# First Planted Tank! Fluval 6G w/pictures!



## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Hey!

So quick summary! 
About 2 weeks ago I noticed some really bright red cherry shrimp at the pet store, I couldn't resist. I bought two. I had always gotten ghost shrimp for my beta's 2.5g , but that's because it's all they ever had! Would you believe my surprise when I got home and found out that one of them had eggs!

After putting the two (Cherie and Peppermint) into beta-land, their lives were immediately very stressful. My beta (pirate) started nipping at them. I was not about to lose my two beautiful shrimp so I went to Walmart and picked up a temporary little cube to put the cherrys in while I figured out something else. 

About a week in, the eggs hatched! What luck, right????? Now I have about 10-14 little baby shrimp and the two adults in this horribly small cube! I had to act fast. After a bit of research I decided to do something I've always been interested in...create my own planted tank! This is what I ordered off of Amazon:

- 6-gallon Fluval Edge w/ 21-LED light
- CaribSea Eco-Complete 20-Pound substrate
- Fluval Mini Pressurized 20g-CO2 Kit
- API Leaf Zone Aquarium Plant Food
- Fluval Edge 25W Compact Heater

Everything came in today and tomorrow Ill be setting it all up!
For plants, I'm thinking some dwarf baby tears? Would that work as ground cover? I'm not sure what other plants to get, but tomorrow I'll see what they have at several different pet stores. Any suggestions? 

Here are some pictures of the little ones:








This is the sad little box I placed them in for now.















This is the cube about a week after getting it (so pretty recent). I've been leaving on a very bright LED light on top of it every day to encourage algae, and as you can see, there's a LOT of it now! I know shrimp love to eat algae and it provides dissolved oxygen, so I've let it take over the cube. I hope I won't have so much in my planted tank x) (can you spot the babies??)

So! What do you guys think? Advice? :help:


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## DBridges (Sep 22, 2009)

I'm not sure what sort of lighting you'll get with the Edge, but I'm assuming it will be low to moderate, which isn't a bad thing. For shrimp tanks, I've always thought mosses were nice. Seems shrimp always like to hang out and graze in it. Anubias would be another good choice for a first plant. That big bag of Eco-Complete will probably be way more than you need, I'd imagine.

Cherry Shrimp breed fairly prolifically, so you'll be seeing more babies in the future, I'd imagine. Treat your shrimp tank like any other. Do water tests, water changes, and feed your shrimp. Certain blanched vegetables (cucumber, zucchini) may be eaten, but you can buy dry shrimp foods from brands like Hikari, etc.

Glad you got your shrimp away from the Betta!

David


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Update!

I set up my tank!















So, I have quite a few plants in there. Some will be trial and error. I was silly and forgot to write down the names of them before I put them in. I know the little grasses are dwarf hairgrass, and on the right I have an anubias on lava rock with java moss. I'm hoping the java moss will spread onto the larger lava rock behind it. 

HERE'S MY PROBLEM.
I placed 1 shrimp from my shrimp-cube into the tank yesterday and within a few hours it started turning white. I placed it back into the shrimp-cube to save its life.
How do I go about placing my shrimp into the tank without the shock killing them? (I checked the water parameters for the new tank and everything is basically perfect) However, the new tank is heated, and the shrimp-cube, was not. Also, will the guppies eat the baby shrimp if I put them in? 

Thanks!


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Shrimp like 74-76F but will tolerate 78F just fine. The Guppies will eat the baby shrimp.
DHG need either high light or med light and injected CO2. I have gotten some native hair grass to grow in a tank/w med light and Excel but it grew very slowly and worked better when I put individual pieces of Osmocote+ into the sub under it with my tweezers.
It's a great start. When the moss gets on the other rock you might want to keep it trimmed short as it will grow to be so thick it will die underneath if you don't.
You may want to investigate ferts for it. Eco provides none. But you do get some from fish food/waste. Enough for a few plants if the light is not high.


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## AnonAnona (Jul 2, 2014)

The "sad little box" actually looked nice 

As for the edge, nice scape but make sure you get a prefilter sponge to cover the intake pipe. Don't let your shrimp get sucked up there! Luckily, they're black so it will match your substrate and tank colour!

Keep up the good work! Looking forward to seeing how the scape develops in the next few months...


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Thanks for the tips!
I'll wait until my shrimp are a little bigger to put them in. but I'm still scared about the cherries dying from being transferred. They all look so happy in their algae kingdom box. 

The one that started turning pale in my Fluvial tank that I returned to the algae box is doing well and seems to have recovered from the stress. I think he would have died if I left him in there.

Right now the Fluval is in chaos 

I left for a day (two nights) and had a friend feed the guppies. For two little guppies she put in a LOAD of food. When I came back, one of them was having trouble swimming and his top fin was turning black. There was food littered on the bottom. I was very frustrated to say the least. 

The Fluval is very difficult to clean, especially without knocking the plants around. My first solution was to ask a friend if I could borrow his corydora. The corydora is taking time to adjust and not cleaning much. So I just came back in with three ghost shrimp. Ugh. 

I'm just imagining all the food in the filter.... 

So for this evening the status of my tank is a true resounding negative :icon_frow


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

So, I've returned the cory, and the three ghost shrimp seem fine. Hopefully the tank will be all cleaned up by morning. 

