. If you chase solutions to problems like algae or hitting a certain ph value you can inadvertently cause as many problems as you solve- however, if you make changes slowly and just focus on your plants you will find that most problems resolve themselves in time. 

Along the same lines, when you do adjust your ferts, co2, or lighting make sure you give it time before changing anything else. Let 2-3 new nodes grow on your stem plants and use the condition of that new growth to determine if any other changes need to be made. Stem plants in particular are like a core sample of the history of your tank- old growth shows what your tank was, new growth shows what your tank is, so give the plants time to adjust to changes before changing anything else. 

3. Keep your tools, equipment, and the space around your tank clean! Any non-aquarists in your home will appreciate it, you’ll be more inclined to spend time enjoying your tank and working on it if you don’t need to untangle a birds nest of wires to unplug and clean a powerhead or move a million things out of the way to access your canister filter, etc. if you have multiple tanks, cleaning/disinfecting your scissors, tweezers, etc. will not only prolong their useful life but will also prevent the spread of algal spores and/or disease from one tank to the next. A solution of excel and rodi water works well for This! 

4. it’s easier to mold your tank to the parameters of the water to which you have access then to mold your water to the kind of tank you want to keep. If you have hard well water and are not willing to get an ro unit, maybe pass on the amazon biotope and focus instead on cerntral American live bearers or African cichlids. I really can’t stress this enough- you’ll have a huge head start on any tank you set up if you base the livestock decisions on the water you have instead of trying to change your water to work for the fish you want. 

5. Add humic acids! I’m a big believer in the benefits of humic acids in planted tanks. I use dennerle humin elixir, glosso factory dark water, and sometimes ill make a homemade brew of Indian almond leaves, peat, roiboss tea, and manzanita bark. Black water extracts have antibacterial/antifungal properties, help to buffer/lower ph, reduce stress of new fish, and may be a crucial factor that allows softwater fish to thrive in low ph environments. There are options that will not terribly discolor your water (dennerle is very light) and if you keep neons, cardinals, rummy nose, or other soft water tetras- you will see the benefits. 

That’s it... Hope it helps and thank you for this topic and all of the other great pro tips that have already been shared!


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## Surrealle (Sep 19, 2018)

Wow, thanks everyone! This has been even more enlightening than I expected.. Please keep 'em coming if you've got 'em =D


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

For some reason this topic reminded of the song “Everybody’s free to wear sunscreen”. For those too young to remember it, it contains the answers to most of life’s questions. Don’t know why but while I was compiling this list that tune kept weaving through my thoughts. 

So I’m no expert, and still have much to learn, but here are some thoughts from my personal experiences so far. As always, your mileage may vary.

Decide what you want from the tank before you get started. High/Med/Low tech. It should drive every other decision.

Know how much PAR your lights produce, or buy/position lights to produce a particular PAR. PAR level drives every other decision. And both too much and too little light is the root of many problems. 

Low tech tanks with low tech plants need VERY, VERY little light. 

If your light is medium or high, you will benefit from CO2. In general, High/Med light + no CO2 = algae farm.

Plants need ferts to grow to their fullest. Most problems I see are the result of too little, not too many ferts.

In my experience, high level of ferts does not cause algae. 

One point pH drop from CO2 injection is commonly suggested........but more is better. Very high tech 1.2 to 1.4 is common. 

Bubbles per second is meaningless.

Excel/Glut is NOT a substitute for CO2. And it provides no benefit at all in a balanced tank.

Don’t use test kits for pH, they are terribly inaccurate. Get a pH meter and learn how to calibrate it. Accurately measure the degassed pH of your water. It is essential to dosing CO2. Take it seriously. Even small swings can make large differences in a high tech tank full of fast growing stems.

EI dosing is a wide guideline and starting point. Your tank may be need more/less of any/every macro or micro nutrient. No shortcut, trial and error is the only way to learn.

None of the successful planted tankers that I follow use EI levels of ferts. It could be more, it could be less, but rarely levels referred to by charts. In fact, sometimes pretty wildly different. You need to find out what works in YOUR tank.

Make an effort to learn how to read your plants. If you pay very close attention, they will let you know if they like what you are providing.......and if they don't. This takes time, experience, and effort. Even subtle changes can effect plant happiness. 

Dosing macros and micros on opposite days makes little or no difference. I know many (myself included) who dose micros daily, and personally I front load all macros. Don’t be afraid to experiment. 

Learn how to use and buy dry ferts. Liquid ferts are expensive, and rarely have the actual combination of nutrients that are best for your tank. 

If you get really serious, roll your own micros. It's easier than you think. CSM+B can be the root cause of many problems. 

Take the time to learn either the Zorfox or Rotalabutterfly calculators. Don’t think in tsp/tbs, start thinking in PPM.

Keep logs and records of everything you can think of, and make notes on how plants respond. Without a timeline of changes, you will never understand what causes changes in your tank. 

Use the journal section here to find tanks that demonstrate success and have goals similar to yours. Read them carefully. And don't be afraid to reach out to those folks. Most here are very generous with their time and knowledge, and are happy to share their experience with you. 

