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New to Planted Tank, New to Plantedtank.net, Help Appreciated!

2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  demolisher23 
#1 ·
Hello,

I am a new member of plantedtank.net, I've had a planted tank for about 3 months now and need help and a little of guidance on where to go. I honestly don't even know what some of the plants/fish are in my tank and will take criticisms and feedback to help better my tank.

My Setup:

29 Gallon Tank
This Light
2 Amazon Swords
4 Mormino Moss Balls
1 Unknown Plant 1 (Attached)

1 Unknown Plant 2 (Attached)

1 Dwarf Pleco
1 Bamboo Shrimp
3 Nerite Snails
6 Unknown Fish Silver Ones 1 (Attached)

3 Unknown Fish Mino looking ones 2 (Attached)

4 Unknown Fish Orange Ones 3 (Attached)

2 Some Sort of Cat Fish (Attached)

(I'm fairly new to fish tanks in general I have been told I'm overstocked, if this is true what is generally an okay amount of fish for this tank?)

Water Temp ~82 Degrees F

This Gravel

PH 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 80ppm (Currently treating with this)

My Observations:

The amazon swords were doing really well initially, growing many new leaves. Then they stopped and started browning a bit and growing algae. The Unknown plant 1 has been doing very well growing new leaves like crazy, no complaints. Unknown plant 2 has been trimmed, when I planted them they started growing new leaves from the ground but the initial ones started dying so I trimmed the initial plants but kept the new leaves, they don't appear to be doing so well. The moss balls are starting to brown a tad which is concerning. The fish all appear to be healthy.

Thanks in advance!
 

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#2 ·
Hi,

I'm fairly new to plants so I'll leave that part to the experts. What I do think is that your nitrates are far too high so you'll need to do more water changes to fix that. Prime doesn't reduce nitrates so the best way to do that is with a water change. What is your water change schedule now?

You might want to consider dosing some Seachem Excel because your light might be a little strong for your tank without CO2. You can also use CO2 but since you're new it might be too much to learn all at once.

For me, your tank would be overstocked but I prefer lightly stocked tanks.
What type of filtration are you using?

By the way, are you using strips or liquid to test your values?
 
#4 ·
I change about 20 percent every 3 days, also it evaporates fairly quickly with no lid. I will look into Seachem Excel thanks for the recommendation :). Sorry I knew I forgot something, . Also I used the liquid test kit.

Bump:
Silver Fish = Diamond Tetra
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=10664&AT=Diamond+Tetra

Gold Fish = Gold Barb
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=4677&AT=Gold+Barb

Unknown Cat = Eclipse Cat
http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=159

Diamond Tetras prefer a warmer tank (24-28*C is the upper 70s F)
Gold Barbs prefer a cooler tank (18-24*C is high 60s to mid 70s F)
Eclipse Cats get very large (some controversy, perhaps 2 species are being discussed) and eat anything smaller that fits in their mouth. (and they have big mouths)
Thanks for the ID's! Yea that catfish was really unplanned, I went home to visit and my mom had showed me them in her 50 gal tank and they weren't doing too well so she ended up passing them on to me.
 
#3 ·
Silver Fish = Diamond Tetra
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=10664&AT=Diamond+Tetra

Gold Fish = Gold Barb
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=4677&AT=Gold+Barb

Unknown Cat = Eclipse Cat
http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=159

Diamond Tetras prefer a warmer tank (24-28*C is the upper 70s F)
Gold Barbs prefer a cooler tank (18-24*C is high 60s to mid 70s F)
Eclipse Cats get very large (some controversy, perhaps 2 species are being discussed) and eat anything smaller that fits in their mouth. (and they have big mouths)
 
#5 ·
The broad leaf plant is anubias. Slow growing low tech plant.

The stem plant is the rotala rotundifolia.

Can't tell by the picture but the anubias has a rhizome, its where all leaves grow from. This cannot be barrier or it will rot.

Waters changes need to be 50-60% weekly. With your large bioload and smaller tank its going to be hard to keep nitrates down. Aim for 10-20ppm nitrates.

Hat light is a good light for planted tanks. But without pressurized co2 and such a low plant mass you providing far too much light for a new tank. You want to have it running for around 6-7 hours per day. I would raise it up about another 4" from the top of the tank to reduce its intensity.

Excel will help a fair bit with growth which will help with your algae issues.

This is a start to help you get your tank in better shape. There is a balance which needs to be met. The balance consist of co2 light and nutrients. Look into dry ferts, you wouldn't have to use much at all, its cheap , and will help your plants.
 
#7 ·
Rhizome is the stem part of the Anubias. All the leaves have their own stem-like part (called a petiole) and these are attached to the real stem (called a rhizome). Roots also grow off the rhizome. The rhizome should not be buried, that is, below the substrate. Probably auto-spell check error.

Rhizome is a botanical term that means a stem that usually grows underground, sending out leaves and roots. Many of Anubias relatives do just that (rhizome grows underground). But in the case of Anubias the rhizome should be at or above the substrate. They are often grown tied to a branch or rock, and the roots can start to cling to the branch.
 
#8 ·
Yeah sorry stupid phone lol. I ment buried.

I was say higher end of moderate light. Low light is 20-30 par and your probably close to 60par right now

Bump: Problem is moderate light is okay with excel and heavier planted with established plants but with new setups you need to allow time for plants to take off. Algae will easily out compete struggling plants with a lot of light.

The water changes and raising of your fixture will be a big help you will see improvements quickly.
 
#9 ·
Oh okay I see, I do not have it buried though and that plant in particular seems to be doing fairly well and has grown 5 new healthy looking leaves since I planted it. I'm more concerned about the other plants that are browning such as the swords and the other plant I posted as well as the moss balls. Any advice on those?
 
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