# Let's Make this into Something!



## redavalanche (Dec 7, 2014)

I liked the video too. 
Originally I wanted pea gravel but ended up going with sand. If there was an up side to sand I dont remember what it was.
Not sure if you like LED but the Finnex Stingray is nice. Not sure if that would be too much light.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

How does this look for plants:

1 x Dwarf Lily Plant , Nymphaea stellata 
2 x Ancharis narrow Leaf, Egeria Nanas
2 x Cryptocoryne spiralis
2 x Java Fern, Microsorum pteropus
2 x Cryptocoryne Wendtii red
1 x Amazon Sword, Echinodorus bleheri


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## redavalanche (Dec 7, 2014)

Looks like someone did their homework. 
Those are good in my opinion. 

But I have managed to kill egeria densa a couple times. 
One of my tanks is cursed the other is fine.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

> Looks like someone did their homework.


Thanks appreciate it. This will be my second attempt at a planted tank. My first attempt was a 10 gallon that ended in massive algae and dead plants failure, but I had some good learning moments along the way. I've also had some (not so successful) experience with marine aquarium fish and corals.

Looking forward to the next steps in the journey and whatever successes and failure may come!


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Fish stocking plan (in order of introduction):

6 x cherry barbs
6 x cory catfish
6 x neon tetras
1 x dwarf gourami

Hardscape plan:


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## owenjmayer (Jul 15, 2013)

Jealous of that gorgeous stand! You might want some more stem plants to help suck up ammonia etc faster, as I'm seeing a lot of root feeders on your plant list (& I love crypts).


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

> Jealous of that gorgeous stand!


Thanks! I actually built the stand using old pallets.



> You might want some more stem plants to help suck up ammonia etc faster, as I'm seeing a lot of root feeders on your plant list (& I love crypts).


Ok I'll look into that...

Substrate: 40lbs Caribsea Peace River
Lighting: I already had this 30" fixture I just needed a lamp - 1x24W 6500K


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Revised plant list:

2 x Micromeria brownei (creeping charlie)
2 x Egeria densa (anacharis)
2 x Bacopa carolina

1 x Cryptocoryne wendtii red
1 x Cryptocoryne undulata
2 x Cryptocoryne retrospiralis

1 x Nymphaea stellata (dwarf lily)
1 x Microsorum pteropus (java fern)
1 x Echinodorus bleheri (amazon sword)


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## redavalanche (Dec 7, 2014)

Substrate looks nice.
Reused the old light fixture, smart IMO.
How are you gonna cycle the tank?


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

> How are you gonna cycle the tank?


Ghost feed, drop some fish food in every few days...


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Measured parameters:

Temp: 78 dF
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

> How are you gonna cycle the tank?


I also decided to pick up some pure ammonia from Ace Hardware...

Ammonia: 2-4 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Plants are ordered!

Cycle is started, added 3/4 tsp 10% ammonia for ~4ppm per this handy dandy calculator: Calculator. Also a small pinch of flakes and a small pinch of pellets for some nutrients.

Lights are off, filter is running with sponge and bio-balls, air stone with low-moderate output, temp around 80 dF, plants hopefully here for the weekend...


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Tank is pretty cloudy right now so photos are not that great...


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

We've got nitrites!


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

One week after planting:

Still melting but not nearly as much as earlier. Each plant is showing new growth except the Java fern, it's just kinda hanging out right now. Dwarf lily is showing the most new growth (I count 7 new leafs). Each of the 3 bunches of Retrospiralis has a new leaf. Bacopa is probably the worst of the bunch.

Did a 30% water change yesterday and dosed 1/2 tsp ammonia, Leaf Zone, and some flake food. Water is clearing up.

Cycle is progressing nicely.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Tank has cycled and have added the first batch of fish; seven cherry barbs.

Most of the plants are doing well. The bacopa is still a little rough and the creeping charlie was a total loss. I'll probably get some more soon.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Two weeks ago added 5 corys.

Saturday added 7 neon tetras, found one dead at feeding time last night.

Checked ammonia and nitrite both were zero.

Plants are doing well for the most part, the sword has several new leafs, the crypt undulata has tons of new growth. Anacharis has been trimmed a couple times. Dwarf lily has several new leafs but nothing getting real tall yet. Retrospiralis and wendtii are slowly coming around. Java fern and bacopa carolina aren't doing much...


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Two more dead neons last night.

Parameters are still good.

Bad stock?


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## geisterwald (Jul 18, 2016)

wiigelec said:


> Two more dead neons last night.
> 
> Parameters are still good.
> 
> Bad stock?


How did you acclimate them? But I wouldn't be surprised if the stock was bad; it always seems like popular fish like neons get the short end of the stick with regard to care. Stores buy them in bulk and neglect them.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

> How did you acclimate them?


Float the bag for about 15 minutes then suck a little fish store water out and add a little tank water over the course of an hour. My pH is a little on the high side (8.0+) I wonder if that may be part of the problem.

Now one of the cherry barbs is floating on the bottom upside down. I wonder if he ate too much? I may be overfeeding...