Light/CO2/Ferts are often debated. Maintenance is equally or more important. Regular water changes, filter cleanings, gravel vacs, removing dead or decaying plant matter, pruning and controlling plant mass……..in general, uber clean conditions is your best defense against algae.

Make water changes as easy as possible. I went to an extreme and just flip a switch. Not for everyone, but the easier you make it, the more likely you are to do it, and the more successful your tank will be. 

When starting out, more plants is better than less. Many say their tank is heavily planted, but very few are. Very lightly planted tanks are very difficult to get into balance. Load up on plants right from the start. 

Once you are successful at growing plants, managing plant mass becomes important. A tank can almost choke itself from letting growth get out of control. Plants enjoy a little elbow room between species. 

Get everything else right first (light/CO2/Maintenance) before tweaking ferts. If you don’t, it will have minimal effect. Chasing problems with fert dosing is rarely successful, and only works when everything else is optimized.

Make changes slowly, and only change one parameter at a time. Easy to say, difficult to do. If you keep jumping around with everything, you will never understand the effect of anything.

If you are not serious about regular maintenance, and don’t enjoy getting your elbows wet, don’t go high tech. When you learn how to grow plants, maintenance only becomes more important and you need more of it. Plants growing an inch a day are not a myth. You will be trimming more than you ever imagined. 

Think growing plants, not defeating algae. Healthy growing plants are the absolute best defense against algae. In my experience, most algae is the result of poor maintenance, too much (or not enough) light, and too few ferts. 

You can't please all the plants all the time. Some will thrive, some will fail. Usually makes no sense. Best to let it go and stick with ones that like the soup that are serving. Trust me, I've banged my head against the wall too many times. Life is easier if you accept that fact. 

Don’t shy away from plants that are labeled “difficult”. Some of my “difficult” plants are the easiest, and some of the "easiest" plants are the most difficult for me. 

Surface agitation and aeration is your friend. More is better. Your fish and plants will thank you.

Good flow does not mean plants waving around frantically. Think wide gentle flow. And more flow rarely if ever cures anything.

And if you only remember one thing, it’s that “Everybody’s free to perform maintenance”!:grin2: Trust me on that one.

P.S. Forgot to add that Rainbow Fish are a perfect companion to a planted tank!!:wink2::wink2:


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## Deanna (Feb 15, 2017)

@Greggz: I think you are WRONG. If I were to ask an ‘expert’, your list would be what I would expect. So (since you think much as I do:wink2, I’m willing declare you to be an expert. While you may not want to say you’re an expert, at least don’t say you aren’t an expert.

Your list is more than some simple tips. It is what I would consider to be the template for establishing and maintaining a healthy planted tank. I can’t find any flaws in it and would make only minor additions (the few I made earlier).

Uggggh: not the Rainbow Fish ad again!:surprise:


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Very meaningfully said Deanna - can't disagree to any significant extent to both what you and Greggz have stated !


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Deanna said:


> Uggggh: not the Rainbow Fish ad again!:surprise:


I thought some would appreciate that way I threw that in! I will admit I am biased........but really.......pretty good combination in my book!:wink2:


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

@Greggz a great summary of "Pro Tips" for sure! >


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## Deanna (Feb 15, 2017)

Greggz said:


> I thought some would appreciate that way I threw that in! I will admit I am biased........but really.......pretty good combination in my book!:wink2:


Ohhhhh, I appreciate it. Makes me smile every time! I'm just afraid it may become a subliminal message in me and I'll find myself suddenly ordering a bunch of Rainbow Fish.


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## Olivesocrates (Feb 10, 2018)

These are all seriously fantastic👌 I feel like I should print out @Greggz tips and stick them next to my tank. Those are some solid, executable tips my friend.


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Greggz said:


> For some reason this topic reminded of the song “Everybody’s free to wear sunscreen”. For those too young to remember it, it contains the answers to most of life’s questions. Don’t know why but while I was compiling this list that tune kept weaving through my thoughts.
> 
> So I’m no expert, and still have much to learn, but here are some thoughts from my personal experiences so far. As always, your mileage may vary.
> 
> ...




What problems can CSM+B cause?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

Also worth mentioning is to be sure to develop Plant-Collectoritis disease immunity before it becomes incurable.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Edward said:


> Also worth mentioning is to be sure to develop Plant-Collectoritis disease immunity before it becomes incurable.


LOL.......good one........and yeah I gotta bad case.:grin2:


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

varanidguy said:


> What problems can CSM+B cause?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The discussion of CSM+B versus rolling your own micros is a long one. To simplify there are two main issues. The first is that CSM+B uses EDTA vs. DTPA. EDTA begins to separate from Fe around 6.5. If your pH gets up over 7 overnight, could cause problems. Most of us are using DTPA when creating our custom micro mix. 

And CSM+B is created in huge vats and is meant for use on crops. It was never intended to be used in very small increments. If you look closely at it, you will note how it does not look uniform, and there are swirls of various colors. So the odds of you getting the same mix/ratio of ingredients from dose to dose and batch to batch is unlikely. That can be an issue, as even a slight increase of relative value can create problems.

