# 20G tank and learning about live plants



## Saxtonhill

(edit on January 19, 2014....Hi everyone...this is a rather long rambling thread of my first real attempts at trying to grow live plants. I made a lot of mistakes and grew a lot of algae in this first year...and have been having some fun too. If you are a beginner coming to this thread, I don't have much helpful advise as I am still very much a beginner myself. This Planted Tank forum has a lot of advanced folks...so read and study and don;t be afraid to make mistakes, ask questions and most of all, have fun and take your time and don't give up! Best Regards, Cathy). 





Hi...I'm re-learning about live plants and I'm open to suggestions! :icon_smil Below are some photos of my meager attempts...not finished putting in plants...need something low tech and smallish to go in the left foreground. And something longer to go in the right background behind rocks to hide the heater...

It's not as good as most of the beautiful scapes on this forum...but please critique away...I'm here to learn!  

In preparation for doing a low tech aquascape in a new 60 gallon, I'm trying to learn about the process first...especially how to maintain and keep the live plants as I have had such disasters in the past. I've kept fish with plastic plants and rocks for years...time to re-try live plants! 

I thought I would start with a smaller tank and take the small steps there by adding plats. I researched on this forum for easy low light plants. Four weeks ago, I added Java fern, anubias barteri and the smaller anbias nana and also a clump of anarchais. Yesterday, I tried tying some Java fern with black cotton thread onto a small flat stone. The Java moss doesn't look to happy to me...kind of flat looking...will it 'puff up' in a few days?

Here is my beginner's attempt and organizing some data...not sure if I am using the correct terms yet...

20 gallon tank (older cycled tank converted to tropicsls 4 weeks ago)
temperature 79 degrees
Seachem tabs
Excell
substrate is natural gravel...some smaller some larger (I didn;t know about soil and Eco-complete until a few weeks ago...the 60G will have substrate specifically for plants)
rocks...river stone, slate, peacock rock (??? that's what the LFS called it... ) 

Equipment...
Lighting...T8 15w NO Daylight 8000k (it came with the canopy) white reflector
Marina heater
Topfin 20 (the old filter...kept it cycling to keep the bio-bacteria...)

Fish:
Aenius cory cats
otos
black neon tetras

I am going top purchase an API water testing kit in the next few days...embarressed to admit this :redface: :hihi: ...probably should have purchased this first! 













below are some eggs that my aenius cory cats laid on an anubia leaf. (Sorry about the poor quality of the photo...I don't have a good camera right now)












Thanks for looking and for your patience!!!! 

Cathy


----------



## Saxtonhill

The tall anubias on the right foreground to be leaning towards the light source...which makes me think they need more light. They came from the LFS tall...and in the last week, one has grown a new leaf

I have the present lighting on about 12 hours a day. On Hoppy's PAR chart, this T8 bulb seems to fall into the higher side of the low rating...and my anubia's are leaning...so the PAR chart and my plants are telling me I need more light, I think. The bulb needs to be replaced anyway as it is about two years old. I've begun to notice in the past week that the bulb doesn't light evenly. 

Maybe I should replace the entire canopy and get one with 2 flourescent bulbs? I think that would light the entire tank more evenly. When I went to the LFS (actually several) all I can find are more T8s in the 18 inch size with daylight ratings...some posters on the forum have suggested going to a hardware store to look at light bulbs...so I will investigate that next weekend... 

Also, I think I need more balance in my composition...vary up the shapes and textures, as I've got a lot of verticles going on...maybe dwarf saggitaria in the foreground? Or something short with a more horizontal habit? And some more smaller anubias nana on the rocks at diagonal center? (Just thinking out loud...)

Can anyone tell me about the fissidens mosses? I think one is called Phoenix moss? 

Anyway...lots to think about and I do have a habit of rambling...LOL...trying to sort out all the information...


----------



## Saxtonhill

Hoppy's PAR thread is under Lighting, and is one of the stickies under Lighting Articles and FAQ" and then, "Lighting with Par instead of Watts"

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368

The charts really helped...wow I have a lot to learn!


----------



## Saxtonhill

Just snipped off some baby plantlets with roots from some of the Java Fern leaves. Tied them onto small stones and put them back in the tank. Will see if they'll grow. 

The anacharis was not happy. Took that out and put back into cooler water in the goldfish tank.


----------



## Kosch

I am by no means an expert, but that looks really good! I'm guessing you will definitely want more light. I had a 5g and just used a couple of CFL spiral bulbs from Home Depot and it did quite well.

I never seem to have luck with Java fern myself, no idea why, but your java moss should fluff itself back up especially if you add more light. Even a clip on lamp with a daylight CFL would help a lot.

Cheers!

Kosch


----------



## Zolek

In my experience anubias does not "lean". They simply grow with the leaves perpendicular to the incoming light, and once grown leaves stay completely put. If your light is small and in the middle then anubias on the edge might grow a little leaning towards the center.

In the past I grew a tank a lot like yours. Java Fern, Anubias, no ferts, 25% water change/wk under an 18W T8. Growth was extremely slow, but also virtually flawless (0 leaf algae, 0 leaf defects, etc). If you are happy with a slow growth rate (think 1 leaf/mo on the anubias), then this is actually a really good way to go. Also I would drop the temp to 77-78, 79 is pretty much topping it out for black neons, and you don't have anything that really needs warm water.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Zolek and Kosch thanks so much for the input about the lighting, plant growth and temperature  

I don't mind the slow growth...actually I am so thrilled that after a month I still have live plants and that the anubias all produced a new leaf! Zolek, I find your comment interesting (and confidence building) that one leaf a month is about right for an anubia in this kind of set up. 
And you both are quite right, I've got to do something about that insufficient lighting. Kosch...I am going to look at CFL spiral bulbs and also 18 inch fluorescent daylight tubes at Home Depot today. I am also thinking I need to get 2 bulbs in the reflector hood...or maybe go with a clip on light (there is a book case next to the tank)...will have to think, research and investigate 

Question...my Java Ferns are covered with brown specks and are producing lots of daughter or baby plantlets on the leaves. The larger leaves appear to be browning or dying off at the stems, yet at the base of the root mat (above gravel and rooted between the large rocks) I have all kinds of new leaves starting to sprout. Does the Java Fern have a growth cycle which goes something like this....grows larger leaves, then produces daughter plants on the leaves...then the larger leaves drop off into the current, leaving younger newer leaves to grow up from the root mat to take the place of the leaves that dropped off?


----------



## Zolek

Java fern doesn't have a cycle like that, in general it just grows bigger and bigger leaves over time. However, when conditions change a lot java fern often goes into a sort of panic mode where it produces lots of daughters as the leaves die or become damage due to the changed conditions. If you have new growth things should be fine, but expect to clip the leaves once they brown completely as they look like ass and never fall off naturally (java fern is tough even dead!).


