[Cctdavis07]

Okay so I just created an account after lurking since forever. I have what I believe a unique problem. I have a high tech tank where I’m getting super slow growth if any at all.

New growth looks good for a bit then either browns and dies or gets riddled with Cyanobacteria. Not EVERYTHING dying or getting algae, but if it stays green it just sits there.

im not sure how to even explain the problem. I’ve been patient and got through the hair algae phase but I can’t understand why everything grows so slow if at all.

SPECS/READINGS

• Tank : UNP 90L (21 gallon long)
• RO/DI water
• Lighting : Twinstar 900sp 6hr photoperiod
• Filter : SunSun 304 Canister
• CO2 : in-line diffusor 3 hours before lights on/off with light
• Substrate : ADA Aquasoil v.2
• Ferts : Full Seachem line per the Seachem chart
• nitrates/ammonia/nitrites all 0ppm
• TDS : 180-200
• Ph : 6.8- 8 (rises at night when co2 turns off)
• KH : 4
• GH : 8
• Ph drop checker reads greenish yellow

FLORA

• Monte Carlo carpet (or my poor attempt at one)
• Staurogyne Repens
• Alternanthera Reneikii Mini
• Pearlweed (pest/invasive..hitched along with Monte Carlo)

FAUNA

• 10 Amano shrimp
• 5 otocinclus cats
• 5 SAE
• 25 cardinal tetras

Ive started to get GBA and I clean it and siphon. Nuked a couple spots with hydrogen peroxide and of course killed the plants in those spots.

My filter seems weak and lacks quite a bit of flow but I’m not sure I can blame lack of growth to poor flow. The co2 gets dispersed throughout.

EDIT I attached a screenshot of exactly how much I dose of the Seachem line daily

please please any insight is greatly appreciated

 

[A&A]

First thing that jumps out is your nitrates being 0. Nitrates should never be 0 in a planted tank. You should probably list more specifics about how much you are dosing of each seachem product.

 

[Cctdavis07]

First thing that jumps out is your nitrates being 0. Nitrates should never be 0 in a planted tank. You should probably list more specifics about how much you are dosing of each seachem product.

okay, I attached a screenshot of the exact regimen I follow. Extremely lean but when I tried to up the nitrogen dose to 20ppm, it killed a couple shrimp.

 

[Asteroid]

If the tank is fairly new (less than 6 months) the only thing you need to dose is micros and potassium. Those are the only things that wouldn't be provided by the aquasoil.

 

[somewhatshocked]

Couple other points to hit on:

RO/DI water

How are you remineralizing? Are you using a specific product or your own salts?

• Ph : 6.8- 8 (rises at night when co2 turns off)
• KH : 4
• GH : 8

If you're using Aqua Soil Amazonia, you likely should not add kH to your water. It's working against the substrate, which naturally buffers your parameters and works to maintain kH near 0 and an acidic pH. If I were you, I'd only add gH salts to the water and stop adding kH. That would help a lot on the stability front.

 

[Cctdavis07]

Couple other points to hit on:



How are you remineralizing? Are you using a specific product or your own salts?



If you're using Aqua Soil Amazonia, you likely should not add kH to your water. It's working against the substrate, which naturally buffers your parameters and works to maintain kH near 0 and an acidic pH. If I were you, I'd only add gH salts to the water and stop adding kH. That would help a lot on the stability front.

I use Seachem equilibrium to remineralize. I do one 50% water change a week and get the new water to 3 GH. The Seriyu stone leaks calcium or something so the GH already stays high. I don’t add anything for KH, should it be at 0? I’ll test real quick and see as it’s been a couple weeks since I tested KH.

 

[somewhatshocked]

I use Seachem equilibrium to remineralize. I do one 50% water change a week and get the new water to 3 GH. The Seriyu stone leaks calcium or something so the GH already stays high. I don’t add anything for KH, should it be at 0? I’ll test real quick and see as it’s been a couple weeks since I tested KH.

How much stone are you using? Could you post a photo of your tank? Increasing kH 4 degrees while using Amazonia is a lot in a 21-gallon tank. A gH increase of 5 degrees is also a huge swing. For most critters you'd keep like Amano Shrimp, you'd be remineralizing to at least 5-6 gH - but it sounds like the stone you're using is doing that job.

What kind of test kit are you using to measure kH and gH? Liquid? Strips?

 

[klibs]

Pics of tank would probably help

 

[Cctdavis07]

How much stone are you using? Could you post a photo of your tank? Increasing kH 4 degrees while using Amazonia is a lot in a 21-gallon tank. A gH increase of 5 degrees is also a huge swing. For most critters you'd keep like Amano Shrimp, you'd be remineralizing to at least 5-6 gH - but it sounds like the stone you're using is doing that job.

What kind of test kit are you using to measure kH and gH? Liquid? Strips?

Liquid test kit from API. Just tested KH and it’s at 6, but I’ve never used anything to increase KH.

 

[Asteroid]

Liquid test kit from API. Just tested KH and it’s at 6, but I’ve never used anything to increase KH.

Seiryu stone will increase KH significantly depending on how much stone is in there and you have a pretty good amount. (nice setuip BTW). There will be a large difference between the KH before and after water changes as the Seiryu will leach more and more each day until you bring it back down from the WC.

Water changes are good anyway and with a tank like that you should be doing large changes every week.

 

[Jekk]

Really nice tank!
How much water are you changing per week? How long has this scape been established?

 

[Cctdavis07]

Really nice tank!
How much water are you changing per week? How long has this scape been established?

Thanks it'll be 4 months old tomorrow so it's a relatively new tank. I change 50% water every Sunday, and a couple 10% changes during the week when I siphon out cyanobacteria.