Back several years ago, there were huge debates revolving around "trace toxicity". Basically too much trace (from CSM+B) was toxic for some. Looking back, probably had mostly to do with crummy CSM+B. Many of us were dosing minuscule amounts to compensate.

When you create your own custom micro mix, you can very carefully control the amount of everything, and it is exactly the same from dose to dose and batch to batch. And some of us have been experimenting with adjusting different levels/ratios of each ingredient to see what works best in our tank.

When Burr started rolling his own micros, he asked me to try it out. I am now dosing about 20 times more micros per week than I was then, and the tank has never been better. 

If you want to learn more, here is a link to a 68 page thread about custom micros. But be prepared to get deep into the weeds.

https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...ix-thread.html


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Greggz said:


> The discussion of CSM+B versus rolling your own micros is a long one. To simplify there are two main issues. The first is that CSM+B uses EDTA vs. DTPA. EDTA begins to separate from Fe around 6.5. If your pH gets up over 7 overnight, could cause problems. Most of us are using DTPA when creating our custom micro mix.
> 
> And CSM+B is created in huge vats and is meant for use on crops. It was never intended to be used in very small increments. If you look closely at it, you will note how it does not look uniform, and there are swirls of various colors. So the odds of you getting the same mix/ratio of ingredients from dose to dose and batch to batch is unlikely. That can be an issue, as even a slight increase of relative value can create problems.
> 
> ...



Though I might add a bit to this one statement. First, I am one of those who make my own micro mixes. It was a bit of a shock the first time making a batch and weighing out each nutrient. Three nutrients in particular are almost down to using tiny tweezers and adding the nutrient grain by grain to get the correct minuscule amount.
Now back to the topic - Boron is the "B" in CSM+B. Originally I started out with 0.032ppm per dose (bear in mind, of all the nutrients in the micro mix, this is the 3rd heaviest weight!). One of the group in the thread linked above started experimenting with this one item. The concentration was raised to 0.050ppm per dose - things still looked good. Then it went up to 0.073ppm per dose. this was still working, but only if you were dosing around 4 times per week. At 7 times per week, some plants started complaining. 



Again, this was the 3rd heaviest micro and we were making minute changes in the quantity / overall ratio and noticing it makes a difference. Now imaging mixing up a dump truck size container of dry nutrients for industrial use. Then, stir it up and scoop out 1 cup of dry mix. And guarantee you have exactly the correct amount of each item. Just can't believe they get it right every time. Yes, the CSM+B has worked better than nothing for many years. But, we can certainly do better.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Immortal1 said:


> Boron is the "B" in CSM+B.


Very good point Linn. 

My brief experiment with B at .09 was a disaster. Was very toxic at that level.

And as you stated, we are talking very small amounts here. In my opinion, the odds of any batch of CSM+B being exactly the same is not likely.


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## DimitriSF (Oct 28, 2017)

Greggz said:


> Low tech tanks with low tech plants need VERY, VERY little light.



Agreed. One of the "secret ingredients" for a successful low-tech tank.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Greggz said:


> And CSM+B is created in huge vats and is meant for use on crops.
> Many of us were dosing minuscule amounts to compensate.





Immortal1 said:


> Now imaging mixing up a dump truck size container of dry nutrients for industrial use. Then, stir it up and scoop out 1 cup of dry mix.
> Yes, the CSM+B has worked better than nothing for many years.





Greggz said:


> In my opinion, the odds of any batch of CSM+B being exactly the same is not likely.


I would bet if one of us bought the 50lb. sack from Plantex there would be some guaranteed analysis statement on it stating an amount of tolerance for ingredients.
Bet Colin knows what's written on the 50lb. bag? :grin2:

Still using Plantex/modified in my 80G & 75G.
Roll my own dosing only in the 33G so far and no longer daily.
Been front loading with Fe as an indicator, single dose .5ppm.
Weekly consumption for all tanks is about .4ppm from what I can tell with new Hanna meter.
Can I really notice a difference, so far I'd say no in my case.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Still using Plantex/modified in my 80G & 75G.
> Roll my own dosing only in the 33G so far and no longer daily.
> Been front loading with Fe as an indicator, single dose .5ppm.
> Weekly consumption for all tanks is about .4ppm from what I can tell with new Hanna meter.
> Can I really notice a difference, so far I'd say no in my case.


Not surprising MG. Some had no issues at all with it. But some certainly did, myself included.

One of the many mysteries of the planted tank.

And if I recall, people with dirt or active substrates had fewer issues, while those with inert had more. My recollection, but I could be wrong.

Which brings up another pro tip.

Inert and active substrates are completely different animals, and require quite different approaches.


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

*What are your &quot;pro tips&quot;?*

I am about to switch over to dry from liquid. CSM+B sounds like it wouldn’t be a good choice. What about Microplex? Same issue?


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

DimitriSF said:


> Agreed. One of the "secret ingredients" for a successful low-tech tank.


At least half of the algae problems threads here are low tech plants, too few ferts, no CO2, and most importantly too much light. 

I was low tech for many years. 

Tank did best with the lowest of light levels.