----------



## Saxtonhill

That's interesting about the Java Fern. I've got some browning leaves with lots of daughter plants. And at the roots, lots of green new growth. When I bought the plants they had a few brown specks...hardly noticeable...now there is much more in 4 weeks...maybe flaws in lighting and water conditions?

I measured the distance from my present bulb (T8 8000K Daylight NO 15W 18 inches in a reflector at tank top about 1 inch from water level) to the substrate and it varies from 12 to 15 inches. 

Went all over on Sunday afternoon looking for daylight T8 bulbs 15W at 6500K or 6700K...all sold out at the hardware stores except one that was broken  Also looked at CFL bulbs but the boxes listed lumens instead of Ks...so I am confused here. It seems that the dimmer bulbs had high lumens than brighter bulbs? Really confused as to what a lumen is...

Question: can I put 2 T8 6500K 15W bulbs on my 20 gallon (and get more even lighting obviously) but at 12-15 inches from the substrate is this going to be enough light for Java Ferns and Anubias and hopefully some Dwarf Saggitarias? I think I am still in the low light PAR range? (If PAR is intensity of light reaching through out the tank width and is also influenced by the depth?) And 6500K versus 8000K is describing the color intensity of the bulbs...so the color spectrum at 6500 is better for plants?

Maybe I just hang a couple of CFL lights in reflectors from the ceiling?

I found it odd that in the hardware stores there were so called aquarium bulbs marketed as good for plants that were T8 15W and only 3000K? I stayed away from those...

Just trying to understand...so much to learn!


----------



## Saxtonhill

Trimmed the Java fern and moved to a more central and background location. I put the daughter plants on small stones and in another tank to root. I ordered some anubias (nanas, coffiefolia and frazeri) and Christmas moss...somewhat nervously awaiting their arrival later in the week. The lighting is now 2 T8 fluorescent bulbs...one 8000K (replaced the original with new bulb) and one 6500K.











The aenius cory cats spawned again this morning! (and I wish that I had scraped off the calcium calculus last December on the glass before re-filling the tank...doesn't look good in the photos...the tank itself is very old...)


----------



## Saxtonhill

The shipment of plants arrived...floating them for now and leaving the pots on for a few days until I can arrange them on the weekend. Very nervous about the falling temperatures today, but the plants seem OK.


----------



## alipper

Nice setup. Where abouts in New England?


----------



## Saxtonhill

Extreme eastern NY


----------



## Hawkian

Zolek said:


> Java fern doesn't have a cycle like that, in general it just grows bigger and bigger leaves over time. However, when conditions change a lot java fern often goes into a sort of panic mode where it produces lots of daughters as the leaves die or become damage due to the changed conditions. If you have new growth things should be fine, but expect to clip the leaves once they brown completely as they look like ass and never fall off naturally (java fern is tough even dead!).


Yes that's how it went for me too. When you buy Java Fern you usually get stray leaves. You;ll have to leave them in your tank for a few weeks/months for them to adapt to the water conditions and sprout new plantlets on their leaves. Once those have grown to about an inch of two, cut them off the main leaf (which should look pretty bad by now) and try and anchor them to a piece of driftwood or a rock. It's very easy to do but you have to be patient with java fern. It will not die but it will make you wait to see results.


----------



## Saxtonhill

daughter plants starting to grow on a java Fern leaf...










Hawkian, thanks for your observations!  That is exactly what is happening in my tanks with the Java Fern. It's actually really interesting to see... 

Here are some of the Java Fern baby plants which I attached to small stones...this is in the 30gallon tank 











Well...the new anubias are planted in the 20 gallon tank. (I put the vals in the 30 gallon because of their height). When the plants were floating, I observed that the black neons swam in and around them and seemed much happier with some cover over the top of the water. I have ordered a small manzanita branch and will research into some floating plants...or order some more corkscrew vals that will bend over some of the water surface and give the black neons more cover...you can kind of see how they want to swim around low in the plants in the photo below...


----------



## simplicitysarah

Glad I found this thread! My Java fern also started to brown too! Great info!! Following too!


----------



## raulfd4

I really like the look of your last pic - the Anubias look really good planted amongst the larger, rounded stones.


----------



## shloken38

Hello there! I too am low tech. I've been at it since July, and I've been adding pretty much week to week. I use very low light, no CO2 and only dose osmocote+ in my 29 gallon evrer other month or so. Since i've been sticking to low maintenance plants, I've been pretty successful.

I'm giving a little background because I'd like to offer my two cents to you. You mentioned that your anacharis and java moss haven't been doing so well, right? I'd have to say it is because of the Excel dosing. Through research and a lot of reading on these forums, the consensus is that these 2 plants will melt, as will vals. And as far as the java fern goes, I think pretty much everyone has that very same problem. I have a bunch, and all of them have at least a little browning to them. You may want to try some windelov or trident java ferns. They both look much better in my opinion, and both have kept their green color for me.

Anubias do great for me. It seems as though they grow in spurts. Sometimes they will shoot out several leaves every other week....sometimes they won't shoot any out at all. Regardless, they are always healthy. I have Frazeri....very nice. And I just put in coffeefolia yesterday. I tied it to a piece of driftwood, and it is by far my favorite of the anubias. 

You also might want to try out some Hygros. They look great, grow at a medium pace and are also easy to maintain. And as for floating plants, I use hornwort. It grows super fast, sucks up nitrates and the fish (and shrimp) love hanging out underneath it.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Lots of snow here yesterday and overnight---wow! 

shloken38, thanks for your "2 cents" on your low tech experiences. I had been wondering about excell. What is osmocote?  

raulfd4, thanks for your kind words


----------



## shloken38

I got a lot of snow too....about a foot. I've been shoveling all morning. I even have to shovel my backyard a little or else the dog won't go out...little bum!

You'll find osmocote tabs in the for trade section of this forum. Osmocote is a fertilizer that you can find in hardware stores. It is slow release pellets that people put into gel caps. You stick them in the substrate for root feeders. They have worked well for me. They are super cheap too. A year's supply is less than 10 bucks depending on the size of your tank.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Thanks for the info about the Osmocote and the gel caps

My dogs were ecstatic about the snow...ran around and jumped in the drifts like a couple of wild horses LOL! Now the temps are up and the snow has melted down considerably...


----------



## Saxtonhill

any clues as to the identity of this little plant? It's about 2 1/2 inches high. n. It came with the Java Moss and has been growing in the 30G for about a month now and has become much greener (and unfortunately has some algae on it). It has some new little leaves coming up at the bottom. Could it possibly be Dwarf Sag? 













in the 20G the corkscrew vals are sending out new leaves at the bottom


----------



## bjmcconk

Looks like a tall sag to me. Just put some in my tank yesterday. Could be wrong but the base looks about the same as mine did.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Well...at least one of the aeneus cory cat eggs produced fry that survived...I have a half inch long baby cory cat swimming around...it survived by hiding in the gaps between the rocks...I will try to get a photo of it!


