On my way to getting my dream aquarium...

Byron

A 10g can work, provided not too many or too large a fish are put in it at one time. I happen to have a 20g that runs permanently with some "spare" plants and a sponge filter. It is just easier for me to have this than having to set up a "new" tank if I come home with fish. But a 10g can serve too.

Why are they in the tank? For cycling? If you have live plants, this isn't necessary.

The brown blotches on the leaves of the Echinodorus in photos 5-9 of post 691 are iron deposits. This can obviously happen if iron is being dosed in excess, but it is more likely due to a lack of calcium. I had this issue until I started using Equilibrium to increase the GH. What is the GH of your tap water?

Another thing, the excess of copper might also have thrown off the balance. My recollection is that the copper just melted some of the plants, but the proportion of nutrients required by plants is such that when any one nutrient is in excess it can cause issues with other nutrients. Your GH may tell us more.

Canadian Fish

The media was in the tank because I set that tank up brand new for the puffers, and put them in a day later. I added the plants gradually, so when the fish were initially introduced to the tank there was only half the plants that are there now. So I should be able to remove the used media now? It's an eyesore, and taking up plant space. Some people suggested leaving it in 4-6 weeks.

As for the GH, I have no idea. I read these PDFs and tried to find it,

City of Ottawa - Britannia Water Purification Plant

But all I could find was a rating for Calcium Hardness, Magnesium Hardness, and Total Hardness, not General Hardness. Odd. Tomorrow when my LFS is open I'll call and ask them. Pretty sure we have the same water.

boxercrazy156

My quarantee tank is my pleco tank it also has a uv sterilizer in it and the temp is at 82 they also seem healthy and ate their supper lol

I planted all the plants can find the red Tiger Lotus though will take some pics after the tank clears up a bit when I was mucking around in it I move some substrate that still had dirt in it and a big cloud of dark came out.

The man that put this together has 40 tanks in his basement he had to have a minimum to place the order and he paid it up front so you didn't have to put any money out he didn't charge for a few plants that he thought were not in good shape and the red Tiger Lotus I ordered wasn't the greatest so he gave me an extra reg Tiger Lotus here is the link

http://www.limchareonaquarium.com : : tropical fish and Discus exporter thailand : :

the poor guy hadn't slept for 3 days sorting all the plants out and he was mailing some of them but to tell you the truth some of mine were at there limit of not being planted so if you couldn't pick them up by the time you shipped them they might not have made it but he gave you the option

Him and his son love the hobby and his wife really wasn't into it but they have a whole basement full soon you will too. I had to go my myself my husband is in Kingston coaching hockey today I told him if he didn't hear from me then I was made into a lampshade, but the neighbourhood was nice and wife was there so it was all good it was really nice of this man to go to all this trouble for planted tank lovers

One of my clown loaches isn't growing like the others he seems weaker and a little concaved but he loves me the whole time I was planting he was attached to me like he was sucking on me he was freaking me out a little

All the loaches are excited about the new plants looking for snails lol

BTW the Dennisons were $19.99 regularly they have never come on sale in the last 6 months but some big Als have them on for $9.99 so yes this was a big score I was glad there were some left they weren't marked on sale but they were in the pictures of sharks on sale since they are also called redline sharks

Byron

Yes, with fast-growing live plants there will be no ammonia issues, and especially with only 3 puffers.

The total hardness tells us what we want to know, and the calcium and magnesium support this. At 30 or 31 mg/l, which is equivalent to ppm, this is very soft water. About 1.6 dGH. This explains the swords. The calcium is insufficient for proper cell structure, and the plants assimilate iron to replace the missing calcium, and as the iron increases the leaf slowly dies, and eventually the entire plant will die. As I said, I had/have this very same issue.

The soft water is ideal for the fish, but the plants will struggle and some not manage. I tried a few options, and the only one that worked was Equilibrium. Seachem make this, and you can buy it from Pets&Ponds. I buy the large tub which is almost $70 but this is much less expensive than buying the small containers in stores. I go through two tubs a year. I add enough to raise my GH up to around 5 or 6 dGH. I have less than 1 dGH out of the tap. Equilbrium also contians the needed magnesium, and additional potassium, iron [this won't hurt anything] and potash. The calcium and magnesium in Flourish Comp is insufficient, as this fertilizer is designed more for those with some hard minerals in the source water.

Canadian Fish

That UV sterilizer is an awesome idea. I love that your clown followed you around, hopefully he makes it. I actually hate it when fish nibble at me, it freaks me out. I dread fish touching me when swimming at the beach too.

That link is amazing! What a selection, and what a great idea! Thank God it worked out for you, when you first mentioned it, I was thinking it was good you didn't get ripped off (that was before you said he made the original payment), but "lampshade" is even scarier, haha. I didn't even go there.

His wife is not really into it, and he has 40 tanks? Haha! Now that's a good wife.

Looking forward to the pics!

I have to say, I enjoy planting the 10 gallon way more than the 220. I can reach in with both hands to move the substrate around while looking in the front of the tank.

With the 220, I have to use the claw to hold the plant, a glass scrubber to move the substrate, while TRYING to lean off the stool and see in the front of the tank, because it's totally distorted looking though the water. I fell off the stool twice.

Canadian Fish

Thanks for looking into the hardness for me Byron, and explaining it. I appreciate it.

Can I use the Flourish Comp in addition to the Equilibrium in the same tank? If so, can I add them on the same day, or should I alternate? Or should I just switch to the Equilibrium and stop using the Comp?

yyankeeyankeefan

oo byron i have a question for you. i upgraded my 10 to a 30 and am running both filters at the moment. i took all the gravel out of the old tank, mixed it with the new and have the old filter running with the new. it is planted and i was wondering how long should i leave it like that? i would like to retire the old filter and keep it just in case i start up my 10 again. it's been up for... maybe a week and a half. but it has a lot of plants in there. and did a water test today and everything was at 0. i stirred the gravel so it was all mixed in not like the new is on top or anything. how much longer does it need?

Chesherca

This really made me giggle . . . I just got such a vivid image of you falling off the stool - completely oblivious - right up until you hit the ground. I know I would have been! Hope you're okay?!

Canadian Fish

Oh yeah, fine thanks. But lets just say it's a good thing I don't have sound on my live stream, as there was some very "colorful" language as all this was going on.

Chesherca

Oooooh! FUNNY! Does it record? Can we play it back and watch over and over? Loop it with some hardcore music, perhaps? JK, glad you're okay :)