Biggest mistake I see is a tank full of crypts/anubias/ferns trying to grow stems. Gotta choose, one or the other. Low light low tech or high tech high light. 

Very difficult to straddle the line. Some succeed but most fail.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

varanidguy said:


> I am about to switch over to dry from liquid. CSM+B sounds like it wouldn’t be a good choice. What about Microplex? Same issue?


Miller's Microplex peaks on different compounds/elements.
It's late but I think one of them is a high copper concentration which may not be so good.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

AdamRT said:


> Stem plants in particular are like a core sample of the history of your tank- old growth shows what your tank was, new growth shows what your tank is, so give the plants time to adjust to changes before changing anything else.


This right here is top notch advice. It's easy to look at the whole stem plant and consider the baked in properties of the old growth. I had not thought in these terms.


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Miller's Microplex peaks on different compounds/elements.
> 
> It's late but I think one of them is a high copper concentration which may not be so good.




Yeah, I wouldn’t want to harm my invertebrates. More to think about. Glad I read this before ordering.


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

Maryland Guppy said:


> Roll my own dosing only in the 33G so far and no longer daily.
> Been front loading with Fe as an indicator, single dose .5ppm.
> Weekly consumption for all tanks is about .4ppm from what I can tell with new Hanna meter.
> Can I really notice a difference, so far I'd say no in my case.


 I think that is light energy dependent. When I don’t add trace elements daily some plants tops under PAR 400 at the growing points, fall apart.


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## AdamRT (Jan 23, 2018)

Mike! said:


> This right here is top notch advice. It's easy to look at the whole stem plant and consider the baked in properties of the old growth. I had not thought in these terms.


Thanks mike! The only caveat I would add to the statement I made about new vs. old growth is that some deficiencies will show on old growth first. The main two deficiencies to look for on old growth as an indication of the current nutrient levels are phosphate and magnesium. Phosphate deficiency will show as abnormal darkening of the old growth- but I’ve only seen this symptom on terrestrial plants. Far more likely in a planted tank will be the formation of green dust algae on your glass in the event of a phosphate shortage- I keep my ferts pretty lean and this is always how phos shortage manifests in my tank. Thankfully it’s probably the easiest algae to correct for and the results are rapid when enough phosphate is added and the glass is cleaned, no more gda! 


The other deficiency that shows on old growth is magnesium - there are some others like manganese and even nitrogen that will show on more developed leaves to some extent, but magnesium is the most serious or at least most likely issue to damage old growth. It can be hard to spot because if the magnesium is deficient the leaves on which it would first be noticeable were probably already not looking so hot by the time the mag deficiency would be obvious. Symptoms include yellowing of the leaves (chlorosis) with the veins of the leaves staying green. It can also cause small holes similar to potassium deficiency as it advances. It’s another easy fix - Epsom salt will solve this problem without too much fuss- but do not expect the old growth to recover if it’s been subjected to severe mg deficiency. If you encounter a magnesium deficiency in your tank you may also notice symptoms of calcium deficiency since the two nutrients are synergistic. I really like NilocG’s gh and kh boosters as a fix to both problems but find addl Epsom salt is still beneficial once a tank is a few months old. 


The main point is that when you’re making changes to co2, light, or ferts, you should look to the new growth of your stem plants to see how those changes are affecting your tank. If youve just upped your iron levels, let a few nodes come in and see how they look before upping the iron again, A day or two isn’t enough time to know if your course correction was sufficient! 


It’s also important to remember if you’re making adjustments to co2/light/frets try to solve a problem, a change in at least one other may be necessary-I.e. if you beef up your co2 to bring it in line with bright lights, you’ll prolly need to adjust your ferts too but wait until the co2/light is in balance and let the plants tell you what addl ferts they need.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Edward said:


> I think that is light energy dependent. When I don’t add trace elements daily some plants tops under PAR 400 at the growing points, fall apart.


Haven't seen this yet? Going on 3 months and changed nothing yet.
Couldn't say what my capped soil is holding or releasing though.
Maybe some tests on the Miracle-Gro all purpose are needed?


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## MCFC (Feb 12, 2017)

aubie98 said:


> 8. Find time to just sit and watch and enjoy your tank(s)





Greggz said:


> If you are not serious about regular maintenance, and don’t enjoy getting your elbows wet, don’t go high tech. When you learn how to grow plants, maintenance only becomes more important and you need more of it. Plants growing an inch a day are not a myth. *You will be trimming more than you ever imagined*.
> 
> Don’t shy away from plants that are labeled “difficult”. Some of my “difficult” plants are the easiest, and some of the "easiest" plants are the most difficult for me.


I'm a big fan of these bits. And I really wish I had that list from @Greggz back when I started  !


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

MCFC said:


> I'm a big fan of these bits. And I really wish I had that list from @*Greggz* back when I started  !



Now the real question - if you had @Greggz 's list, would you have still gone High Tech? :grin2:


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## MCFC (Feb 12, 2017)

Immortal1 said:


> Now the real question - if you had @Greggz 's list, would you have still gone High Tech? :grin2:


I probably wouldn't have believed him about the maintenance/trimming haha. The growth really can be stunning when you've got a tank full of happy stems!


