# First NPT ...



## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

So, after some months of reading, thinking and planning, my first planted tank took shape this weekend. It's 240 liter; the plan is to fill it with a few schools of tetras.
I love to hear any comments or thoughts - good or bad!

I used organic potting soil and just picked out any little sticks or other bits that looked like they would float. I put it in the tank, made it damp but not slushy and left it for a few days, stirring occasionally. Gravel is about 2mm, well washed.

Plants
As this is my first planted tank, I had no idea what would grow. Also, we don't have the same range of plants here (Cape Town) that I read about on this forum, so I decided on the 'more is better' philosophy. I found as many varieties as I could and have planted them all  so right now it's a bit 'messy'. I have a suspicion that some will grow and others won't ... will just see what develops.

Driftwood
There are a couple of small pieces in there already but I have 2 large pieces to insert later once I see what grows and where the spaces are.

Water measurements are
GH = 4
KH = 5
pH = 7.2
NO2 = 0
NO3 = 0
NH3 = 0.5mg/l

As you can see in the picture the water is very brown. I have done 2x90% water changes already but it keeps going brown. I don't think there are any gaps in the gravel ... its not soil particles making the water brown, probably just tannins.

Livestock
There are 4 small guppies in there, they seem quite happy. Are exploring their new home and eating well when fed.
There are a variety of snails that arrived on the plants. I also added some Malaysian trumpet snails. All seem happy.

Lighting
Tank gets 2hrs filtered sunlight daily and 2x4 hour periods of fluorescent light.

Filter
There is one smallish internal filter just to move the water around. The filter does not break the surface with bubbles.
I have put purigen into the filter to try and reduce the browinsh colour.

*Thoughts and future plans*

I have only half filled the tank to try and achieve two things:
1. As the water is very brown, I don't want the plants at the bottom of the tank to be in the dark.
2. Quite a few of the plants are just below on on the water surface, trying to take advantage of the 'aerial advantage' as per the book.

I only plan to change the water again in about 3 or 4 days or if it gets so brown that the smaller plants don't get any light. Other than that, I was going to leave it all alone for a while and see how it grows.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

From what I see, you are off to a good start. The brown water is almost certainly caused by tannins dissolving from the soil. They are not harmful unless so dense that they shade plants. In the photos they do not look that bad.

Water changes will eventually remove them. If you want quicker and easier results, you can add a chemical filtration medium to your filter. This can be activated charcoal sold for aquarium use. Here in the US we can buy Purigen made by SeaChem that is more effective (and more expensive). In Walstad tanks, these are used as a temporary measure to correct problems like yours. After water clears and stays clear, they are removed.

You are right--some plants will thrive and some won't. Starting with a big variety is good. You can always simplify later and just keep your favorites.


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## nstiesi (Mar 6, 2018)

Welcome. Im right there with you...started my first npt tank last week, and I'm in a boat worse than yours. For the 1st few days it was so brown I couldn't see the back. I left all the wood chips in, so I have bad tannin issues. I have done 2 90% changes, and I see light at the end of the tunnel. It is still very brown and a bit cloudy, but it's taking longer to brown each time I change water.

Yours at least looks a very clear, so stick with it and it should clear up soon I think. I have gotten good advice from the people here so far, so you are in good hands.

Nick

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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

Michael said:


> From what I see, you are off to a good start.


Thanks Michael.
As the resident guru, do you have any thoughts on only half filling the tank to try and get some of the plants slightly emerged? Or would I be better off with more volume to try and dilute the tannins, ammonia. etc? 
I do have a little frogbit and duckweed in there and hoping both will multiply (very hard to find around here!); but no other floating plants.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

nstiesi said:


> Welcome. Im right there with you...started my first npt tank last week, and I'm in a boat worse than yours. For the 1st few days it was so brown I couldn't see the back.


Thanks Nick,

I did read through your thread with much interest. It seems the biggest issue we all face is what soil and gravel to use. I tried about 6 different test bottles with a variety of commercially packaged potting soils as well as soil from a nearby forest and soil from my yard. Eventually I found one that did not fill the tank with particles and have gone with that one.

Anyway, now it's a wait and see game ... will the plants thrive? or will the dreaded algae take over? and will there be an ammonia spike?


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

Apologies .. another question

When I first put the plants in they got lots of little oxygen bubbles (pearls) on them ... looked quite beautiful but the next day the pearls were gone and have not returned. 

Am wondering if something is wrong?


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

nope nothing wrong


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## zolteeC (Dec 26, 2017)

I would keep an eye on the NH3 test result. I guess test kit (i.e. JBL) measures NH4+NH3 with whatever accuracy , but anyways... 0.5 ppm sounds not too low to me. The higher the pH the more toxic it can be for fish.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

One week later update ..