----------



## Saxtonhill

christmas moss on the manzanita branch, darker Java moss on a rock and some anubias nana petite bits in the 30G tank. Oddly, this is the "catch all odds and ends and bits of left over plants tank" and it is doing better presently than the 20g. 












looks like some new growth on the moss


----------



## Saxtonhill

The Java fern babies are taking root and leaves are getting longer


----------



## Saxtonhill

Put some micro swords in the foreground of the 30 gallon yesterday.












And more anubia nana petites on small stones under the driftwood


----------



## Saxtonhill

well...this is what the 30 gallon looks like now...the corkscrew vals in the backl have a lot of new growth at the bottoms. I am hoping they fill in along the back. Now I have to be patient and see how things progress.

There sure is a lot to learn...













Below is what the same tank looked like last December with plastic plants (and one live Java Fern) and resin 'driftwood'...


----------



## Saxtonhill

Need to look into getting some sort of neautral (like 20% gray) background on the tank. The wall behind it is painted a bright spring green which doesn't show up the plants well...

I'm using root tabs and a touch of laterite...


----------



## Saxtonhill

Otos on the branch


----------



## Saxtonhill

The nana petite anubias are coming along in the 30 gallon











as is the christmas moss


----------



## shloken38

Very nice. I am doing something similar, except I'm using Pelia instead of Christmas moss. I love it!


----------



## Saxtonhill

shloken38, I would love to see the Pelia...do you have photos on a thread?



Baby Betta in the Java moss in the 20 gallon tank












What the 20 gallon looks like now.....the Java fern re-growth is continuing at the back of the tank (love Java ferns  ) 

I think it looks a bit sad right now...but things are starting to grow...like the moss and the nana anubias and java fern...had a discopuragement when a shipment containing three coffeeofolia anubias came in late January ...they were shipped in pots and arrived with rotted rhyzomes...only had 3 anubias survive of 6...the nanas at left are doing great and the so is the little Frazeri...
Decided to try a crypt and there is a little wendtii at front left


----------



## shloken38

I don't have a thread going, but here is a crappy pick:

















The second is a bad angle, but you can see some Frazeri tied on there as well. I also have a Windelov java fern tied on the other side. The Pelia is in several spots. I need to get in there and do some cosmetic touch ups.

Coffeefolia is my favorite anubia. Just love the shape and texture. Here it is tied to another piece (left side of wood):


----------



## Saxtonhill

That's a really pretty tank--very lush and such a variety of leaf shapes I looked up the Pelia and the text says it is a living fossil---that is fascinating!

You've certainly made a creative use of it on the driftwood...looks like it has a kind of 'puffy' habit to the growth. Really like how you've got the coffeefolia and frazeri anubias also tucked into the driftwood


----------



## shloken38

Aaahhh....thanks! It all starts with the driftwood. Once you find that "piece", everything kind of takes off from there. It's a learning process for sure. And aquascaping is never ending. At least this is how I feel about the whole thing.


----------



## Saxtonhill

20 gallon is looking rather better this week. Things are starting to grow slowly but surely. The anunia nans are sending out nice roots. The little crypt I rescued last week looks like it is settling in. It seems to be a wendtii ?) of some kind...this is a new type of plant for me...sure would like to get another one to put beside it in this tank. Very pretty habit and leaves  I am using root tabs and this really seemed to help this little crypt last week


----------



## Saxtonhill

Not a great photo, but this shows the nice roots on the anubia nanas in the 20 gallon












The anacharis are really sending out some growth...the betta really likes the anacharis












Some Riccia growing in a jar by the windowsill


----------



## Saxtonhill

The Christmas moss is really taking off...some light trimming might be in order...


----------



## MamaFish

I love the Christmas moss! How did you get it to stick to driftwood? Superglue? I'm planning a shrimp and moss tank and that Christmas moss is going on my list.


----------



## Paintcraze

I love all your photos...I am getting ready to set up mr first planted tank and they have really inspired me!


----------



## Saxtonhill

I'm pretty new to live plants also...this forum has just been great with info  Been having a lot of fun with the 3 aquariums over the past 4 1/2 months

MamaFish I used a little bit of super glue. I read somewhere on this forum that some super glue brands have some additives that aren't good for fish...I can't find the link...but search around...I used Loctite...I'm hoping that was the right brand...

Paintcraze...there's a great list of low light plants at the top of the Low Tech Forum section. I purposely chose plants that were good for beginners. I've been pretty lucky so far (knock on wood that the luck continues). :smile:


----------



## Saxtonhill

Java moss is sending out more growth in the 20 gallon.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Crypts in the 30 gallon...using root tabs and laterite...fingers cross for luck...I sure like the look of the crypts...have had these about 6 weeks and they seem to be doing OK and sending out some new leaves...


----------



## Saxtonhill

Black neons in the 30 gallon.






the angel fish is betting bigger...it's body is about the size of a golf ball now...(sorry about the dirty filter intake tube...will get that taken care of this weekend when I do the weekly water change)






not the best photo...but here are some blurred aeneus cory cats poking around the anubia nana petite plants and small stones...


----------



## Saxtonhill

whooops---some hair algae starting up in the 30 gallon...otherwise things are going well. Will do some water changes and testing...something's out of balance...maybe feeding the fish a bit too much... :icon_redf 









\


the crypts are coming along and becoming more dense in the 30 gallon


----------



## Saxtonhill

the crypts seem happy in the 10 gallon betta tank. The substrate is 2 inches of mineralized soil, capped by sand and then some gravel. I also used some root tabs.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Lots of algae in here...it's green algae and the gold fish seem to like eating some of it...saving money to get the goldfish a tank over 100 gallons...but for now 40g will have to do...I've got 2 HOB filters and an airstone going on this one and no water problems...just algae...though the java ferns seem to be doing better here than in the tropical tanks...

have had the 2 larger comets almost 8 years...the others were rescues from tanks at work and a couple (the 2 fan tails) were in a friend's fish bowl...they're happy and active but would like a larger tank


----------



## Saxtonhill

This is whatthe 30 gallon looks like now. I was hoping that the Java fern would grow and cover up the heater at right. Any plant suggestions for me for this area on the right? This is a low tech setup with no c02, a T8 15w flourescent bulb with 2 CFL bulbs in reflectors at the sides.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Here's the 10 gallon betta tank. Need some suggestions here too for some nice floating plants...the anacharis is Ok for present. Where can I get some frogbit? Also have some of that brownish thin algae on the sides of the aquarium. This is a fairly new set up.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Had relatives over to the house this weekend to visit my Mom for Mother's Day. I decided to do some furniture re-arranging and that included moving the 40 gallon goldfish tank to an upstairs bedroom. It was heavy (less water and gravel) and took three people to move it up the stairs. Here it is re-set up and free of most algae. (always liked a bit of the green algae...) Just standard gravel and rocks in here. 2 HOB filters and an airstone.