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Where do you guys purchase your micros to make your own custom mix? Finding DTPA iron is easy but I’m having a hard time finding every micro to mix in.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

varanidguy said:


> Where do you guys purchase your micros to make your own custom mix? Finding DTPA iron is easy but I’m having a hard time finding every micro to mix in.


I believe @burr740 is selling a complete "kit" for micros. I mention this as I believe he stated awhile ago that the minimum quantity for several of the individual nutrients would last any of us multiple life times.

Edit: Did I just add another "Pro Tip?"


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## AdamRT (Jan 23, 2018)

varanidguy said:


> Where do you guys purchase your micros to make your own custom mix? Finding DTPA iron is easy but I’m having a hard time finding every micro to mix in.




You could check out NilocG’s site as well as green leaf aquarium.


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

Pro Tip ingrained in my Hippocampus :smile2:

Water Changes, water changes, did I say water changes. In pretty much every situation they will help prevent algae and fish issues and correct for inbalances as long as you dose accordingly. Closest thing to a "magic bullet" in home aquaria.


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## TheLordOfTheFish (Mar 11, 2017)

Buy male nerite snails...buy a lot of them!


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

TheLordOfTheFish said:


> Buy male nerite snails...buy a lot of them!




How do you sex nerites? It sucks when all your hardscape looks like pretzels.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

varanidguy said:


> How do you sex nerites? It sucks when all your hardscape looks like pretzels.


Agreed! I have a few nerites in my tanks and know EXACTLY what you mean by "pretzels" LOL


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

varanidguy said:


> It sucks when all your hardscape looks like pretzels.


 There are aquariums where snails have to be fed to keep them alive because they have no algae to eat. If the opposite happens and there are tons of them or like you said "_when hardscape looks like pretzels_" then it indicates a problem with the system. Am I wrong?


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Edward said:


> There are aquariums where snails have to be fed to keep them alive because they have no algae to eat. If the opposite happens and there are tons of them or like you said "_when hardscape looks like pretzels_" then it indicates a problem with the system. Am I wrong?




I thought it indicates breeding snails. Most animals tend to breed well when they’re well fed and healthy.


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

varanidguy said:


> I thought it indicates breeding snails. Most animals tend to breed well when they’re well fed and healthy.


 And why is the snail breeding out of control? Because algae growth is out of control and that is a problem when growing plants.


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Edward said:


> And why is the snail breeding out of control? Because algae growth is out of control and that is a problem when growing plants.




Or they’re being fed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TheLordOfTheFish (Mar 11, 2017)

varanidguy said:


> How do you sex nerites? It sucks when all your hardscape looks like pretzels.



Whichever fish store figures that out first will be rich It's like Vegas, you gamble on them being male! I would pay 30-40 bucks for male only nerites. They are so damn good at cleaning.


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

TheLordOfTheFish said:


> Whichever fish store figures that out first will be rich It's like Vegas, you gamble on them being male! I would pay 30-40 bucks for male only nerites. They are so damn good at cleaning.


HA! That would be fantastic! I have heard that the horned nerites aren't as bad as the tigers and red racers when it comes to pretzel-izing the tank.


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## RollaPrime (Jul 27, 2018)

Listen and take heed when the more experienced give advice.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

Ok, so this is more of a Quality Of Life tip/advice rather than pro-tip.









These tools have made life easier in many aspects. There is sitting here: 
Small straight scissors - useful in and out of tank. 
Small curved spring loaded scissors - great underwater for detail trimming.
Small silver tweezers - for replanting small topped plants and plucking leaves that I trimmed from the surface.
Big black tweezers - great for replanting topped larger plants and multiple stems at once
1ml hypodermic syringe - great for accurately measuring small amounts of liquids like Prime or Iron - no more guesswork measuring by cap threads.
5ml medicine syringe - great for measuring water test amounts and transferring small amounts of tank water to my jarrarium.
Large black curved scissors - great for super trimming.
Razor blade glass scraper - great for....scraping the glass. Tanks dialed in at the moment so not much use currently.
Baking sheet (or something similar to hold stuff I trimmed off without making a mess)
Dedicated aquarium towels.

Also useful, but not pictured - Turkey baster for puffing at the substrate to move/stir up detritus if it collects and I want to move it back into the water column so it has another chance to be sucked into the filter.
Small net for small things
Larger net for larger things.
Hoses and airline tubing of various sizes and colors and lengths. Useful for gravity driven water changes and drip acclimation. (I water change with a bucket higher than my tank and syphon it into the tank by gravity)

My tiny tweezers and 2 small scissors probably see the most use as they make it into the tank almost every other day to pluck or trim something. Today all my Ludwigia hit the surface and was collecting duckweed so it all got topped and replanted. And that got me thinking about specialized tools and so here we are 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

kaldurak said:


> Ok, so this is more of a Quality Of Life tip/advice rather than pro-tip.