I had a question though. The way guppy 1 died was strange. He was totally okay when I left, but 1 day later, his fins were blackened and he seemed to sink more head first. Do you think it's because he over ate? Maybe it damaged his swim bladder and he couldn't get enough oxygen? I don't know. It just seemed weird that he turned black around the edges. I put him in a separate bowl and he's just lying upside down moving his gills. I put two alka-seltzer in there because I read that its a good way to euthanize fish? Poor little dude.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Update - Day 4

Guppy 2 doesn't look too good. His fins are starting to turn lighter and darker in patches and he doesn't seem too interested in exploring. Theres still a little hope for recovery, but Im not sure. 

The ghost shrimp seem fine, one had shed last night. And they're just starting to explore this morning. There's still food hanging around though, so hopefully they'll get to it before I have to try to do it myself :l

The tank is still clear and the plants all seem to be doing just fine. 











Back in the cherry shrimp's algae box, life seems wonderful. It's like a resort for them. I'll almost hate to move them when the time comes. I counted 12 of the babies this morning, and they're growing strong. Here's a glimpse into their green world. 
It's amazing what they can do in a little box with no filter or heater, and I soon as I try to put one in a real tank its game over. -_-


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Update - Day 5

Guppy 2 went down under. It's sad, but my original plan was for this to be a shrimp tank, and so I guess thats what it will be. 

I've successfully placed in my two bright red cherry shrimp. It's been over 12 hours and they seem at ease. The only problem is that the current of the filter seems to make it difficult for them to roam the center of the tank, so they're staying along the edges instead. Maybe once the plants in the back grow in, they can hold back some of the current?

The tall plants (the one on the right is wisteria, I believe) are putting out these reeeeeally long roots from mid-stem reaching down to the substrate. A little bizarre but interesting. They seem to be doing fine.


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

Its pretty typical of wisteria to put out "air" roots.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Hm, well that makes sense because mine have plenty. 

Okay soooo someone tell me...have I done something silly? I went out today to get a thermometer because I'm not sure if my tank heater is doing a proper job. While at the pet store I saw this cool looking sword fish. It's a _Twinbar Solar Flare Swordtail_. So I got one....

Now after doing a little bit of research I'm not sure if it was a good idea. Are my shrimp in danger? Should I return her?


There she is in her bag...


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

I think it would be better if the swordtail went back . 6 gallons is nowhere near enough room for it. If you want some livebearers in there look for endler's or perhaps guppies, but for swordtails you want something closer to 30 gallons as they're active and can grow to almost 3".

Also just fyi, if it has a sword, it's probably a male :wink:


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Oh mannnnn. And I just let the little dude swim free. Getting him out of the Fluval will be a task. I'll take your word for it, I looked around on the internet too and swordtails seem to be a little more on the aggressive side of community fish as well.

If I were to get another one, I might consider trying the guppies again. Or how about a dwarf gourami? I think a lone gourami would look nice, no? Would it be alright in a 6 gallon with shrimp?


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

So I couldn't get the names of all my plants at first but I think I have it figured out now
Going from left to right:

- Anubias and Java Moss on a lava rock
- Hygrophyla corymbosa "stricta"
- Dwarf hair grass in the foreground
- Rotala Wallichii
- Wisteria
- Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae (micro-sword?)

What say ye with plant knowledge??


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Okay!
Last update for today!
The fish? Gone. I returned her to Petco today (there was no "sword" on the tail, so it was a girl!  )
I've also gone through the laborious task of transferring the wee little baby shrimp to the tank, it took at least an hour. They are all now in there. Lets hope most of them make it!

The tank is starting to show slight signs of clouding. Hopefully it won't get any worse... :/ Only time will tell...

So. Homework.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Day 7
I went to this great aquarium place and they had TONS of fish (most of them too big for my tank). But I picked up 4 pygmy cories, 2 pea puffers, 2 green cryptocoryne, and this one big plant that I already forgot the name of (can anyone tell from the picture? It was low light..). 

The 2 little pea puffers IMMEDIATELY began searching out and eating my shrimplets! I thought my shrimp were too big for those guys by now but NO. I took them out immediately and put them in my bettas tank for now. ugh. trauma. 

And nowwwww, my 4 pygmy cories only seem concerned with getting out of the tank. I checked the water parameters and there seem to be nitrites. great. -___- Hopefully it will go down soon. 

I'm also a little concerned about the lack of light in that back right corner. Will I have to move the new big plant back there? 

So, here's the tank on day 7. Let me know what you think.


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

So I think a little research would have told you that the pea puffers are hunters/carnivores and will hunt little critters in the tank, including baby shrimp.

And is this tank just 7 days old? If so, it's probably too early to be loading it up with fish anyway unless you already cycled everything... This may be why the guppies and cherry struggled before. So were things cycled or are you using any sort of a starter bacterial colony like Seachem Stability? 

The plant in the back right corner looks like cobamba. I commented on your other thread that you may need to get a supplemental light for the tank. Didn't check if anyone commented, but again maybe someone else can weigh in on that one.

My advice would be let the plants and bacterial colony settle in more before adding any more fish, and maybe consider getting those corys out of there for now too... Hopefully the puffers and betta won't bother each other too much.