I am thinking about either more large rocks with java ferns....but liked the photo from DogFish's set up of Asian art themed ceramic pots of anubias in his orenda tank. Maybe there is a way to to a pot-like set up with rocks...will have to think on this...












The java ferns have really done very well in this tank. They've always been near the airstone. When I went to transplant them, they had a nice root system and were attached to the rocks. 

The background on this tank is a printed photo on plastic of rocks and some kind of plant...


----------



## Saxtonhill

added a snail to the 10 gallon. Very interesting and fun to watch! It is eating up the algae and also likes pellets. Reading up on what to feed it for care of the shell etc...

Added 2 black mystery snails to the 60 gallon and they're fun to watch also. They seem to be more nocturnal than this blue snail.


----------



## EngineChauffer

Very nice tanks! Seems you hit the ground running which I hope to continue doing myself. Nice job!


----------



## Saxtonhill

Thanks, EngineChauffer  I'm coming along slowly...so much to learn! This forum has been so helpful! Just today, I got some red Ludwigia stems and some water sprite (tag says Ceratopteris thalictroides). So I'll try those in the 60 gallon for a change in leaf shapes from the anubias, crypts (just LOVE those!) and the jungle vals. 

I think your 29 gallon looks very lush and the driftwood really creates a nice habitat  The gourami, Fred looks like a really fun centerpiece fish! I enjoyed the photos


----------



## Saxtonhill

Here is the ludwigia floating in the 60 gallon. I will plant it soon (and looks like a small piece of the water sprite floating as well).


----------



## Saxtonhill

The water sprite was a bit brown at the LFS, and I guessed this might be due to lack of lighting(?) I took a chance and when I got it home I trimmed out the worse of the brown portions. Already under the 6500K light in the tank (that super Catalina light!  ) the water sprite looks much better. (it was really brown yesterday...) Sadly though, a month ago, when I used some excel to try to eradicate the hair algae, I melted most of my vals. I also shut opff the lights for three days...The corks screw vals I think are gone, but the jungle vals seem to be making a resurgence. I've lowered my light hours to 6-8 a day and that has helped, as have more regular water changes. (live and learn on that one...it was my fault, should have been doing them more reguarly...) But I do have some light film-like 'spots' on the glass. 












The young angel fish like the water sprite also 












The congensis anubias are doing well...they had been loaded with hair algae as had all the crypts , the driftwood, stones and everything else in the tank...what a mess that was......I'm going to get rid of shreds of moss behind them...there used to be all corkscrew vals back there. I'm hoping to fill that it with the jungle vals as they (hopefully) spread. Big learning curve for me! But this is more fascinating than giving up and tossing in a bunch of plastic plants... ;P I am also thinking I have an awesome higher PAR, T5 light here and I need to study up more on the lighting threads. I want to stay low tech...but this is really a great light...I feel like I have so many more possibilities than before...


----------



## JLD

This is what I'm shooting for.


----------



## PlantedVirgin

Very nice documentary regarding your tanks, thanks for sharing. Is your gravel just standard pea-gravel from Home Depot? I am starting this weekend a 30 gal Ram tank with just a couple pairs and some plants. Also trying to find some small river rocks as well (will check HD as well).

Good job!


----------



## chale

You could use Cabomba to help cover that filter. I have it in my 10 gallon with 2 13w CFL bulbs and it grows like crazy. In a month it has covered my heater, air lines and made a nice backdrop in my tank with regular trimming and re-planting. It comes in purple or green.


----------



## Saxtonhill

VP...I am using mineralized top soil capped by EcoComplete and also use lots of root tabs. I mixed some laterite with the EcoComplete as well. There are some really great threads on the forum about soil and or dirt and what to cap it with. Have fun rock hunting! I very much like the look of rocks with the plants and being in western New England...we have waaaaay too many rocks in our soil LOL!  

Chale...I like the look of the Cabomba. I will read up on that plant  I need to cover up the heater tube and also the filter uptake...

JLD...lots of great threads on this Forum. Enjoy reading and take your time. I have to go slowly as this is such an expensive hobby and I tried to pick easy beginner plants. I still have a lot to learn too! This sure is a fun hobby though!


----------



## Saxtonhill

10 gallon betta tank is coming along. I put in two anubias nana in the foreground left, and one anubias nana petite (a rhyzome cutting from the 30 gallon) and at the back right, a couple of stems of wisteria (Hygrophila difformis) that I got from a neighbor. It would be nice to cover up that heater tube and maybe the wisteria will do that...












I sure like this betta, "Blue." (not an original name....and not the fanciest fins...but a pretty fish nonetheless  ). I haven't had a betta in many years, and I got this one as an inch long youngster at the LFS last February. It's been fun watching him grow and swim around actively in an aquarium with plants.


----------



## Saxtonhill

The blue mystery snail is almost as fast as a racehorse...it does laps in the 10 gallon! It has really cleaned the tank up and I have been feeding it some invertebrate pellets and algae wafers. (Sorry for the poor quality pictures...) Here it is on the anubias nana...











and now the snail is skimming across the aquarium glass...













Over the past two weeks, it has been growing out more of it's shell...and I hope I am feeding it the right food to help with shell production. Any input here would be appreciated!


----------



## Saxtonhill

and last March, I put a little blob of Riccia in a small mushroom jar and set it near the window and kind of forgot about it, other than making sure it had water and a couple of drops of ferts... Well...three months later and that jar is crammed full of Riccia...wow...does that stuff multiply! :icon_eek: Will have to switch it over to a pickle jar, I guess! 


Here is is last March:









[/URL]



And today:


----------



## Mizuhuman

wow. Saxtonhill keep up the good work. very inspirational. I should start grow plants in glass jars too lol


----------



## Saxtonhill

The dwarf sag is starting to spread a bit in the 60 gallon.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Slowly, slowly the 60 gallon is coming along...it's hard when you have a limited budget and can only add a few plants or items at a time...

Added some more manzanita branches and anubias nana to the 60 gallon. Unfortunately, when placing the branches at left back, I accidentally squashed some of the brittle stems of the water sprite (ceratopteris thalictroides)...it had been so bushy and lush  So with the water sprite I am back to square one in getting it to grow to cover up the heater. I planted the broken/short stems back in the substrate and floated the rest of the short stems in another tank to hopefully grow out

Really need some taller plants at the back (love those jungle vals...might get some more of those) to cover up the heater and those grey filmy spots...

I am unable to get rid of the thin splotches of grey (is this a bacteria or what?) that has been on the aquarium gl;ass for several months. I have tried scraping it off with razor blades and scrubbing with algae sponges...to no avail...it doesn't seem to be bothering any of the plants or fish and never seems to spread...so maybe it is part of how a new tank cycles in the first 6 months?


----------



## Saxtonhill

The 4 angel fish are each a bit larger than a silver dollar now...they love the new manzanita branches. The jungle vals are growing back...but, I see I am getting some hair algae again...will have to do something about that...