Wrong!
I'd rate this as a Pro Tip.
You've described a specific tool with a definite purpose. >

Bump:


varanidguy said:


> Where do you guys purchase your micros to make your own custom mix? Finding DTPA iron is easy but I’m having a hard time finding every micro to mix in.


alphachem08 & rakugoldpottery on "The Bay"


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

varanidguy said:


> HA! That would be fantastic! I have heard that the horned nerites aren't as bad as the tigers and red racers when it comes to pretzel-izing the tank.


What da heck does Pretzel-izing mean?


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Frank158 said:


> What da heck does Pretzel-izing mean?




Nerite eggs look like pretzel salt.


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## mtnbikeracer76 (Jan 29, 2017)

My tip is if you don't know, don't guess, ask questions.


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## Edward (Apr 11, 2005)

kaldurak said:


> Ok, so this is more of a Quality Of Life tip/advice rather than pro-tip.


...


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Edward said:


> ...


Then you have mice droppings. And that indicates that you either have a problem discarding lefovers or you feed them.


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## Surrealle (Sep 19, 2018)

kaldurak said:


> Ok, so this is more of a Quality Of Life tip/advice rather than pro-tip.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The funny thing is that was the kind of tangible stuff I was thinking of when I started this thread, but it morphed into something else entirely, lol. But, I'm definitely not complaining, all of this info has been fantastic =D


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Do not keep a running total of the money you've spent on your hobby. You really don't want to know. I found out the hard way.

Have all online purchases delivered to work. It makes for a less stressful environment at home.


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## AdamRT (Jan 23, 2018)

Don’t Nerite snails need brackish water to reproduce? I know that won’t stop them from laying eggs but if the eggs aren’t gonna survive isn’t that just free planktonic food for the tank? 

That reminds of another tip that may not be for everyone, but any former reefers or reefers moonlighting with a planted tank might agree- seed your tank with copepods! 

If your goal is to recreate a min ecosystem within your tank, planktonic life is a crucial ingredient. I always try to add freshwater cyclops, non parisitic amphipods, and live daphnia. They don’t always take for me but in the tanks where they have tend to be cleaner, can be fed less, and seem “healthier” overall. Most Zooplankton scavenges left over food, dead plant material, shrimp sheds, etc. and convert that waste in to healthy fish food and nutrients that plants can use. 

I’ve also noticed that fish fry tend to survive to adulthood more often in tanks that have a healthy population of zooplankton. Don’t know if it’s the secondary food source, better water conditions, or some combination of both but it’s been a noticeable difference for me.


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## AdamRT (Jan 23, 2018)

One last pro tip from me- if you find that a “rule” or “tip” doesn’t work in your aquarium don’t feel compelled to follow it! Example: since setting up the 120, I was religiously changing 50% of the water every week. Starting in week 3 I started seeing black beard algae the day after the water change. I upped the co2, lowered the lighting, tested all nutrients. Over the course of the week I would beat the algae back only to have it return with a vengeance the day after my water changes- water is 0-1 tds ro/di remineralized with Nilocg gh and kh booster to about 75-100 tds. 

By week 8 I was starting to get really frustrated and considered breaking down the scape or nuking it with azoo brush algae killer, but instead I decided to dial back the water changes to about 20% weekly and the algae began to die off almost immediately. Plant coloration and growth improved dramatically too. I still do 50% or more on my 20 gal, but it just wasn’t working for the 120 gal. Point being that every system is different and many of the “rules” that are so often repeated and bandied about are really just guidelines or starting points that can and should be adjusted to fit the needs of your tank. The 50% a week water change “rule” for ei dosing is a prime example. It’s important to reset nutrient levels to keep them from getting too high on any one nutrient, but do be afraid to listen to what your tank is telling you and to make adjustments accordingly. No rule or pro tip is going to work or apply to every situation so don’t be afraid to deviate or tweak as needed!


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

AdamRT said:


> ... The 50% a week water change “rule” for ei dosing is a prime example. It’s important to reset nutrient levels to keep them from getting too high on any one nutrient, but do be afraid to listen to what your tank is telling you and to make adjustments accordingly...


I don't think there's actually a 50% "rule" for EI dosing. The 50% is meant to be an average starting point and is meant to be modified for some setups depending upon co2 usage, light, plant mass, etc. For example some thinly planted tanks that have high light might require 70% while a low light planted tank would require less.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

AdamRT said:


> Don’t Nerite snails need brackish water to reproduce? I know that won’t stop them from laying eggs but if the eggs aren’t gonna survive isn’t that just free planktonic food for the tank?
> 
> That reminds of another tip that may not be for everyone, but any former reefers or reefers moonlighting with a planted tank might agree- seed your tank with copepods!
> 
> ...


How do you source FW zooplankton?


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## DavidBlowie (Apr 20, 2018)

I"m still hung up on trying to sex a Nerite snail. This is a joke right? (or is there a way?)


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

DavidBlowie said:


> I"m still hung up on trying to sex a Nerite snail. This is a joke right? (or is there a way?)




Hahaha it’s a joke but if someone could figure it out...that would be amazing.


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## Boris Swede (Sep 29, 2018)

Could you quarantine the snails in a betta rack, one snail in each, feed them well and see which ones dont lay eggs?