So my unsolicited word of experience:
I start a tank with a little fish food, some cycled filter media or sponge, and Seachem Stability. I don't add fish or anything but plants to a tank for at least a month after setting up, usually two months. This gives the biological filtration and plants ample time to become established before the fauna come in there and add a new element to the ecosystem.

Don't get too frustrated, we all make mistakes, whether experienced or otherwise, just keep doing your homework and you can avoid issues like this in the future.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

ChemGuyEthan said:


> So I think a little research would have told you that the pea puffers are hunters/carnivores and will hunt little critters in the tank, including baby shrimp.
> 
> And is this tank just 7 days old? If so, it's probably too early to be loading it up with fish anyway unless you already cycled everything... This may be why the guppies and cherry struggled before. So were things cycled or are you using any sort of a starter bacterial colony like Seachem Stability?
> 
> ...



Well, I did see that they were hunters/carnivores before I bought them, but looking at their tiny size I assumed that my baby shrimp were large enough to not be consumed by them. Wrong. 

Once the babies get bigger, assuming the puffers are still doing fine, I'll return them to my tank. 

I did add Nutrafin Cycle to the tank at the beginning to speed things up. I admit I should have checked the parameters of the tank before putting the new guys in. I assumed that if my shrimp were all fine, then the fish would be. We'll see. The guppies, I believe, were infected with something from the pet store. When I went back a few days later, most of their guppies were gone, and a few dead ones were stuck to the filter. eep. 

Now that you say so, the plant _is_ cobamba! I remember it now. Even as a low light plant, I agree that the lighting in that corner is not enough. I am looking into how to remedy that.. we'll see what I find

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it!


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

Ok, glad to hear you're using some start-up solution to get things rolling. And yeah, the guppies were subjected to quite a lot at the big pet store, I'm sure. That's unfortunate. 

Well I guess keep an eye on things. The waste from a fish is significantly higher than shrimp so it's best to add fish slowly, let your biological filtration build up, then add a few more, repeat until you're at an appropriate stocking level. I try not to make more than one big change per week, just to make sure things settle in well.

And I think those puffers are going to be a problem even with adult shrimp. Even if they can't directly eat them in one bite like they can with the babies, they may pick at the adult shrimp constantly until they die from stress alone...and then get eaten. Tough life for the shrimp. 

I think even my cardinal tetras are eating my baby cherries (which probably explains why the cardinals look so fat and happy...), which is disappointing, haha. Gonna have to move them somewhere.

Good luck with the light situation! My vote would be a finnex led, they're cheap, don't run too hot, and they have a nice low-light option available now, the stingray. Seems like a good little light.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

ChemGuyEthan said:


> Ok, glad to hear you're using some start-up solution to get things rolling. And yeah, the guppies were subjected to quite a lot at the big pet store, I'm sure. That's unfortunate.
> 
> Well I guess keep an eye on things. The waste from a fish is significantly higher than shrimp so it's best to add fish slowly, let your biological filtration build up, then add a few more, repeat until you're at an appropriate stocking level. I try not to make more than one big change per week, just to make sure things settle in well.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I've decided to give the tank at least another two weeks before trying to add anything. The baby shrimp should be considerably larger and the tank should be better cycled. At that point I think I'd like to add 2-3 scarlet badis. They're very tiny fish, and quite attractive. 

As for the light, I'll see how the tank is looking around that time, and if the plants are really lacking, I might pick something up to lay on top of the fluval. 

For now, I moved the plants with the greatest light needs to the middle where the light is most concentrated. We'll see how it goes!

So far the 4 pygmy cories seem to be doing fine, so thats good. Im considering getting 2-3 more of them in a few weeks too if all is good. 

Status for now: Good :thumbsup:


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## Powerclown (Aug 17, 2014)

Nice journal,nice little tank,good job.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Powerclown said:


> Nice journal,nice little tank,good job.


 Thanks


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Quick Update - Day 10

I just purchased the Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light, 12-Inch for my tank. It should arrive within 2 days. I hope that will remedy any downfalls concerning lighting that I have. 

My 4 pygmy cories seem to be much happier in my tank, they're constantly curiously searching the substrate and leaves for a tiny snack. I'm a little concerned because they don't seem interested in the food I got them (elive bottom feeder pellets). Maybe I'll try a different brand. Any suggestions from pygmy cory owners? Also, I read that they prefer sandy substrate and mine isn't sandy at all, how big of a concern is this for them? If all seems well by Thursday, I want to get 2 more.

My dwarf hair grass (unsurprisingly) is turning brown. Im assuming that my lighting is insufficient. Hopefully the new lights will come in time to save them.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Day 11 - 11/18/2014

Light comes in tomorrow!

One RCS seems distressed, losing a little bit of color and swimming around. Not frantically, but enough to tell he's stressed. I checked the nitrites and they're going up. The addition of the dwarf cories likely set it off. For now it's probably about 2-3ppm. Hopefully it doesn't get any higher. Come on little bacteria dudes...