Some of the black neons...and anubia congensis and luwigia (repens? or other?) The ludwigia is growing very slowly... It's hard to tell in the photos...but there is still some pink on the underside of the leaves...but the pink isn't as rich as it was...could this be light related?


----------



## Saxtonhill




----------



## Dina-Angel

I really like what has happened in the past months in the tanks, keep up the good work!


----------



## Saxtonhill

Thanks Nadine  I'm plugging along and slowly learning  Very slowly...

Preparing to do some major renovations in the 30 gallon...and have a bunch of anubias nana petite...and on the look out for a thicker piece of driftwood stump...












And working to get the algae off the anubias in the 20 gallon...(the anubias are not very happy...but the guppies are...) Gave up on the Java ferns at the back of this tank...but the water wisteria is starting to grow back there. They were remnant stems planted back in the beginning of June...


----------



## Saxtonhill

Well...put some glass (ghost) shrimp in the 20 gallon. Have been wanting shrimp for a while and these were at the LFS...on sale as feeders...poor things...so some came home with me. They seem to be active and feeding and poking around the rocks, moss and plants for bits of food, algae etc...they really like the Java moss which has algae growing in it...

Terrible photo (I can't take close ups of small objects with this bad camera) ..but there is one of them...a female... perched on a crypt leaf...


----------



## Meganne

I got 2 amano shrimp and my tank has never been cleaner, they make my ghost shrimp look like lazy slobs


----------



## Saxtonhill

Meganne I'll do some research on the Amanos   

I've been researching how to care for shrimp and really wasn't planning on getting any so soon. This morning, the ghost shrimp were all hanging out on the Java Moss and rocks and eating so I think I lucked out (for the time being anyway).


----------



## Dina-Angel

I have Ghost Shrimp in my 55 gallon and love watching them. They are very active and do clean up some. And they are tough little guys. Just saw the other day that one was taking the shrimp pellet away from my Tiger Pleco, very entertaining!

Amanos are hard to get here, would love to have some of these!

What happened to the Wisteria that it has to recover? Did it loose almost all leaves? I have that issue with mine, but i can see mini tiny new leaves coming from the stem so i have hope!

I like your Anubias Nana Petite, looks neat with the stones!


----------



## Saxtonhill

That is hilarious about the ghostie snatching the pellet away from the Pleco!

Wish I could get some more of those petite nanas...I have an idea about putting some on a chunkier piece of driftwood...have to go out and find the right driftwood though...I got the petite nanas at the LFS but they're out and have been for about 4 months...and I can;t seem to find any on line... 

I got a few short stems of wisteria a month and a half ago (in early June) and planted them in the back of the 20 gallon. They're growing slowly, but definitely growing. I had java Ferns planted in the back of the tank, but they just never did well at all. The wisteria seems to be doing much better than the Java Ferns. But when I planted the Wisteria the stems were only like three inches high. Now they're about 6 inches high and more bushy looking. In early May, I also got some short stems of Hygrophila corymbosa that I planted on the right hand side of the 20 gallon. That is slowly growing also.

These are new plants for me so it's been a big learning curve...

My ghosties are doing pretty well. I did lose four of them in the first few hours they were in the tank. The rest seem healthy and they've cleaned out a lot of the algae that was in the clump of Java moss. 

I'm thinking about moving all the guppies over to the 30 gallon and just having the 20 gallon for the shrimp. I ordered a TDS meter pen and a GH/KH test kit as well as some Prime water conditioner and Purigen and a spong pre-filter...should be here in a few days...I'm scared to do any water changes until I can really make sure the water going in is Ok for the shrimp...Honestly think I have blind beginner's luck here that the shrimp seem to be OK in this tank so far...

again...here we go with another learning curve...


----------



## Saxtonhill

A friend has an old 29 gallon tank in their back yard...they want to sell it...I'm going to buy it cheap...but it's full of rain water and loaded with algae and mosquito larvae...ugh! :eek5: The cast iron stand is rusted out and useless...looks like it will collapse at any minute...

Going over this weekend to clean that mess out ...if the tank is OK and I can get it home eventually the guppies might live in there and the shrimp can have the 20 gallon.


----------



## Saxtonhill

It's been over a week...finally got to take a look at the 29 gallon that my friend has for sale. It's been sitting the the yard for a looooong time... Yuck---what a disgusting mess...got a big cleaning job ahead of me!


----------



## tetra73

Saxtonhill said:


> It's been over a week...finally got to take a look at the 29 gallon that my friend has for sale. It's been sitting the the yard for a looooong time... Yuck---what a disgusting mess...got a big cleaning job ahead of me!



I would tell him to clean it first.... You can get a 29g at petco for $29, usually at the end of the month, when they have the $1 per gallon sales.


----------



## Saxtonhill

What a terrible looking lawn ornament, huh? 

We found out the tank had a crack in the glass after we got the water out of it...so no deal :thumbsdow and it went to the dump...


----------



## Saxtonhill

In the 10 gallon Betta tank, I decided to spread out the clumps of cryptocorynes. I got rid of the moss. The riccia at back top right has grown into a good size clump. The Betta likes the riccia.

Thinking about maybe adding a low piece of dark colored driftwood to help hide that ugly heater! All the tones in this tank are mediums (boring--no contrast!)and a dark piece of driftwood would really help...the composition is also boring...


----------



## jpb1958

Thanks so much for this thread. Like yourself, I haven't had too much success with plants in the past and I have decided that I want to learn the 'dark art' of the planted tank first. Now I know I am not alone


----------



## 12redblue

I enjoy your journey into planted tanks and soon to be shrimping! I started my journey about 5 weeks ago deciding I don't have enough natural light for houseplants in some areas of my house that I would have aquarium plants. It's gotten totally out of control from there...

Note on the Ghosties I started with 3 and only have 1 gigantic one left. So bought a few more and after they were bagged up the LFS said they eat each other and mine did. It has plenty of food in the 10 gallon planted. So it will be the lone shrimp in that tank from now on and I got Cherries and Crystal Reds in my other tank. But then I saw the blues....


----------



## Saxtonhill

jpb1958 and 12redblue definitely check out the threads on plant care and propagation on this PT site---just amazing how much info there is! What a fun hobby!  I've been making some mistakes but learned to stick to easy plants for beginners like myself. I wish I'd had access to this knowledge years ago...couldn't keep a plant alive longer than 6 weeks and in hindsight, it was probably due to very poor low lighting conditions...

12redblue, I agree...so many beautiful varieties of fancy shrimps! And some of the photography over on the "Shrimp & Other Inverts" section of this forum is just breathtaking! I'll be starting with cherry red shrimp which I have been told are best for beginners like myself, just need to get past the last of the visiting relatives (Saratoga racing season is here and we're kind of like a motel with all the relatives visiting ha-ha).