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Boris Swede said:


> Could you quarantine the snails in a betta rack, one snail in each, feed them well and see which ones dont lay eggs?




I don’t know about other people, but I never got eggs until getting more snails. Do they lay eggs without breeding?


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

varanidguy said:


> I don’t know about other people, but I never got eggs until getting more snails. Do they lay eggs without breeding?


I guess it's possible females either lay eggs fertilized before introducing them into the tank or they can lay unfertilized eggs. I've had multiple tanks with just one Nerite where she goes on a egg-laying spree, both pretty soon after introduction to the tank and after being in the tank for quite some time.


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## Mighty Quinn (Jul 24, 2017)

Greetings Everyone

Wow, what a great thread. I spent the better part of a day reading through this, and I probably need to re-read it so that this wisdom takes root in my brain. Big thanks to the OP for getting this started.

I would not call myself a "pro", but I do have a lot of experience keeping aquariums. In the past, my aquariums have always been setup in a living space in the various apartments and houses that I have lived in. I'm just getting back into the hobby after about ten years, and this time I am setting up my new tank in the unfinished part of my basement, and I am LOVING it. I have so much more freedom to play around with the tank, make a mess, spill some water, or whatever. 

In the past I was so concerned about the aesthetics of exterior of the tank (e.g. the stand, hood/canopy, etc..) that I cut corners and compromised on the engineered aspects of the tank, which ultimately made tank maintenance more difficult and had adverse effects on the health of the tank. 

This time around, I'm setting up my aquarium in the basement, right next to a sump pump, a water supply and all my tools and water testing equipment at an arm's reach. Now, my main focus is on making maintenance and monitoring as easy as possible.

I understand the desire to have a beautiful aquarium in your living room, bedroom, office, etc... However, I would challenge you to examine your home closely and think about the most appropriate place for your aquarium, not from an aesthetics stand point, but from a functional one. Easy access to a drain, water supply, tools, test kits, etc... makes maintenance tasks an order of magnitude easier. 

And when maintenance is easier, you are more likely to do it. I think that a common theme in this thread is that constant, frequent, painstaking maintenance and measurements are a big part of success in this hobby. 

Here is my last pearl of wisdom, such as it is. Someone once told me that nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium, and with the exception of water changes, I have to agree. In other words, quick fixes are unlikely to work in the long term, and patience is a virtue. Similar sentiments have been put forth in this thread, so I will say no more on this topic.

Cheers everyone, and Happy New Year!

TMQ


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## jayo (Sep 21, 2016)

Here's my 'wisdom':

1. There's much joy in keeping easy-to-keep plants (and fish, and inverts, for that matter). A tank full of healthy easy species can look beautiful with suboptimal lighting, DIY CO2 (lower dose and erratic as it is, even a little CO2 will make plants much easier to care for), and lower/not-perfectly-balanced ferts. Make your life easy and don't stress about keeping the most challenging species. 

2. Join your local aquarium club and buy plant trims there. You can get small quantities of lots of types of plants cost effectively and find out which do best in your aquarium. Don't worry about keeping plants that refuse to thrive in your particular tank, even if they aren't supposed to be hard to keep. Don't be afraid to try "harder" species, either, you might get lucky and have them do well, though your hit rate will probably be lower.

3. Get an effective light controller. I have a TC420 LED controller for my cheapo Beamswork DA FSpec lights, and it is the best equipment purchase I made (it isn't the easiest controller to set up and use, but works great - and there are plenty of other, much more expensive, options). When I was first setting up the tank, I was able to dim the lights to a known level (60%, in my case) as plants got established, then ramped it up over time (to 85%) without algae issues. I can have a super-long viewing period, because half of the time the light is at 30% or less of full power - which is plenty of light to see things, but not enough light to grow the plants or lead to algae. You can program mid-day 'storms' or 'clouds' (lower light). If you have fish that like to breed in low light at a particular time of day, dim the lights to 10% around that time to get them in the mood. You get the idea. At LEAST get a dimmer for your lights (along with a cheapo timer), to let you dial in a good light level for your tank.

4. Always keep a towel near the tank.


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## AguaScape (Oct 28, 2018)

jayo said:


> Here's my 'wisdom':
> 4. Always keep a towel near the tank.


A shop-vac as well.


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## 691175002 (Apr 28, 2009)

Really think about how long your tank is designed to stay set up and how much work you will be willing to do in the future.

Everyone knows that light level and stocking level can make a tank easier or harder to maintain, but hardscape arrangement and plant choice also have a major effect.


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## WetLeaf (Oct 14, 2017)

Extremely far from a pro but from reading a lot of posts on here it seems consistency is a big thing.

The best way I achieve consistency is automation. If I can get it to take care of itself then the odds of me messing up are lower! 

From an auto-feeder, light timers, solenoids on CO2, dosing pumps, even water changes if possible. Having less things to manually perform will likely mean the things you do have to do will get done properly.

