# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Ok, help me forum



## lolows (Mar 27, 2004)

Hi, all. I've been trying to grow plants in a 20 gallon tank for about 3 months now, by me just reading info from these forums. At first I had an inadequate light source and substrate. Now, I have 65 watts of light and correct substrate (Shultz aquatic soil and play sand) Now, I have algae growing all over my plants. My sword plant leaves are pale almost white in new growth. I have a green clover like plant with pinkish red underside suffering from my previous set up. Now its growing with algae all over it. My hornwort was green when I bought it. It turned brown (dark). It'll grow in again with bright green new growth then eventually, yellow to brown. I have java ferns that pearl, but are either mangled or covered in algae. I have java moss with some kind of brown growth on it. All of this and I have tiger lotus plants growing well. Truth is I thought I knew what was I doing, but in actuality I dont. Please give me a step by step protocol to get my tank right. I dont know how to test water parameters or how to fertilize correctly. I dont want to do CO2 set up. Please, tell me how I can test, fert and care for my tank at a thrifty cost. Please help me!

PS- Fish:2 dwarf Guoramis (neon and flame), 1 lyertail mollie, 2 pristella tetras, 2 blk neon tetras and 3 ottos.


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## lolows (Mar 27, 2004)

Hi, all. I've been trying to grow plants in a 20 gallon tank for about 3 months now, by me just reading info from these forums. At first I had an inadequate light source and substrate. Now, I have 65 watts of light and correct substrate (Shultz aquatic soil and play sand) Now, I have algae growing all over my plants. My sword plant leaves are pale almost white in new growth. I have a green clover like plant with pinkish red underside suffering from my previous set up. Now its growing with algae all over it. My hornwort was green when I bought it. It turned brown (dark). It'll grow in again with bright green new growth then eventually, yellow to brown. I have java ferns that pearl, but are either mangled or covered in algae. I have java moss with some kind of brown growth on it. All of this and I have tiger lotus plants growing well. Truth is I thought I knew what was I doing, but in actuality I dont. Please give me a step by step protocol to get my tank right. I dont know how to test water parameters or how to fertilize correctly. I dont want to do CO2 set up. Please, tell me how I can test, fert and care for my tank at a thrifty cost. Please help me!

PS- Fish:2 dwarf Guoramis (neon and flame), 1 lyertail mollie, 2 pristella tetras, 2 blk neon tetras and 3 ottos.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

First of all you need test kits, this is the only way to find out where your inbalance is, that is causing the algae & poor growth. I would suggest gettingH,KH,PO4,N03. They are easy just follow the directions that are included. You need to dose with a general fert, Micro fert & iron. If you are not going to use C02 a least use Seachem excel for a carbon source. But a DIY C02 will make a lot of difference at a low cost. These links should be of some help...
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_fertilizer_intro.htm
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

lolows,

You don't want to add CO2; are you using any other carbon source?

Are you adding any fertilizers?


Roger Miller


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## lolows (Mar 27, 2004)

So, is there one kit that measure all of these parameters? Who makes it and how much? Please, tell me what ferts I should buy (Macro, micro, iron, etc.). Do they make ferts that contain all I need?


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## lolows (Mar 27, 2004)

I know carbon is essential. I just dont want to do the setup of the DIY CO2. I saw the Hagen injection system for $29.99, but I was reading about Flourish Excel. I rather just pour all the ferts I need to make it easier on me.


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## lolows (Mar 27, 2004)

Oh, and I just recently bought Leaf Zone and started adding it to the tank last week.


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## nino (Oct 2, 2004)

Lolows.
With over 3 watts/gl, you definitely need some CO2 supplement or algae will take over. The Hagen CO2 is basically similar with DIY CO2, just factory made with fancy but small canister. I used to use one but ended up using Coke bottle instead for more CO2 production.

Fertilizing without testing the water parameters and nutrient levels may cause you worse algae breakout. The important test kits are nitrate, phosphate, pH and KH. You don't need iron test kit. Many brands available but avoid those dip tests (strips) as they are not accurate at all. Hagen, Seachem, Tetra and AP are quite popular.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

lolows... I believe that Leaf Zone contains iron & potassium only. I suggest you go with a general fert like Seachem flourish or Kent grow that contains more nutrients & an all iron suppliment like Kent Botanica FE or Seachem Flourish iron. You may also want to think about adding Micro nutrients also. Flourish excel is good for a carbon source but will not benifit your plants like C02 will. There are kits that contain the test kits you will need but they may contain others you don't need, or you can buy individual test kits. Try Big Als they have the best prices... http://www.bigalsonline.com/?splash_done=1


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## lolows (Mar 27, 2004)

Should I redo my whole tank and buy new plants. Are my substrates okay?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I don't think you need to redo your tank, just get your nutrients in balance and that will take care of the algae.


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## Ben C (Apr 16, 2006)

Hey lolows,

Up until a couple of months ago, i was like you.. thinking i didn't really need C02, test kits and the like.. I didn't have a great cash flow, and the aquarium made up the bottom of the "priorities list". Then, i decided that i wanted to get serious with my aquarium, partly inspired by finding this forum, and seeing all the photos on display here. I found a C02 system, that uses presurised CO2 in a kind of spray can, that leads to a small tube which sits in the tank. This tube has a semi permeable membrane on the top, allowing the C02 to dissolve into the water gradually. It was the cheapest system available to me, and considerably cheaper than the other systems available. Within days, my plants had new lush green growth, and i was harvesting great lengths of cambomba every other day! 

I have since ordered a testing set online and its winging its way towards my volcano as we speak. 

My advice to you is, don't be put off by the thought of what once seemed like a "just keeping fish" hobby, turning into one dominated by technological knowhow/confusion. The rewards of being able to maintain a stable tank make up for ripping out dying plants and scrubbing the glass with a magnetic scrubber every other day, a million-fold! 

C02 "injection" (just means you have a flow of C02 into your tank.. doesn't have to be complicated) could be the single greatest investment you can make towards a beautiful tank. I can't believe i even attempted plants for so long without it. 

As for testing kits, i know they appear expensive, but you can use them several times over. They're not just one-time kits. Wouldn't it be nice to actually KNOW whats going on, rather than blundering from one day to the next. the peace of mind is wonderful!! i promise you that!
If you think about it, the ones with the nicest tanks are the ones who use C02 and test water quality. Presumably you check water temperature easy enough? its just a matter of getting familiarised with other test kits. 

there.. my two cents!

BEN


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