----------



## Saxtonhill

Adding some anubias along the back of the 30 gallon tank...not very exciting but I do like the anubias 













anubias nana patite and anubias nana...the petites have been there for about 7 months and are slowly multiplying...eventually I'd like to have enough to put into one of the other tanks...it's pretty neat learning to grow your own plants and not having to buy them...

Really need something taller to go into that bald patch at the back by the heater...the Java fern hasn't done anything in months...


----------



## Saxtonhill

added some wisteria (Hygrophilia difformis) to the 30 gallon...this I bought in....but the wisteria in the 60 gallon is doing pretty well...so I may have some trimmings to put in another tank in a few months...


----------



## 12redblue

Saxtonhill - its Del Mar season here!

I can grow plants in the yard and my old house but the aquariums are a challenge. So far the low light 10 gallon with the 50/50 cfl plants are doing the best. The LED plant lights are pretty but the plants aren't growing as well. So still researching.

Shrimp are doing well. Only 1 unfortunate accident. Have CRS SSS grade surviving for the past two weeks so that is exciting. Hopefully past the tough part and they like my set up.


----------



## Saxtonhill

12redblue...that is awesome that you are near Delmar! That track has some of the finest racing in North America!

Here's a photo I took of the Travers Stakes leaders as they raced down the Saratoga backstretch. The winner, is number 5, Will Take Charge and the horse next to him on the rail with the white and red striped jockey is Kentucky Derby winner, Orb.

PS. Glad your shrimp are doing well...I've got a 20 gallon (long) tank that is cycling and I hope to have some shrimp in there in a few weeks


----------



## Saxtonhill

What the 60 gallon tank looks like now...it's tough to get a good photo but the Hygrophila difformis (wisteria) is actually doing pretty well and growing bushier by the day. The black neons actually spawned in it last week! There is a lot of algae on the back glass and still the smudges near the front right glass. 
















What the 20 gallon (high) looks like now...sold the guppies and ghost shrimp and put in a few female bettas. (yes, I still need a background for the back of the tank...) I've been looking for a good piece of drift wood to help fill in the gaps...but might go with some taller anubias....


----------



## Saxtonhill

30 gallon update...took out the Hygrophilia difformis and added cryptocoryne var. red wendtii in the right back. The Hygro went into the 60 gallon. (I bought the crypt...obviously didn't grow that one myself...it sure is a nice one though. Hope I can keep it happy)













30 gallon occupants...large marble angelfish and 8 aeneus cory cats. The angelfish has so much personality  The cory cats really like congregating in the anubias and the crypts.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Haven't posted for a while due to helping with long range hospice care for my Mom, which is still ongoing. I was able to add some black skirt tetras to the 60 gallon tank the other day. My Mom really likes to watch the fish. 



Picture was blown up to a bigger size and isn't the greatest...(the tannish round object on the fishes bally is actually a small pond snail on the back tank wall)










The 60 gallon...(sorry in advance about the pink plant---it's a plastic rotala...it's not staying forever but was added a week ago for some visual appeal for my Mom). I'm on the hunt for a live plant to put in it's place. The vals and wisteria are long gone...thinking about a wall of anubias maybe...or putting the stem plants in small pots perhaps to ensure they have better soil...


----------



## Saxtonhill

The one stem plant that has worked really well for me is the Hygro in my 20 gallon. I think it is Hygrophilia corymboso "kompakt" (????) I've also been better about water changes and general maintenance with this tank. Also the light is more less intense T8 15W.


----------



## amcoffeegirl

I like this thread. Great job. I love the anubias mini patch. Don't give up on ferns they are lovely when they decide to grow. One day you just wake up a see it has tripled in size. Very creative.


----------



## Saxtonhill

amcoffeegirl, I sure do like the Java ferns. Thank you for your encouragement!   There is still a small clump of them in the 30 gallon which are about two inches high...and also a half inch high clump at the base of the manzanita branches in the 60 gallon (photo below).


----------



## Saxtonhill

Did water changes a few days ago and the corys in the 30 gallon began spawning this morning. There are about 9 corys in this tank. The large black marbled angelfish was mighty interesting in having eggs for breakfast! (sorry for poor quality photos...the camera is a used Nikon D40 with a few mechanical problems and it's tough to focus manually---and focus through a coat of algae on the tank glass as well...and even with the flash I only got 1/6oth of a second and an f stop of 3.5...thus not a fast enough shutter speed in some photos and a very narrow depth of field...)





















I believe, if I read correctly in a book recently, that cory cats spawn in the wild when the rains come and bring fresh water to the rivers.


----------



## Saxtonhill

The angelfish, never far away, swam in to investigate. 












(see below the red dot) You can just barely see the fins of the female cory cat as she deposits her eggs on the underside of a leaf. The angelfish moved in shortly afterwards and ate the eggs.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Decided to move the female bettas out of the 20 gallon and into a 10 gallon set up just for them.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Wow...I was going to clean the 20 gallon and something was darting around in there...turns out there are still some ghost shrimp in there! I am really surprised that they didn't get eaten by the female bettas. I guess I'll hold off cleaning the tank for a while!


----------



## Saxtonhill

Here are a couple more photos of the larger shrimp...the other one is about half the size of this one


----------



## Saxtonhill

Thinking about doing some rescaping in the other tanks


----------



## Saxtonhill

The two ghost shrimp are out of hiding in the 20 gallon. They're a lot of fun to watch as they go about their shrimpy business of eating algae and 'walking' or swimming about.. (I think their eyes have picked up the flash from my camera!)

Here's the little one:












and the larger one:


----------



## fish-tastic

*Thread thoughts*

This is a teeny-tiny suggestion, because I think your tank looks really nice, and I greatly admire your efforts to learn about lighting. . . I have to admit that I find it all totally mystifying and don't even know where to start -- every source seems to compare apples to oranges when it comes to lighting, so I never even know where to start.
But I digress!
You mentioned using black cotton thread to tie plants to a surface. I tried that too, because the black thread becomes almost invisible. But it rotted pretty quickly, certainly before any new roots were growing in my super-low-tech tank.
So I tried clear nylon sewing thread -- much thinner than fishing line, if you're wondering, and almost invisible. Seems to be working just fine!
Is this now a thread about thread?


----------



## Saxtonhill

Hi Fish-Tastic, I think maybe your note was intended for another discussion tpoic?

I still consider myself very much a beginner to growing live aquarium plants...I'm not sure I have much helpful advice to offer...

On tying plants with the black thread...I switched very early on from thread to using a small dot of super glue to stick my anubias to stones and mosses to stones, branches etc. Just be careful not to get too much on the anubia rhizome as the glue can smother the rhizome and then kill the plant. 

Here is a link (below) to "Lighting Articles and FAQ" and you might want to take a look at the sub link "Lighting an Aquarium using PAR instead of Watts). 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184634

Hope this helps!


----------



## trini_fella

lovely tank and progress man


----------



## Saxtonhill

The ghost shrimp are doing fine.  And I added some neon tetras to the 20 gallon tank recently. 