Hard to identify whats bothering/missing from your plants when they get 8 hours of light 1 day, 12 hours the next, or you forgot to turn them off one night. 

my Pro Tip; Automate as much as possible


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## Jaye (Mar 11, 2015)

In addition to automation, if you’re in a position to have infrastructure near (or even better, under) the tank, you will have a much easier time with maintenance. On the other side of the wall from my tank is our kitchen sink. It was a simple thing to have a water supply and drain teed in to those where they’d fit under the stand for my 125. A 60% water change takes me less than an hour, draining from the sump. The sump holds about 30 gallons, give or take, so four cycles draining, refilling and circulating until the water temperature stabilizes is a more than adequate water change. No buckets, no hoses, no running back and forth. This tank is actually less work than my original 29 was. 

If you run CO2, having at least two bottles can take some of the urgency out of getting a refill.


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## Smooch (May 14, 2016)

I'm not a pro at anything, but here's my list:

When looking for advice whether it be here on TPT or elsewhere, take what is being said in context. A person with a tank full of stems is going to feed their plants much differently than a person that has a few sprigs of Java Fern. 

Adding more fish to your tank to the point of overstocking is not a way to add more CO2. Overstocking means more fish to clean up after, more food and detritus to deal with and tank maintenance. If one wants to add CO2, do it the right way.

There are no fairies or magic bullets in this hobby. Blasting cyno or algae with some hydrogen peroxide or Excel doesn't make the problem go away. Find the cause and fix the problem. You will be much happier in the end as you will no longer be living in a endless of cycle of ripping off and replacing a band aid on said problem. Along with permanently freeing thy self from the endless temporary band aid, you will also be saving yourself some cash which can be spent on something far more interesting.

If there is a person that comes into this hobby that can't be bothered to do things such as giving their fish clean water, this hobby is not for you whether your tank is planted or not. Don't torture fish with filthy water. People don't like filthy water and fish don't thrive in it. If a person makes the commitment to keeping fish, then take care of them. If said person simply wants a decoration in a corner, buy a plant.


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## Remmy (Jan 10, 2007)

Don't buy test kits and plant heavy


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Remmy said:


> Don't buy test kits and plant heavy




Don’t buy test kits? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Remmy (Jan 10, 2007)

varanidguy said:


> Don’t buy test kits?


I say that semi jokingly, obviously they're useful in getting a quantitative measurement for whatever you're testing.
My point is that heavy planting can simplify the hobby and make it more enjoyable to the point where testing water parameters becomes somewhat moot


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Remmy said:


> I say that semi jokingly, obviously they're useful in getting a quantitative measurement for whatever you're testing.
> 
> My point is that heavy planting can simplify the hobby and make it more enjoyable to the point where testing water parameters becomes somewhat moot




Oh I see. Yeah I don’t test my main tank often anymore, but I test newly cycling tanks regularly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Asteroid (Jul 26, 2018)

Remmy said:


> I say that semi jokingly, obviously they're useful in getting a quantitative measurement for whatever you're testing.
> My point is that heavy planting can simplify the hobby and make it more enjoyable to the point where testing water parameters becomes somewhat moot


I don't test really much at all other than as @varanidguy mentioned in a new setup, but not everyone is an aquatic farmer and wants heavy plant mass. There are too many different types of setups. For example if your doing a hardscape heavy scape and the hardscape takes up a significant amount of real estate you can't really plant heavy nor would you want to. 

The only thing to me that comes close to a magic bullet is consistent water changes since they can help any setup (as long as you dose.)


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## Remmy (Jan 10, 2007)

Asteroid said:


> I don't test really much at all other than as @varanidguy mentioned in a new setup, but not everyone is an aquatic farmer and wants heavy plant mass. There are too many different types of setups. For example if your doing a hardscape heavy scape and the hardscape takes up a significant amount of real estate you can't really plant heavy nor would you want to.
> 
> The only thing to me that comes close to a magic bullet is consistent water changes since they can help any setup (as long as you dose.)


I would consider specific setups you mentioned to be in the domain of more experienced hobbyists generally. For a newcomer or someone still not comfortable enough in the hobby i would recommend striking a balance. Want a hardscape heavy tank? use floaters as your indicator/soak up species. Using majority slow growers? incorporate at least one fast growing stem... etc


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## Austin Ron (Jun 23, 2018)

1. Fancy tanks require fancy knowledge, fancy money, fancy equipment and fancy time. Be honest with yourself and accept your limitations. A basic tank with common plants and a school of Neon Tetras that is thriving beats the pants off a high dollar exotic tank that’s barely hanging on.

2. When in doubt about how much co2 to buy just get the 5lb cylinder.


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## united natures (May 15, 2019)

Feed less and water changes will solve most problems.


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## TheLordOfTheFish (Mar 11, 2017)

Baby Dwarf tears are the supermodels of the planted tank world. You really want to hop into bed with them and marry them and have a nice, lush carpet of them...but the problem with supermodels is that after a few months, they stop caring about you, they won't cuddle, no more backrubs, only bad attitude and misery.

What you REALLY want is the pretty/handsome girl/boy next door who's name is Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is not quite as pretty as Baby Dwarf but still very nice to look at. After month, its beauty will have grown, it never gave you any problems. It never asked you for the expensive light and was happy with your medium income of photons. Monte Carlo is a keeper.


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