Also, I ordered some Indian Almond Leaves. I saw on YouTube that it produces a lot of biofilm which is good for the shrimp. Not sure when that will arrive though.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

baby brine shrimp, bloodwords. they will love you.

don't add pea puffers to tank with anything besides plants. they need to be on their own.

imo oto catfish are the only thing and maybe a few other who don't eat shrimp. cardinals, neons will eat shrimp.

planted plus will be good. run only 6 hours a day for now till things get situated or algae will be your next issue. also look into root tabs and ferts. excel too.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

philipraposo1982 said:


> baby brine shrimp, bloodwords. they will love you.
> 
> don't add pea puffers to tank with anything besides plants. they need to be on their own.
> 
> ...


I use this Fluval mini CO2 bell diffuser, should I still add excel along with it or is that too much? 

Glad you told me about the 6 hours a day. I've been running the standard fluval LEDs at 12 hours a day and was going to do the same with the finnex. 

Yes, the puffers were a big mistake. From now on its shrimp and pygmy cories. I can vouch for pygmy cories staying away from the baby shrimp, they're extremely docile little guys. It's funny how much they resemble the Otos when I look them up on bing. Whats nice about the cories though is that they're omnivores so they'll keep any little food pieces from building up. But then so will the shrimp, and its not like much food goes in anyway. (I put in the occasional Fluval shrimp granules, which the cories seem to like as well)

I use API Leaf Zone once a week for fertilization, think that's sufficient? 

Also, how do the root tabs work? I cant put it directly under the plants, so do I just stick it in the substrate near them? And the roots find it eventually?


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

Leaf zone is micros only from what I understand. You need to dose macros too. Npk. 

Look at dry ferts.

Root tabs go in near plants. One every 3-5square inches should be good.

If you have pressurized co2 then no need for excel


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Here are a few pictures of the little dudes in my tank:









(The above is an old one, but I thought it was cute)










(Above: One of the cories strayed from his group)









(Above: One of the two adult cherries contemplates life)


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## RexDart (Aug 12, 2013)

Heads-up, I have watched scarlet badis bite my shrimp in two. Small bugs are their natural food source, much like puffers. They're very similar to dwarf puffers except that the badis is less aggressive to larger critters.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

RexDart said:


> Heads-up, I have watched scarlet badis bite my shrimp in two. Small bugs are their natural food source, much like puffers. They're very similar to dwarf puffers except that the badis is less aggressive to larger critters.


Yeah, I've heard some not-so-friendly things about the little guy so I'm staying away from them. Just shrimp and cories for now. I might consider rasboras once I feel I have enough adult shrimp.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Day 13

The Finnex planted + is in!
Woo!

Here are some picture updates I took this morning. 




























Also, I'm going to get two more pygmy corydoras today


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

*Going good!*

It looks a lot better with the light roud:


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

My plants are pearling! YUSSS
Okay, so I've decided to pick up 2 more dwarf corydoras and 1 or 2 nerite snails tomorrow.
Anyone think this is a bad idea?
My total animals would be (if I included them):
6 dwarf corydoras
2 ghost shrimp
2 cherry shrimp
5+ baby cherry shrimp
1 nerite snail

Also, should I consider Otos? And how many nerites should I consider getting(if any)(I heard they eat up dead plant matter?)?


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

Nerites and Otos both eat algae, so they would be competing with each other. I think you'd be better off with a couple of nerites, and leave it at that.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

dpod said:


> Nerites and Otos both eat algae, so they would be competing with each other. I think you'd be better off with a couple of nerites, and leave it at that.


Sounds good, I imagine the otos would also end up taking space from my corydoras. Nerites it is, hopefully I can find some nice ones. Thanks!

Look at this cool effect I discovered! I didn't want to leave the Finnex on too long (holding the algae at bay), so I turned off the bright LEDs, and left on the blues with the standard Fluval light in the background. Check it out!


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Day 14!

It's been 2 weeks now, and my tank has gone through a lot of changes and trial and error. It's today that I finally feel like the setup is complete. 

I went to the fish store today and picked up 2 nerite snails, 2 more pygmy cories, some java moss, and some dwarf baby tears I just happened to notice a saleslady stocking!

I moved two of the hygrophila (?) to the back, and removed the dwarf hairgrass. All is well with the tank. Here's the latest photo:










I enjoy watching the corydoras swim in their group, getting 2 more for a total of 6 was a very good decision, and I found a food they seem to like much better than the other one. 

The baby shrimp are getting a little bigger everyday, and they're starting to take on a slightly red hue. 

All the plants are doing well.


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## Nanoful (Dec 28, 2012)

Nice one ! Those HC look so fresh ! 

Wat store do u get them from if u dont mind


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Nanoful said:


> Nice one ! Those HC look so fresh !
> 
> Wat store do u get them from if u dont mind


 Don't they?? I got it at this store nearby where I live. It's called House of Tropicals, hopefully they do okay in my tank. 

Does anyone know, is it better for me to dose with Excel or should I stick to the bell CO2 diffuser?


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Day 17 - The Algae Begins










Main points:
1. The HC is doing so well, I'm so surprised because I always hear sad stories about this beautiful carpet plant. Is seems to be "fluffing up" and is pearling. 