The neons are fun, perky little fish...and yes I do have an algae farm...


----------



## burr740

Nice tanks. I've enjoyed this thread :subscribed:


----------



## Saxtonhill

It has been 10 months since I have updated this thread, due to caring for my terminally ill Mother with in-home hospice. Sadly, my Mother passed away last summer. In this time frame, I was only able to do water changes maybe 3 times, and generally just topped off the evaporated water and fed the neons.

The neons are doing great (maybe?) I had 15 and there are 11 remaining. The plants in the tank were mainly anubias, which are doing generally OK, but the crypts slowed down considerably and did not send out very many new leaves. The Hygrophilia corymboso has been reduced to just a few floating clusters, but with lots of roots. Sadly the shrimps are no more. The java moss was loaded with hair algae, so I pulled most of that out and will try to sort the moss from the algae in a dish. I was only keeping the hood light on for about 4-5 hours a day and some days not at all, so the algae over growth isn't too bad. However, a year ago the tank's plants were so much more lush looking and now...all looks kind of sadly dormant and neglected.

Last week, I did a 25% water change (first in several months), and discovered that the temperature of the water was 68 degrees due to the heater being unplugged for some reason.  It must have been unplugged for a long time. However, the neons didn't seem to be very much bothered by this low temperature. Their colors were bright blue and red and they would come to the front of the tank to be fed when I came into the room. I plugged in the heater and after a few hours the temperature gradually went up to 74 F where it has remained consistently. The neons became a bit more active, but seem pretty much the same as they were in the 68 degree water with bright colors and good appetites. I have read that they like cooler temperatures in the lower 70s, but I also feel that I was very lucky that I didn't lose many of the neons! And also very lucky that the water temperature didn't go lower as we don't heat the upstairs rooms much past 62-63 F at night in the winter. 













Below is a close up of the sad looking little red melon (?) sword that I transplanted last week into the 20 gallon from the 30 gallon. It is showing much more green than last week...I put in a couple of root tabs in the vicinity...but it is still very poorly looking.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Today, before I did the 25% water change on the 20 gallon, I tested the water, thinking that with the top offs due to evaporation over nearly 10 months, the water was going to be pretty badly concentrated with wastes, etc. I kind of hesitated to post the results but I won't learn anything if I don't post them...so please chime in and let me know what are your thoughts

Here are the test results before the water change: 
Temperature 74 F

Used API Freshwater Master Test Kit
PH 7.8
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrates about 40 ppm (bright red nearly matching the hue of the 40 ppm test chip)

TDS 826



After a 25% water change: (used API water conditioner)

Temperature: 74 F
PH 7.6 (Tap water tested at 7.4)
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate closer to 30 ppm (bright orange reddish color which was in hue between the 20 ppm and 40 ppm test color chip) After testing, I put a Purigen mesh bag in the HOB filter. I only rinsed out the filter pad.

TDS 732
Only did General and Carbonite Hardness test after the water change. 
Used API KH & GH test kit
KH 12 drops (test kit states 8-12 drops are about 140/200 ppm) 
GH 23 drops (more than 400 ppm) (test kit states 11-22 drops are about 200/400 ppm)


The Tap water is: 
PH 7.4
TDS 317
KH 14 drops
GH 18 drops

I don't think I want to put any shrimp in this tank yet. Anubias apparently don't mind hard water?


----------



## Saxtonhill

I'd like to add more root tabs to the gravel substrate and dose the water with a little Flourish Iron and API Leaf Zone. These were the ferts I was using with better success in the past. I did not add any tabs or ferts during the past 10 months.


----------



## Saxtonhill

This morning the 20 gallon TDS is 764, the PH is still 7.6, and the Nitrate reading is about 30 ppm, with the API test color reading about the same bright orangish red.  It might be the rocks that are making the water more hard? It's mostly slate, but I do have a chunk of something the LFS called peacock rock (the striped layered rock to the left in photo below) Not sure about the nitrate reading but I will research that.










My gut reaction is to not try to change things up too much in this aquarium. The neons are active and poking through the plants looking for things to eat, they quickly come to the front of the tank to get their fish food, their colors are bright. The anubias are sending out new leaves. the algae levels are way down. The crypts look a bit more green, olive and reddish this morning. The leaves on the sad sword plant are greening up.

Going to keep the light time period to no more than 5 possibly 6 hours. Going to do small liquid fert doses every other week and if the algae increases, I'll back off on the light duration and the ferts. The bulb is an Aqueon 18 inch T8 fluorescent at 8000K. Going to do the 25 % water changes weekly.


If I want to keep shrimp, I will have to set up an aquarium with RO water and make the habitat specifically for red cherry shrimp. I purchased a 20 gallon long last year for this purpose but became very busy caring for my Mom. So maybe it is time to dust that aquarium off (it's sitting on a dresser with no water in it) and re-investigate the aspects of shrimp setups. I have a dish full of java moss and algae that will do very nicely in a shrimp tank.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Kind of beginnerly questions that I have to ask: 

This 20 gallon tank has been running for about 5 years. Are the high nitrate levels (about 30 ppm) a result of it being an older tank with perhaps more accumulated plant mulm/waste in the gravel? 

As I continue to do 25% to 30% weekly water changes and vacuum the gravel with the hose, will the nitrates continue to go down?

Will adding more plants help reduce the nitrates?

Was I in error adding a little bit of liquid ferts (Flourish Iron and API Leaf Zone) to a tank with 30ppm nitrates and am I looking at a possible algae bloom in the future?


----------



## hypsophrys

Sorry to hear about your mom...

I would focus on water changes almost exclusively right now. Get your TDS and hardness matching the tap water, to start. No ferts except a couple of root tabs, for now.

Change your light bulb, and see how the plants look in a month.

You can keep RCS in your tap params, IMO. If you want to optimize it for them, you could start mixing your WC water with RO and shoot for cutting KH and GH in half.

I'd be more worried about the neons eating shrimplets than the water hardness.

HTH


----------



## Kathyy

hypsophrys said:


> Sorry to hear about your mom...
> 
> I would focus on water changes almost exclusively right now. Get your TDS and hardness matching the tap water, to start. No ferts except a couple of root tabs, for now.
> 
> Change your light bulb, and see how the plants look in a month.
> 
> You can keep RCS in your tap params, IMO. If you want to optimize it for them, you could start mixing your WC water with RO and shoot for cutting KH and GH in half.
> 
> I'd be more worried about the neons eating shrimplets than the water hardness.
> 
> HTH


Agree with the above. If the tank hasn't had water changes then go slow. I changed about 10% when I started taking care of the tank again and my male Congo tetra wasn't happy. Continued to make small changes and he perked up. Topping off likely increased the hardness of the water more than the rock dissolving. Changes in hardness can be hard on fish. Once tank hardness and tap water hardness were the same I started making bigger changes.

