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19 posts • Page 2 of 2

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


natalie265
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Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

by natalie265

I have purchased bulbs from petsmart before and none of them germinated! Anubias is a great low light plant (but should also be grown attached to drift wood). My favorite low light plant is cryptocoryn wendtii.

From what i've heard the bottled bacteria stuff is basically useless. The best thing you can do to lower the ammonia right now is frequent water changes. The bacteria that you need in your tank will slowly grow on its own. Don't make the mistake of replacing your filter media or rinsing it in untreated tap water--this is where most of your bacteria will be living and you don't want to kill it!


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

your tank is only a month old so it is probably still cycling

you need to do a 75% water change to deplete the tank of the high ammonia

do not add any chemicals except Prime dechlorinater

what is the reading for the nitrite?


etag
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 1:09 am

by etag

i had the same issues with bulbs...the only one of mine that started to grow was the water lily...as i understand after talking to my grandmother...it can take about 3 months for a bulb to germinate...and each kind needs different levels of ammonia/nitrite/ph
depending on the bulb's kind it may need levels that are fatally toxic to fish...also while the bulb germinates it will reset all the nutrient levels...successfully causing a tank to start cycling again...

basically bulbs are a project all on their own...


neo44
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:03 pm

by neo44

hey yasher,
I do not have the nitrite kit yet, but i did what you suggested. yesterday I did a 75% water change and it helped a lot cuz my fish became very active afterwards.

hey natalie,
thanks for your advice but last week i did exactly what you said not to do. my ammonia reading was dark green so not only did i change the filter, i also did a water change so i gues the cycle started all over. Bottled bacteria is definitely waste of money cuz i have been using it for past 5 to 6 days but no change in amoonia.
thanks etag so i guess i should just buy plants from now on. also with the bulbs it may have been the current lighting I have. my current lighting gives out .57 WPG which is not a lot if I want live plants in it. I ordered a new fixture with a daylight bulb, actinic bulb and led lights. it will give out about 1.84 WPG which, hopefully, will let me grow low light as well as high light plants.


natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

by natalie265

Well, you should also have some bacteria growing in your gravel, so hopefully all is not lost. Just keep testing the water and doing water changes as needed to keep the ammonia down until you finish cycling.

Your plants will love the new lights, but just be aware that using lots of lights while you are cycling your tank can create a big algae bloom.


neo44
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:03 pm

by neo44

thank you all for your help,
I think I am getting the hang of it. Ammonia levels are finally dropping it stays at around 1ppm now. I do 20% water change every other day to keep ammonia under control. my fishes seem happy. Still waiting for the light fixture and may be add more live plants.


neo44
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:03 pm

by neo44

i was just reading other threads and one of them mentions not to add PH stabilizer. I use tap water and its ph is usually blue. I use the ph down kit to lower it. The day after the water change the ph goes down to yellow so I usaully add ph up or do a partial water change to bring ph levels up. I was wondering what could be the cause of ph levels dropping that much? should I continue using ph kits?


dream2reef
 
Posts: 521
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 4:19 am

by dream2reef

Lots of things diminish your water quality. Usually the most common one is driftwood. A few other things as well. If you use the ph up or down stuff you have to constantly use it. The fish you buy are usually grown in the same water as yours so there's not much acclimation there.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

The key to PH is very very simple: a STABLE PH is better than a fluctuating one (only exception are the fish that are very sensitive to a high or a low ph, but these types of fish should be left up to the experienced hobbyists - most of the fish we have, especially freshwater, simply need a stable ph).

For instance, the tap water in my house is 8.1 ph. Therefore the ph in the tank is 8.1 ppm. Do I add the buffers? No. Why? For it is stable. The fish are not stressed or the fish adapt, and that is it. Simple

New Hobbyist

19 posts • Page 2 of 2

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