2. This made me want to ensure their continued success, so I purchased and pushed in some seachem flourish tabs around them. I also decided to add a drop of API CO2 booster every day (along with my fluval mini bell diffuser)

3. My shrimp are being weird. I mean, they seem fine but they wont come out into the open any more. Maybe its the new bright light? The baby ones (now turning quite red) don't seem to mind being out in the open, soooo Im not tooo concerned. for now. But I am concerned about....

4. ALGAE whyyyyyy! I noticed some green hair algae on the leaf of my front-most hygrophila corymbosa. I quickly removed the whole top section of the plant (which was strangely deformed anyway). On my wisteria and the rotala wallichii theres this horrible brown stuff forming on the leaves. *I need wisdom*. Right now it doesn't seem like a big problem, but I'd much rather nip it in the bud now than let it get worse. *What should I do*??


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

JEiffel said:


> Day 17 - The Algae Begins
> 
> 
> 
> ...


First question is how long are you running that new light? Are you running both lights at the same time? Maybe you need to start out with much less time and try bringing it online longer and longer till you get algae. Or what you could do is put something under the light like some screen mesh till you reduce the intensity of the light enough to where you don't get algae. 

I've got a Fluval 6G Edge that I need to get up and running, as well as a planted + that I'm going to run on this instead of the stock lighting, but I've got one that will run the entire length of the tank. I plan on using window screen to reduce some of the light output from it though in hopes to keep algae at bay.


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## sponge1234 (Jan 6, 2014)

Be careful with the shrimp and Co2. With both the gas and liquid co2 it might be why there are not as active as before.


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

Photoperiod would be good to know. I tend to not do more than 6 hours on a new tank. Or maybe longer but at lower light intensity. The shrimp should be ok with CO2, since they're cherries. Mine do fine in higher than 30 ppm CO2 (light yellow/green on the drop checker, that is).

Keep in mind this is also a new tank. New tanks are most susceptible to algae as the ecosystem is still not balanced. Plants are settling in, bacteria and fauna are settling in, I've never had a new tank be algae-free for very long. Just remove what algae you can by hand and keep an eye on the parameters (light, CO2, nitrates, phosphates), if something seems out of whack, fix it. As long as the algae doesn't overtake things, you're doing fine.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Updates!

1. During Thanksgiving break I left the tank alone for 5 days with an automatic feeder for the cories. When I came back, here's what I discovered:

- The snail population is increasing RAPIDLY. I have tons of little snails all over. Is it bad that I don't mind them? I assume they're helping to keep things clean? Maybe once it starts to look like an infestation, I'll give the two zebra nerites to a friend and introduce an assassin snail or two. 
- My dwarf baby tears (HC?) started turning brown. I assume this is because I left them so long without CO2. I've been back since Monday, and with the reintroduction of CO2 they're already looking better. I'm considering getting an automatic CO2 dispenser. $60+ urgh. 
- My pygmy cories left me a surprise! There's a little clump of eggs on one of the crypt leaves. It'll be fun seeing them hatch and grow, although I may have too many once it's said and done.. I don't think my feeder was dropping them enough food though, so next time I'll increase the daily amount, but they all look well. 
- The algae hasn't increased too much, in fact its disappeared off the leaves for the most part, mostly thanks to the snails and shrimp probably. The little green spots on the glass are growing though, so I've purchased a floating magnetic tank cleaner from Amazon prime. Guess I know what Ill be doing on Friday... In response to previous inquiry the photo-period is from 9am to 6pm. Thats too much, isn't it? I hate to turn it off before the rotala has closed for the evening though, and while the baby tears are pearling. 
- Lastly, the shrimp that started it all. The cherries are doing great, and a few of them have grown quite big. I still can't get over how lucky I was to purchase one with eggs in it...

Welp! Thats all for now.


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

The snails are ok. They do eat algae after all, haha.

What do you mean by an automatic CO2 dispenser? An electronic solenoid? I didn't know one could be used with these little CO2 systems...

I would think the eggs are snail eggs... as I understand it cories are challenging to get to breed. 

9 hour photo period is pretty long for a new tank, I don't even run my established tanks for that long. If you want light the whole time, you could run the stock light for 8-ish hours and then have the finnex come on for 5 or 6 hours in the middle of the photoperiod. The plants will adjust to varying lighting conditions, the HC and rotala will be fine.

Glad to hear the shrimp are doing well! They're pretty hardy little guys. I've got some cherries in a tank that has been more or less ignored for a month and they're really doing great in there, haha. Even well outside conditions published online for cherries to live in. They really adapt easily.

Hope things keep doing well!


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

It has been a month!

The tank is doing great.

I moved a few things around, nothing too dramatic. All the plants are flourishing. I am content. 

I used my new magnetic glass cleaner to get the algae spots, and it worked perfectly (mag-float if anyone was wondering or looking for a good magnetic cleaner for glass aquariums).

I snapped some pics to share the progress:


































OKAY, so that last one!!!
I was taking pictures of the tank, happily snapping away, when this little dude DROPS from the top of the aquarium (must've been on the hornwort), and starts squirming pretty violently! Ahhh, it creeped me out! I went to my computer to look up "my shrimp is having a seizure" to see if that was even a thing, and after a few minutes I went back to look at the tank, and it turns out he had molted. So I was like "whew" he's fine. 
But now he's dead. I think. He's laying on his back, half curled up.... what a dramatic way to go... Now I thiiiink its because he's old. All the plants/animals in the tank seem fine, but the two ghost shrimp (who are quite big) were turning an off-white color. I assume shrimp 2 may be next. I checked the water parameters just to be sure. 

