Dry Start HC

deepghosh · 08-06-2012, 05:21 PM

Alright so I got back from my vacation last night and found out that a good amount of my HC has been taken over by that white stringy fungus... the affected HC is brown/dead-looking. I've read different suggestions. Some say to flood the tank for a few days to drown the fungus, some say to dry out the tank to kill the fungus, and others say to mist with excel solution (which I've done). Has anyone run into this problem and overcome it? If so, please help! I'll try and put up a couple pics tonight after work. Thanks in advance

csmith · 08-06-2012, 10:07 PM

1 part H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) to 4 parts distilled water. Mist with that, it'll kill all of the fungus/mold. You'll hear that "fizz" you normally get when you put the peroxide on cuts.

deepghosh · 08-06-2012, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith

1 part H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) to 4 parts distilled water. Mist with that, it'll kill all of the fungus/mold. You'll hear that "fizz" you normally get when you put the peroxide on cuts.

Thanks csmith. Should I remove all the dead HC or will it eventually grow back?

deepghosh · 08-07-2012, 07:23 AM

Here are some pictures of the HC now. Can't see it in the pictures but there are tiny white hairs on a lot of the plants. I misted with H2O2 solution and am going to let it dry out for a few days, hopefully that helps

csmith · 08-07-2012, 10:14 PM

Your substrate looks too wet. I'd let it air out a little.

csmith · 08-07-2012, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepghosh

Thanks csmith. Should I remove all the dead HC or will it eventually grow back?

I'm not sure if it'll come back, but I'd leave it. When mine looked like that I left it and it did bounce back.

csmith · 08-07-2012, 10:19 PM

Here's a side shot of my water level. Notice how low it is in in comparison to the substrate. Soaking your substrate is very counterproductive.

deepghosh · 08-08-2012, 07:33 AM

Thanks, it's been airing out I'm going to give it another day or two before covering it back up.

csmith · 08-09-2012, 02:06 AM

Don't leave it open non-stop, you still need to keep the humidity up.

deepghosh · 08-09-2012, 04:24 AM

Got it. I removed a lot of the water from the substrate, the water level is maybe half an inch below the substrate now maybe a little more. I put the saran wrap back on... hopefully it bounces back and starts growing again soon!

deepghosh · 09-09-2012, 05:41 AM

Alright, its been a month and I'm finally seeing some improvement. I siphoned out a lot of the water so that the water level is about half an inch below the substrate. I then misted the whole tank with a pretty strong H2O2 solution. Its been doing really well since then, I let in fresh air daily and mist every 2-3 days. Hopefully another month and I'll be ready to fill it up! Here's a pic:

deepghosh · 10-19-2012, 04:54 AM

Well, after a very long 3 months, I finally got the HC carpet I wanted. Just gotta fill up my 5lb CO2 tank and then I can finally fill up my tank! I also replaced those square rocks with some nicer looking ones, and added a bit of dwarf hairgrass in the back. I removed the HC in the back as well since I will be adding a bunch of assorted stem plants back there.

Day 1:

3 months later (sorry about the condensation):

chou · 10-19-2012, 05:26 AM

damn 3 months. long wait

Brian041 · 10-31-2012, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chou

damn 3 months. long wait

Anything fish related all boils down to patience lol. But you can't argue with the results. Nice job man.

beedee · 10-31-2012, 09:56 PM

Nice job man, I'm hoping my dry start does that well (minus the funky white stuffs).

08-06-2012, 05:21 PM	#16
deepghosh Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 39	Dry Start HC Alright so I got back from my vacation last night and found out that a good amount of my HC has been taken over by that white stringy fungus... the affected HC is brown/dead-looking. I've read different suggestions. Some say to flood the tank for a few days to drown the fungus, some say to dry out the tank to kill the fungus, and others say to mist with excel solution (which I've done). Has anyone run into this problem and overcome it? If so, please help! I'll try and put up a couple pics tonight after work. Thanks in advance

08-06-2012, 10:07 PM	#17
csmith Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (18/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 203	1 part H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) to 4 parts distilled water. Mist with that, it'll kill all of the fungus/mold. You'll hear that "fizz" you normally get when you put the peroxide on cuts. __________________ C. Smith 1. Watt [ wot ]: noun -- the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. 2. Per [ pur; unstressed per ]: preposition -- for each; for every. 3. Gallon [ gal-uhn ]: noun -- a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts. What does this have to do with growing plants?

08-07-2012, 07:23 AM	#19
deepghosh Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 39	Pics Here are some pictures of the HC now. Can't see it in the pictures but there are tiny white hairs on a lot of the plants. I misted with H2O2 solution and am going to let it dry out for a few days, hopefully that helps

08-07-2012, 10:14 PM	#20
csmith Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (18/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 203	Your substrate looks too wet. I'd let it air out a little. __________________ C. Smith 1. Watt [ wot ]: noun -- the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. 2. Per [ pur; unstressed per ]: preposition -- for each; for every. 3. Gallon [ gal-uhn ]: noun -- a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts. What does this have to do with growing plants?

08-07-2012, 10:19 PM	#22
csmith Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (18/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 203	Here's a side shot of my water level. Notice how low it is in in comparison to the substrate. Soaking your substrate is very counterproductive. __________________ C. Smith 1. Watt [ wot ]: noun -- the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. 2. Per [ pur; unstressed per ]: preposition -- for each; for every. 3. Gallon [ gal-uhn ]: noun -- a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts. What does this have to do with growing plants?

08-08-2012, 07:33 AM	#23
deepghosh Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 39	Thanks, it's been airing out I'm going to give it another day or two before covering it back up.

08-09-2012, 02:06 AM	#24
csmith Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (18/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 203	Don't leave it open non-stop, you still need to keep the humidity up. __________________ C. Smith 1. Watt [ wot ]: noun -- the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. 2. Per [ pur; unstressed per ]: preposition -- for each; for every. 3. Gallon [ gal-uhn ]: noun -- a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts. What does this have to do with growing plants?

08-09-2012, 04:24 AM	#25
deepghosh Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 39	Got it. I removed a lot of the water from the substrate, the water level is maybe half an inch below the substrate now maybe a little more. I put the saran wrap back on... hopefully it bounces back and starts growing again soon!

09-09-2012, 05:41 AM	#26
deepghosh Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 39	Update Alright, its been a month and I'm finally seeing some improvement. I siphoned out a lot of the water so that the water level is about half an inch below the substrate. I then misted the whole tank with a pretty strong H2O2 solution. Its been doing really well since then, I let in fresh air daily and mist every 2-3 days. Hopefully another month and I'll be ready to fill it up! Here's a pic:

10-19-2012, 04:54 AM	#27
deepghosh Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 39	Update Well, after a very long 3 months, I finally got the HC carpet I wanted. Just gotta fill up my 5lb CO2 tank and then I can finally fill up my tank! I also replaced those square rocks with some nicer looking ones, and added a bit of dwarf hairgrass in the back. I removed the HC in the back as well since I will be adding a bunch of assorted stem plants back there. Day 1: 3 months later (sorry about the condensation):

10-19-2012, 05:26 AM	#28
chou Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2/100%) Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 243	damn 3 months. long wait

10-31-2012, 09:56 PM	#30
beedee Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: long beach, ca Posts: 577	Nice job man, I'm hoping my dry start does that well (minus the funky white stuffs). __________________ Tranquil Valley // 12g Long Iwagumi 12G Rimless Club

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode