# Starting Over



## TPIRman (Apr 28, 2004)

Hi all,

I'm not new to aquarium plants, but I am in a "starting over" phase. About a year ago, I had a fairly good 30-gallon planted tank going. An assortment of stem plants, some crypts, and a few Java fern/Anubias. I was dosing ferts and injecting yeast CO2 (Nyberg recipe) via a DIY inline reactor.

My most major problem was that I was constantly fighting cyanobacteria. I read up as much as I could, tried keeping my nitrates up as Tom Barr recommends, tried blackouts, etc. But the BGA kept coming back.

Then I left to spend much of the year in Japan. My family ably cared for my fish, but I didn't expect them to handle the plants. The flora withered away somewhat but didn't melt entirely. Long story short, I'm back, and I've moved to an apartment in New York. I brought the tanks down last weekend.

I'm viewing the tank breakdown/reassembly as a chance to start over and correct my rookie mistakes. To that end, I gave my plants and wood a bleach dip before replanting them. Now I'd love some guidance from the APC community as to how to proceed.

A photo of my tank is below. It's a standard 30G with 2 x 32-watt CF lighting from AH Supply in a DIY enclosure. The substrate is Eco-Complete, and the filter is an Eheim 2213. Fish stock is a pearl danio, seven cardinal tetras, and two panda cories; I'll be adding to this in the coming months.










The plants: Rotala rotundifola on the front left, moneywort in back left, wisteria in back middle, and various crypts on the right side. And, of course, the explosion of Java fern on the wood. None of these plants are new; they're what's left over after the time away and the move.

I know it's not a great-looking tank at the moment, so no need for a layout critique right now. But how should I proceed in order to get a thriving tank? Should I be dosing CO2 and ferts yet, or should I concentrate first on ordering more plants and increasing the plant mass in the tank? Should I be running the lights on a limited schedule for now? Should I make the jump to pressurized CO2? Can I put away the test kits (please)?

I'm looking to put together a plan for the next few months in order to cultivate a successful tank and avoid that dreaded cyanobacteria. Basically, this is as close as I'll get to "starting from scratch" for the foreseeable future, so I want to do it right. Thanks in advance for your wisdom -- it feels good to be coming back to the hobby (and to APC)!


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Welcome back  

Start dosing ferts and injecting C02 from day. You want the plants to grow at their max so they can out compete the algae. I myself would go pressurized C02 instead of DIY, but either can be used. 

The lights should be on for 10-12 hours daily, start with 10 hours. Put the lights on a timer so they come on and off at the same time every day. 

I like your layout, it just needs some time to fill. Adding more plants and algae eaters will also help fight the algea.

I have always had Cyno in my planted tanks after a few months of setup. The one sure way I have found to get rid of it is to use E-mycin at full strength for 5 days.

The main thing in keeping algae away is being consistent in dosing ferts, C02 injection (30ppm), daily lighting, tank/filter maintence and a lot of patience.


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## wannabescaper (Oct 14, 2005)

I'd just like to second everything trenac said, and say that it is a very nice tank! Well done, and welcome back to plants. Oh, I would vote again for pressurized, I'm fed up with DIY.


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## TPIRman (Apr 28, 2004)

Thanks so much for your replies -- I really appreciate it. Looks like I'm off on the right track. Glad to be back!


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