Water:
Nitrates: little to none (~10ppm)
Nitrites: none (0ppm)
Hardness: hard...but not very hard (~200ppm GH)
Alkalinity: between moderate - ideal (~100ppm KH)
pH: Neutral (~7.2)

I'm also concerned there may be too much CO2. My plants have been pearling like crazy. I fill my bell diffuser 2x/day and put in a little liquid CO2 in the morning to get them going. Boy within an hour, and all day at any given time, the little bubbles are constantly floating to the surface. All this is making me happy, but not if things are going to die. 

So I purchased a CO2 indicator. The Fluval one. Should arrive on Monday. 

Oh, and one last thing. I'm still leaving for 10 days around Christmas. 10 days without CO2 is a scary thing, especially for the dwarf baby tears. I was looking for an aquarium automatic liquid dispenser. hah. as if. What are my options????

Feel free to post any questions, comments, or wisdom. All are appreciated


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Sooo, the indicator came in but the fluid has stayed blue for the past 19 hours... now Im not so sure it works. grr.


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## pewpewkittah (Jan 14, 2014)

Despite this being your first planted tank, you've done a really nice job balancing and everything looks super healthy. One of my favorite Fluval 6g tanks for sure. 

I've kept shrimp for about 6 months now, so I am no expert. But, I have noticed there will be random deaths every so often. I always be sure to wash my hands well before sticking my hand in the tank. Also, I don't know how often you do water changes but sometimes its better to do them less often. I do a 30-40% every 3-4 weeks, depending on my water hardness levels. This is because I have rocks that raise kh/gh. Neocardia are pretty hardy...


Keep up the updates!!


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## chayos00 (Sep 22, 2013)

JEiffel said:


> Sooo, the indicator came in but the fluid has stayed blue for the past 19 hours... now Im not so sure it works. grr.


So not sure if you either have set it up wrong, or if the fluid is no good. I tried to google how the indicator works, but couldn't find any steps. However I came across this when looking for some info for you. This guy makes homemade 4dkh solution. My thoughts are with making this, you can confirm if your indicator fluid is correct or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lC_fZUwnc0

"It's a how to video of how to make 4 dkh fluid for your Co2 drop checker in your planted tank! It's a very easy to do, follow, and make recipe! The things you will need will probably even be sitting around in your fish room and or house hold!
1. 2.4 grams of baking soda
2. 2 liters or 2000 mL of distilled water
3. 5 mL syringe
4. Ph test solution from API test kit or other test kit that contains this solution. 

First measure out 2.4 grams of baking soda. Then measure out 2 liters of distilled water, or 2000 mL. Next mix the two together and measure out 50 mL of this mixture. Mix the 50 mL of this solution, which is 40 dkh fluid with 450 mL of distilled water to get 4 dkh solution. At this point get the Ph test solution and put at least double the recommended drops in 5 mL of the 4 dkh solution and your done! All you have to do now is add this into your drop checker and start measuring and dialing in your Co2 systems with an accurate and easy to make 4 dkh solution!"


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Thanks for the tips. I might try less water changes. My water is pretty hard, does that mean I should do less or more water changes? 

Which brings up my next topic...

*Question. *My rotala is struggling. It used to be a beautiful lush green, and it was growing so fast and healthy. Lately its been turning brown, and some of the leaves are dying. The tips where most of the growth occurs are getting small. Something has really upset it  I read that the water might be too hard? Does hard water really affect rotala wallichii that bad? I'm giving it more time, but if it keeps getting worse, I'll need to get rid of it. Pretty sad, because I think it looks great in the center. What thinkest ye? 

On the topic of making my own CO2 indicator fluid, I just might try it after finals  Looks like an easy little project, thanks !


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Here's a picture:









It looks okay I guess, but the leaves are curling at the end, and they are a little more brown than the picture is showing. hm..


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## pewpewkittah (Jan 14, 2014)

JEiffel said:


> Thanks for the tips. I might try less water changes. My water is pretty hard, does that mean I should do less or more water changes?
> 
> Which brings up my next topic...
> 
> ...


How hard? Do you have a TDS meter? If it is over 400-500, I would seriously consider a RO unit. I purchased a 5g unit online and it was about 120$. I'll try to find a link for you. I guarantee the shrimp AND plants will respond well, many minerals in city water are pretty harsh. I've experienced less algae outbreaks from using RO water as well. Not only will it be much better for your tank(s), but its nice having good tasting water! 

For the Rotala turning brown, water hardness could be the only problem. However, I've had this plant before and couldn't keep it even in 50TDS water. It's demanding in nutrients, co2 and lighting. How long have you had it? It could be slowly dying from lack of one of the things I mentioned above. From what I read online, it prefers softer, more acidic water.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

My indicator strips seem to put my water hardness around 200, so it should be okay. The unit seems a liiiittle pricey at the moment, so I'll let it slide for the moment unless the water starts to get really hard. 