*So the good news:*
The NH3 value has dropped to zero and stayed there for the last 4 days. Also, the floating plants (Frogbit and Duckweed) are very happy and multiplying quite quickly. I removed the Hornwort after reading some reports that it clashes with the Frogbit.
Most of the other plants seem ok; none have died and some are showing nice signs of growth.

*The not so bad but seriously irritating news:*
The brown tannin issue has not gone away, despite 3 water changes. After a 90% WC the water is 100 clear, but 24hrs later it's light brown and after 72 hrs is decidedly black. It's never cloudy but am fairly certain that I did something wrong in the setup phase. If the problem does not go away after another 4-5 water changes, I may have to tear it all down and start again 
See attached pics ... that water was clear 12 hrs ago.

*The bad news:*
I had a nitrate spike this morning 100mg/l.
Yesterdays reading was 10mg/l
I immediately did a 90% water change and nitrates back down to 10.

So, any ideas what causes such a sudden spike?
Do I remove the fish asap and just leave the plants alone for another few weeks to let it settle?
Or do I watch it and manage with water changes?

Lastly, I know its hard to see from a pic, but do you think there are enough plants in there? or should I add more? There's no sign of any algae (yet!).


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## zolteeC (Dec 26, 2017)

Dale-CT said:


> One week later update ..
> 
> *The not so bad but seriously irritating news:*
> The brown tannin issue has not gone away, despite 3 water changes. After a 90% WC the water is 100 clear, but 24hrs later it's light brown and after 72 hrs is decidedly black. It's never cloudy but am fairly certain that I did something wrong in the setup phase. If the problem does not go away after another 4-5 water changes, I may have to tear it all down and start again
> See attached pics ... that water was clear 12 hrs ago.


To be honest, I kind of like your water colour.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Don't panic. I think your tank looks rather promising. You have a very nice and big assortment of plants. I don't see any algae. Many people trying to duplicate the Amazon biotope might envy your tank. Tannins are okay! Nitrates are not that big a deal. 

Please don't remove plants because of what you hear. Hornwort is a great plant and should never be discriminated against. If it grows well, it will help in a new tank getting started. 

Good job!


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

Thank-you



dwalstad said:


> ... Many people trying to duplicate the Amazon biotope might envy your tank....


Well seeing as it's going to be the home for a school of tetras, that is good news!


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

1 month update ....

*Plants*
As suspected, some of the plants seem happy;
- Duckweed and Frogbit multiplying and growing like crazy,
- Crypts showing new leaves almost daily
- tall red one on the left of the picture (ludgiwa??) is growing around and inch a week.
- Christmas moss spreading much quicker than in other tanks and has already attached itself to the driftwood.

Some are not so happy ....
- all the small carpet type plants have either died or are not growing at all
- the amazon swords seem to be totally static

Snails seem happy and doing a nice job of cleanup.

And, there is no algae at all 

*Fish*
The plan was to stock really slowly, but an ammonia and nitrate spike in my other tank (non NPT) has necessitated a quick move of all fish to this tank yesterday. So current inhabitants are:
2 guppies, 3 sailfin mollies - these not going to stay here for long as I am going to slowly lower the pH over the next few weeks from 7.0 to 6.0 for the Tetras and this will be to low for them.
3 Columbian tetras
10 Rosy Tetras
8 Cardinal Tetras

I plan to add 10 Lemon tetras and 4 sterbi corys in a month or so. Possibly also a few bloodfin tetras (have not researched them properly yet).

*Water*
Measurements are all perfect, but ...
The black water / tannin problem continues. 4 days after an 80% water change the tannins are so bad that you literally cannot see the fish in the tank, so I am having to change water every 3 days at the moment. The water in the attached picture was almost clear 18hrs ago.

I have added the larger pieces of driftwood, but they were so thoroughly boiled before that I am 100% sure they are not the source of the tannins.

One thing I have learned with all this is to stop fiddling! Plant everything, measure regularly and change water when necessary but let the plants do their thing and leave it all alone while it settles.

So other than the black water issue, I'm reasonably happy.


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## FromReefs2Plants (Aug 14, 2017)

Could a UV help perhaps? I don't think so honestly. But others might know more.

It does still look quite nice. Water change and water change and that should reduce it over time.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Your water is very soft GH = 4. That may explain why the Amazon isn't doing well. It needs some water hardness. Unless you are going to breed Tetras, I would add some calcium to this system (bag of oyster grit in the filter?) to get your plants going. Fish won't be hurt by neutral pH or a little water hardness, but added calcium might keep some of those plants from dying.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> Your water is very soft GH = 4. That may explain why the Amazon isn't doing well. It needs some water hardness. Unless you are going to breed Tetras, I would add some calcium to this system (bag of oyster grit in the filter?) to get your plants going. Fish won't be hurt by neutral pH or a little water hardness, but added calcium might keep some of those plants from dying.