30ppm nitrate is fine for a planted tank. Algae is more apt to be a problem if there is too much light and/or not enough nitrate, phosphate, potassium and the minor nutrients so the plants cannot grow well.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Thanks hypsophrys and Kathyy! I really appreciate your experienced input.   I sure would like to eventually keep some RC shrimp in this tank (and eventually move the neons to the 20 gallon long when it is set up and properly cycled) . Per your advice to change the water parameters slowly on the 20 gallon high aquarium, I've done about a 10% /15% water change each of the past 2 weeks. PH is hovering around 7.5. Nitrates are still on the lower side of 30ppm. I haven't dosed any plant ferts in this time frame. 

Also per your advice, I'm going to get some gallon jugs RO water from Walmart's today to start mixing into the this week's water change and then test the water to see what the KH and GH values are

While at Walmart's I am going to look at new T8 florescent light bulb for the hood. I am thinking of getting a 6500K to replace the old 8000K that is presently in use? 


Two weeks ago, I ordered some more anubias and the UPS man put the box into a snow bank beside out garage door. :frown: Fortunately, I was home at the time or that would have been the end of the anubias. Some of the leaves got nipped by the cold, so I floated the plants for a week and a half to see if they would revive. They all began to send out new roots, so today I trimmed off a few bad leaves and planted the anubias.


----------



## hypsophrys

Keep up the WCs and don't worry about dosing. Under a single T8 (very low light), you'll never need to dose fertilizers IMO. 

To Kathyy's point about nitrate, WCs will help bring it down while replenishing other nutrients which might be limiting growth.

If, after another month of regular WCs, you're still having algae issues, you might consider using Flourish Excel (half dosage to begin with, daily).

It will take Anubias time to outcompete algae, but low light is to its advantage, generally speaking. With slightly more light, stem plants can help with that, but under T8 you're pretty limited.

A 6500K light will be an improvement, certainly.

When you say "planted" the Anubias - hopefully that means attaching them to a rock?


----------



## Saxtonhill

[/QUOTE]When you say "planted" the Anubias - hopefully that means attaching them to a rock?[/QUOTE]


Yes, the rhizomes are above the substrate and most are attached to rocks by a small dot of super glue.


----------



## hypsophrys

Ok, good


----------



## Saxtonhill

Over the weekend I purchased 4 gallons of RO water at Walmart (labeled as drinking water and in small letters as Processed by Reverse Osmosis and had green caps on the jugs) 

I also purchased a T8 15 watt 6500K flourescent bulb and replaced the old T8 15 watt 8000K bulb which was several years old.

Out of curiosity, I tested the RO water:

TDS 7
PH 6.4
Ammonia 0 PPM
Nitrite 0 PPM
Nitrate 0 PPM
GH 3 
KH 3


The water parameters of the 20 Gallon High tank after water change and replacing discarded water with 2 gallons of RO water: 

Temperature 74 F
TDS 643
PH 7.6/7.7
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 PPM
Nitrate about 50 ppm (not good...obviously it was much higher before the water change!  )
GH 25
KH 14

Worried about the Nitrate level being so high after a water change, I decided to siphon out another gallon of water off the bottom to get at some debris under rocks and along edges of rocks. Water was BLACK with decomposing material. Did not want to siphon around the plants as this material is supposed to be food for the plants?

I replaced the siphoned gallon with 1 gallon of RO water. The parameters of the 20 Gallon High tank after this change are as follows

Temperature 74 F
TDS 590
PH 7.6
Ammonia 0 PPM
Nitrite 0 PPM
Nitrate 40 ppm 
GH 23
KH 13

I don't want to change out any more water until next week. This was more than a 10% water change but I felt that I had to get the Nitrate level down. 
I also removed the sad little red melon sword which was not doing well despite and was starting to rot.


**** Question: Should I be adding some nitrate loving plants like frogbit? Frogbit is a floater..just how big do these plants get? Anacharis? Or just more plats? I'm thinking they'd have to be low light plants that don't mind hard water.


----------



## hypsophrys

After a long accumulation like this there's definitely nothing wrong with lightly vacuuming the gravel; good call. And 10% is just a reference point.

Don't panic on the Nitrates, they will come down.

Bump: Oh, regarding floating plants. Most probably won't thrive under your light (duckweed, perhaps, but you don't want that). Pennywort might do OK. The main thing is that you don't want to over-shade the Anubias. They are low light but that's pushing it...


----------



## Saxtonhill

I was working on water changes on the 20 gallon over this past weekend and wanted to post a photo if the long flower stalk that has grown from the center anubias plant!   The photo was taken after I removed water but before I added the RO water...hence the puring waterfall from the HOB filter and the bubbles. 












close up. I'm pretty sure this is an anubias nana narrow leaf. I trimmed off the yellow leaf a few minutes after this photo was taken.


----------



## Saxtonhill

The flower just unfurled overnight!


----------



## Jcstank

I think your tanks look awesome. You have a good eye for the careful location of the rocks and substrate that makes it look natural like a slow moving river bottom. 

Have you looked into dosing with dry fertilizers? Have you read Tom Barrs blog on EI? I've read that using the estimating index to fertilize your tanks even with a low tech tank can take the guesswork out of dealing with nutrient deficiencies, which one can ague is behind many algae issues in planted tanks to some degree. You may want to be extremely careful with upgrading the lights as I've learned even small changes can throw things off balance. Lights really are like the gas pedal on a car. When you increase light you make the plants consume more of everything, which can cause one or all of the Micos or Macros to become deficient. If your plants are missing one of these essential elements they can stop growing and invite algae to take over and it happens quick. I lowered my T5ho light just 1" and within two weeks I had GSA everywhere. Like you though I'm not new to tanks but I am to planted tanks. So far I have had really good success with mine despite some small setbacks from the learning process. 

Also upper NY is not part of New England.


----------



## Saxtonhill

New growth starting on the little red melon sword plant. It might make it after all...


----------



## Saxtonhill

Jcstank---Tom Barr's threads are great! I am just amazed and awed by the "Bucket of Mud" thread on that self-contained and lushly planted tank...wow, wow, wow! I was sad to see that thread come to a conclusion.


New growth continuing on the little red melon sword. (and BBA on the rock in the background :icon_surp  ...that rock is coming out NOW :hihi: ) The tank has some old potting soil in the base under the sand (sand substrate came straight from the old 10 gallon betta set up) and I also used some root tabs. I used a different camera this week and for some reason, the photo colors seem washed out.


----------



## Saxtonhill

Traded some guppies with a friend for some dwarf hair grass (_Eleocharis acicularis_). It needs brighter light, so I put it in the 15 gallon which is my shallowest tank. It has the light about 7 1/2 inches from the substrate. The substrate is 3 1/2 to 4 inches deep.


----------



## Saxtonhill

The 15 gallon with the hair grass 












And the 20 gallon with an added anubias nana in center front (traded for this plant too)












neons in the 20 gallon


----------