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## AmayaOkami (Aug 31, 2016)

I'm in a similar boat as you with the pH levels, my water is also pretty hard. I have lost about 10 neons in the course of 3 weeks and from everything I've read, they prefer a pH more in the low 6 range and softer water. They will be going strong for a few days and then I lose them a handful at a time. Granted they are also usually from poor stock in local stores, but I've come to the conclusion that plus the really high pH and hardness that neons are never going to survive in my water :/


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

The cherry barb didn't make it, did a 50% water change tonight.



> ...neons are never going to survive in my water


Could be the case here also.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Last week added some Hygrophila difformis and Bacopa monnieri.

Yesterday added 3 Otocinclus sp.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Some water parameters:

N - 10-20 ppm
P - .25 ppm
GH - 3
KH - 8


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

So the tank is in a room in the basement that is very out of the way. So out of the way the only time I really go in is to feed the fish. I normally only go in the room during lights on hours. 

Well the other night I happened to go in during lights out hours but the lights were still on! I had switched the bypass on the timer so it was always on during some maintenance and this was probably a couple weeks ago. 

So the lights were on 24/7 for at least a couple weeks! No wonder I was getting some algae and the poor fish.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Well the last few months have transitioned from the Initial Excitement phase to the Negligent phase. Irregular water changes, feeding and dosing and plants are struggling with some algae issues. Fish are all doing well though. All the stem plants are pretty much toast. Now I head into the Repenting phase and hopefully bring things around. Regular water changes and dosing, I'll also be getting some new plants in the next few weeks.

Parameters and a photo:
Temp - 76 F
pH - 8.4
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 20
GH - 11
KH - 10
Phosphate - 0


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## Ritobasu (Aug 25, 2015)

Depending on how stocked your tank is, you can skip water changes to something like once per month or even less once your tank finds a natural balance. I've went through the same phases as you, and it helped that during the times I didn't want to do anything but the bare minimum (feeding fish/shrimp), I simply cut the lighting period from 8 to 6 hours and didn't use ferts. Tank adjusted and even did pretty well


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

I recommend fifty percent WC's from PE


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

> All the stem plants are pretty much toast


Lights probably too low..
for $60 you can fix that..


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

> Depending on how stocked your tank is, you can skip water changes to something like once per month or even less once your tank finds a natural balance. I've went through the same phases as you, and it helped that during the times I didn't want to do anything but the bare minimum (feeding fish/shrimp), I simply cut the lighting period from 8 to 6 hours and didn't use ferts. Tank adjusted and even did pretty wel


Thanks I'll probably try every two weeks for a while with the hope of extending that out as things (hopefully) get better.



> I recommend fifty percent WC's from PE


Thanks I do about 12 gallons which is pretty close to 50%.



> Lights probably too low..


Thanks you think 1x24W T5HO is not enough light? It is a two lamp fixture so I could always go to 2x24W T5HO.


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Starting to get some enthusiasm back!

Doing better with water changes (2-3 weeks) and reduced the lighting period to 6 hours which seems to have mitigated the algae. Trimming algae covered leaves and cleaning the glass has helped a lot. Also getting some decent new growth particularly from the dwarf lily. However did lose another neon down to 3 now. 

Order of new plants coming in this weekend so we'll see what we can do with those!


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Algae seems to be under control we'll see how this latest batch of plants fares I feel like I might be making some baby steps in the right direction!


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

The tank has been humming along livestock currently as follows:

3 male cherry barbs
2 female cherry barbs
3 neon tetras
3 cory cats
1 otto

Plants:
handful of crypts
2 dwarf lilies
1 java fern
1 anubias

Upgraded light to a planted+ 24/7 split photo period about 3 1/2 hours each morning and evening no algae at all so won that war!

Water change every 3 months or so.

Plants still are a bit of a struggle some of the crypts java fern anubias and lilies hang in there with little growth but can't get a stem plant to last for anything! One thing I'm trying: the pH and KH are very high in my source water (8.2 and 12+ respectively) so I started topping off and water changing with RODI to keep them down around 7-7.5 pH and 4-8 KH to see if that makes any difference.


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## livebearerlove (Aug 20, 2013)

Was your previous post really in 2017?


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Lol too long between updates?


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## livebearerlove (Aug 20, 2013)

wiigelec said:


> Lol too long between updates?


Absolutely..I like play by play.... I live vicariously by others while my tanks cycle...... ;P


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Haha not much going on here finally learned how NOT to grow algae now trying to figure out how to grow nice plants...


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## CatsMeow (Nov 9, 2009)

wiigelec said:


> Haha not much going on here finally learned how NOT to grow algae now trying to figure out how to grow nice plants...


How did you find the balance with algae? I have very hard water and high PH where I am too (we're on a well), and have been failing miserably with algae. Cutting lights down slightly helped. What was the secret?


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

CatsMeow said:


> How did you find the balance with algae? I have very hard water and high PH where I am too (we're on a well), and have been failing miserably with algae. Cutting lights down slightly helped. What was the secret?


Reduced lighting photoperiod and intensity. Planted + with each color on 1 click (except red 2 clicks) with about 6.5 hours total on time (split photoperiod).


Also reduced water change frequency to less than once a month...


...and an otto...


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## wiigelec (Dec 29, 2012)

Slowly getting this thing figured out:


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