Thanks for the advice - will give it a try. Am not planning on breeding the tetras.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Smart move. Without enough calcium, some aquatic plants will die, not just show deficiency symptoms (my book "Requirements of Hardwater Plants", pp. 114-115). Amazon Swordplants, in particular, need calcium.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

One week later update.

*Changes made:*
1. Have added some crushed sea shells to the filter (could not find 'oyster grit') but effect seems to be the same as the hardness has already risen to GH=7. pH now at 7.2.
2. I also read that plecos and amazon swords sometimes don't mix well - the pleco's apparently scrape the surface off the leaves - so I removed the pleco.
3. I moved some of drift wood around and cut the big piece down - generally looks neater and more space for fish to swim 

*Effects noticed:*
It's too early to tell if the changes have affected the amazon swords.
The rest of the plants are looking great.
- Duckweed and Frogbit continue to grow like mad. 
- Crypts looking really healthy and I can see the growth clearly.
- There is a tall grass (far left of the picture think it may be Valisneria spiralis) that was dormant for the first few weeks but has now taken off - putting down one new shoot every 2 days! 
- many of the other plants are still growing quite tall and spindly. Am not sure why.
- Still no algae of any sort, but may have to watch more carefully now that the pleco is gone.
The large bubbles from the substrate continue to be a feature. They don't smell at all.

The tannin water problem remains but the rate at which the water goes brown is slowing down. I now only change water once a week. The attached picture was taken just after a 90% water change.

*Fish*
Had one cardinal die. The rest look happy and all eating well, so not sure why this one expired.

So, once again, a good week and I'm delighted with the progress.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I think your tank looks really nice and what you are reporting sounds encouraging. I'm so glad you added a calcium source and bumped up the GH. 

A fish death here or there is not indicative of the merits of your tank setup.

Keep going!


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

FromReefs2Plants said:


> Could a UV help perhaps? I don't think so honestly.


i just wanted to point out for the sake of information and people reading this, that UV's dont remove tannins.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> I think your tank looks really nice and what you are reporting sounds encouraging.
> Keep going!


Thank-you.

I must say that this has been a really interesting learning process. With previous (non-NPT) tanks I sort of made it up as I went along ... add a plant here and there, try this, try that, etc, etc. 
With this tank I gave it all a lot more thought before starting as I was really worried about getting the right soil, algae issues, finding the right plants, etc. Your book helped tremendously but even so I found myself second guessing almost every decision as there are so many different opinions on NPT on the internet.

Now that it has been going for nearly 6 weeks, I am starting to really see the benefits and am sold on this method. There are certainly things I would do differently if I started again, but overall it's been fun and I like the result.

Thank-you for your help and encouragement.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I appreciate your kind words. Gets Monday off to good start!


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Dale-CT said:


> Thank-you.
> 
> ...There are certainly things I would do differently if I started again, but overall it's been fun and I like the result.
> 
> Thank-you for your help and encouragement.


We could all benefit from your experience if you would let us know what you would do differently. I would rather learn from other's mistakes than from my own, where ever I can.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

hoppycalif said:


> We could all benefit from your experience if you would let us know what you would do differently. I would rather learn from other's mistakes than from my own, where ever I can.


Hmmm, I hesitate to share thoughts on what I would try next time as these are probably real beginner's errors that more experienced fish keepers would know anyway. Also (embarrassingly) many of the points below are actually covered in the book!
But, you asked, so here goes ...


I'd be lots more careful about sieving the soil to make sure I get rid of all the possible sources of tannins. With this tank I removed all the bits of bark / sticks by hand but clearly could have done a better job. A kitchen sieve would be too fine, but a plastic colander would do just fine.
I'll try soaking the soil for a week or two ... not washing, just soaking  to make sure the water is clear.
I tried planting the plants and adding gravel afterwards = mistake. Process should be add soil, put gravel on top, insert plants through the gravel. A set of long tweezers is very helpful for this.
I'll try to grow the carpet plants for longer. I don't think I let them get well enough established before filling the tank. More patience needed than this time round.
I think I added the fish too soon, so trying to manage big water changes to solve the tannin issue with fish in the tank was problematic in terms of temperature and pH levels. Next time I will just add snails and plants until I'm 100% happy with the water parameters before adding any fish.
Plan, think, plan some more .... moving plants around once the tank is filled is an issue because you disturb the gravel cap, so make sure you know where the filter outlet will be, where to put driftwood, etc before you start.
I made the rookie mistake of adding the driftwood after the plants; and because it had been sitting outside for a week or two it kept floating to the top and pulling up plants and soil with it. Next time, make sure its properly waterlogged before adding.
The driftwood needs to go on top of the gravel layer as its not easy to maintain the gravel 'seal' around the driftwood.
And lastly ... don't put any fish in a planted thank that you think you are going to remove later. Trying to catch something like fast swimming tetras in a planted tank is not fun. You have created lots of hidey-holes for the fish under the plants and driftwood, and they will use them 