*2 Updates!*

1. I installed the Fluval Pressurized 88g-CO2 Kit to replace the Bell diffuser I had. Filling the bell twice a day was getting to be a task and my CO2 indicator was staying blue regardless. Originally I thought that my indicator wasn't working, but after having the new CO2 diffuser run at about a bubble every 4-6 seconds all last night, my indicator has finally turned green. Now I'm watching it closely to be sure its not going to turn yellow. Thing about the Edge is that a lot of bubbles that reach the surface still have a chance at being re-absorbed (as the water comes straight to the top), so I imagine the diffusion of the CO2 is very successful. 

2. I got guppies! I just HAD to get some fish. I feel like it's a let-down when people see my tank then realize that the only fish in it are tiny little corys, red shrimp, and some snails. These two are brilliant. I've dubbed them Flame and Sunset. I hope they will live much happier lives than the first two guppies I had in this tank a month ago. The orange is a nice contrast with the green, so they really stand out. :thumbs:










(Also, the tank is not at all as dark as it looks in the picture, I just darkened the settings on my phone so that the HC and guppies wouldn't be burned out (just white) in the photo)


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## ChemGuyEthan (Apr 13, 2014)

Haven't stopped in here in a while. You're doing a great job!

To address a few things I've missed:
With the drop checker, I probably would have suggested that your CO2 is substantially lower than you think, haha. I'm glad you figured it out though. Watch the fish and shrimp closely, they will respond to high CO2 faster than your drop checker will. Drop checkers take about 1-2 hours to read accurately whereas your shrimp will start freaking out much sooner. The fish will be at the surface trying to get to the oxygenated, lower CO2 water. So keep an eye for those signs even if the drop checker is still green.

And all this hard water talk... I will say I'm keeping RCS (they do seem to be breeding, I see little guys all over) in absurdly hard water, which I'm embarrassed to say the number, but it's much higher than pewpew's number of 400-500 TDS reading. The tap here comes out at nearly 800 now (was only 500 over the summer). So long as they acclimate well, it should be fine.

...That being said, I did spring for an RO unit, haha. I use it on a few different tanks, but my larger tank is just not feasible to do RO. Maybe if I'd started from the beginning with RO I could just supplement. But now it's too late, haha.

A small tank like yours I would think you could just get a 5 gallon jug of RO from your LFS. Cost me $15 for the jub, filled, and $4 to get it filled thereafter. I used to do this sometimes before I got my own unit. For your small tank, you could get two water changes out of the 5 gallon so it would be a cheaper alternative for now.

And those guppies to give a nice flash of color to the tank.

Keep up the good work!


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

ChemGuyEthan said:


> Haven't stopped in here in a while. You're doing a great job!
> 
> To address a few things I've missed:
> With the drop checker, I probably would have suggested that your CO2 is substantially lower than you think, haha. I'm glad you figured it out though. Watch the fish and shrimp closely, they will respond to high CO2 faster than your drop checker will. Drop checkers take about 1-2 hours to read accurately whereas your shrimp will start freaking out much sooner. The fish will be at the surface trying to get to the oxygenated, lower CO2 water. So keep an eye for those signs even if the drop checker is still green.
> ...



You would definitely be right about my CO2 levels. Ever since introducing the new CO2 diffuser my indicator has been green. I've been keeping a close watch on the fauna, and they all seem to be doing just fine. 

It also turns out that hard water was nott the problem. I believe it was CO2. The bell diffuser was not adequately providing CO2 to my plants. Since I introduced the new source of CO2, the rotala has started to do better. The damage wasn't nice though. 

My biggest problem again is the algae. It wasn't so bad on the walls of the tank where I can just scrub it off with the magnet wiper, but now the hair algae is growing from my HC, and Im not sure what to do. I introduced an Oto in the hopes that he would be able to help out. I know, I know. Im at my fish-limit. I have 6 pygmy corydoras, 2 guppies, and an Oto. I'll stop there. 
Ive also shortened the photoperiod even more. Its at about 8 hours now, probably still too long? I think Ill pull it down to 6 hours? 

Heres the demon grass on my HC...


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## Zoidborg (Jan 29, 2014)

Im loving the progress on your first planted tank, great job! I love those lil pygmy cories, I have 4 myself.

My HC always gets attacked by hairgrass "Demon Grass =]' but it goes away quick once treated with excel/plucked.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Update!
So! I left on vacation 11 days ago, and returned just yesterday. Just before I left, one of my guppies overate and died (I put pellets on the bottom for the cories, and he would eat it ALL! >:l So. he died.)
Anyway, during my absence I left my CO2 on 1 bubble/ 6-7 seconds, had an automatic feeder drop in some food everyday, and the lights turned on automatically from 6am-2pm) When I returned, this was the status of my tank:
- Guppy 2 was dying, (I'm so done with guppies) I have no idea why. He kicked the bucket this morning. Flushed.
- There was a massive cloud-like buildup of hair algae all around my HC. I pulled it out immediately. 
- All plants, including moss, have had rich growth and are nice shades of green. This is good, but I may need to muck around a bit to fine-tune the aqua-scaping. The Java moss on the left side is floating up and becoming quite a blob. The Wisteria on the right, well I can't tell if it looks messy or not, though its certainly very healthy. Eh, something needs to be fixed I think.. What do you guys think? 
Here are two pictures, one of how it looked when I first saw it as I returned, and one ofter I pulled the hair algae and dead guppy 2 and refilled the water.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Some photos of life in my tank


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

So, I want to remove the crazy Java Moss on the left side, and replace it with some mini pellia. Problem is, removing that rock from the tank then replacing it would be super difficult with the Edge, and I don't know how to attach moss to something already submerged. Think its possible? Any ideas?


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

Hey JEiffel,

I'm happy to see things are growing so well for you! What if you just took out the moss and moved the wisteria over to the other corner, behind the rock? It might look nice to have the rock exposed.


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## Zoidborg (Jan 29, 2014)

I'm surprised that in such a great planted tank like yours you are having problems with guppies. I have a heavIly planted aquarium like yours and have a huge guppy breeding problem (I also have Pygmy Cories, assasins and cherries too). I have left 2 times for 2 weeks in the past 6 months and just like yours the HC is attacked with demons. My 2 male blue guppies and 4 blue females have created 20+ babies. They are all separated in different tanks now, so there's no more breeding.

I wish you luck with future guppies, don't give up quite yet, they're wonderful lil guys...


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Oh man! It's been over a month since I've posted an update.
I'm not going to lie. My tank is getting crazy messy. Once again, I need guidance. But first, here are some small changes.
- I got 6 white cloud minnows. I've had them for at least 2-3 weeks now and they're doing wonderful. 
- While the assassin snails were doing a fair job at tapering the pond snail population, it wasn't enough. So I doubled my assassin troupe, and have 6 now (instead of 3). The past week has seen a steep demise of the pond snail population. 
- My red cherry shrimp have given birth to the next generation of red cherries in my tank. I tried to get rid of some of the less red ones in the last generation (gave them to a friend), so we'll see how successful that makes my breeding. We'll see. Also survival of the fittest as my minnows are probably making quick snacks of the baby shrimp they can find. There's plenty foliage though so I'm very confident a good amount will survive. 

HERE IS MY PROBLEM:
Fertilization. I don't know how much/what to fertilize my aquarium with. The plant growth has slowed down recently (not a bad thing considering the rapid expansion of the last month), but the green hair algae is a problem. It entwines itself in my dwarf baby tears and when I pull it out, it pulls up their roots. :/ When I try to pull it up from the gravel, it takes the gravel with it. Its highly unnerving, and I've read it has something to do with proper fertilization? Could my lack of sufficient water changes be causing this? hm...

Lemme know what you guys think. Thanks for all the tips!


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Okay, so here are the steps I'm taking.

- Weekly doses of API Leaf Zone
- Reduced lighting to 7hours a day: 9am - 4pm. My Planted+ is SO bright!
- Continue to manually remove what I can

Lets see if this is enough!  Fingers crossed because this stuff is just thriving.


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Also I can't help but feel like it looks messy now, so I'm thinking of renovating. Any ideas?


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## Remmy (Jan 10, 2007)

I think if you heavily trim the hc it'll clear up alot of space in the center and solve the cluttered messy look
What is that bright bushy plant to the left of the HC?


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

The bright ones are cryptocorynes (I assume). They were sold as "betta plants" at petco. I got them because they were supposed to be good in low light. This was before I got the new light. 
I just added two more plants! Some red ones in the back left, and some clovers in the foreground. I'll need to get the name of the red one. I forgot to make a note of it...
Here are some photos!


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

+1 on the trimming

That's all it needs. Look beautiful otherwise, and I love your crypt shrubbery!


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

Trimming it is! I'm a little worried about taking out one of the baby shrimp though. Who knows how many little guys are in there....


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

So I did the trimming thing! It wasn't too bad, but the HC is growing back faster! And even faster than the HC, the green hair algae. Even after a 50% water change, the algae is growing extremely fast, almost doubling in length daily. I have to pull it out every other day. :/

In better news, I got a little honey gourami two days ago. He's great  I'll put up a picture this evening (EST). 

Best!


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## Duramax38 (Mar 2, 2015)

I love this thread and Tank!


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## prostudent4life (Feb 23, 2015)

This is an impressive looking edge! I know how hard it is to work in this little tank, but its worth it!


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## JEiffel (Nov 6, 2014)

So, to anyone who followed this thread...have I got pictures for you...

I finally figured out the hair algae. I cut off the CO2 and took out the Planted+ light. The green hair algae disappeared and the cryptocoryne are doing just fine. 

The pest snails are gone. All of them. The Assassin snails took them all out. Problem is, the assassins now have no natural food so I drop in a pellet for them now and then.

My little honey gourami is wonderful. She's the cutest thing in the tank. She likes to sit in front and watch me like I'M the one in a tank. Her name is Puko. 

All the white cloud minnows are doing great. They like to weave in and out of the forest of crypts, sometimes following each other, sometimes alone, wandering about.

The red cherry shrimp are happy as ever, breeding at a steady rate, and dotting the greenery with red here and there. 

I don't care what anyone says, the tank has extremely minimal cleaning needs. I haven't changed the water in maybe 2+ months and the nitrates are barely there, the water is perfectly clear, and the flora and fauna are all in happy condition. After this experience, I will never have a fish tank that ISN'T heavily planted. It makes quite a difference. 

Pictures up soon


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