I'm sure there are others I was not aware of, but those are the important ones. Hope that helps.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Dale-CT said:


> Hmmm, I hesitate to share thoughts on what I would try next time as these are probably real beginner's errors that more experienced fish keepers would know anyway. Also (embarrassingly) many of the points below are actually covered in the book!
> But, you asked, so here goes ...
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you! I'm sure some of this will have an effect on how I set up my next aquascape. Even the stuff I already learned needs to be relearned periodically.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

For those who may be interested .... 10 week update...

It seems like someone has suddenly switched on all the plants 'grow' buttons, I am having to thin and trim the plants almost weekly.
Amazon swords are growing nicely (thanks to Diana for the hint on hardness).
Also noticeable is the rate of change when the plants reach the surface. I know this is described at length in the book, but is something amazing to behold when it happens in your own tank. I was worried that most plants were growing too long and thin - but once they reached the surface they thickened out nicely - in particular the plant in the attached IMG_0976. I don't know it's name and would appreciate if someone can identify it for me...

The dark water problem is much better and getting less with each weekly water change. I will soon go to 2 water changes per month. Nitrate reading is usually <10 at the end of each week just before the water change so am happy to stretch it out a little.

Only downside is I have noticed a few strands of algae on the leaves of the crypts - IMG_0974 attached. there are about 4 leaves affected like this. There is no other algae of any sort.
Neither the Malaysian or Ramshorn snails seem to eat it and I am looking around for a few Otocinclis or Siamese Algae eaters to add as cleanup crew. Am happy to hear other ideas if anyone has.


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## JLingen (May 10, 2018)

Your tank looks great! 

One thing I do (because I also don’t like the tea colored tannins) is soak my driftwood in a bucket for two months with water changes every other day. You need this amount of time especially for wood like mopani. The other benefits of soaking are 1) it allows the sugar carbohydrates in the wood to be removed, which can cause a fungal bloom. This is scary at first, but natural and harmless to tank critters. It also 2) primes the wood for biofilm growth, which freshwater shrimp love to eat. 


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Dale-CT said:


> For those who may be interested .... 10 week update...
> 
> I was worried that most plants were growing too long and thin - but once they reached the surface they thickened out nicely - in particular the plant in the attached IMG_0976. I don't know it's name and would appreciate if someone can identify it for me...


Of course, we're interested! What a change... Looks good.

I think that the stem plant in question could be _Hygrophila corymbosa_ or Giant Hygro. It's a good grower. http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantdetails/Hygrophilacorymbosa(053BDT)/4490

A little bit of algae shouldn't become a problem in a tank like yours where good-growing plants are now growing full-tilt.

I would ease up on the plant trimming. Over-trimming will give algae the advantage. And you've got plenty of room for more plant growth in that tank.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> Of course, we're interested! What a change... Looks good.
> A little bit of algae shouldn't become a problem in a tank like yours where good-growing plants are now growing full-tilt.
> I would ease up on the plant trimming. Over-trimming will give algae the advantage. And you've got plenty of room for more plant growth in that tank.


Thank-you. I'll stop fiddling and trimming


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

You gave me a good laugh. 

I need to take my own advice and stop fussing about my guppies, trying to get the perfect male-female match.


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## JLingen (May 10, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> I would add some calcium to this system (bag of oyster grit in the filter?) to get your plants going. Fish won't be hurt by neutral pH or a little water hardness, but added calcium might keep some of those plants from dying.


I am going to try this to help my Swords and Nerites. How much grit would you recommend for a 55g tank? 1/2 cup or so?

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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Half of a cup sounds entirely reasonable.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

3 month update ...

I'm loving this tank! The growth continues and plants are starting to get thicker or more dense rather than just growing tall and thin. Probably as a result of less trimming and fiddling!
I did get a new light for the tank with a timer so now do the siesta timing which may have had an effect.

Fish all seem happy and the snail population has stabilised. I know some folk hate snails but to me they just seem part of the eco-system and certainly help clean up.

But the best news of all - the dark water problem has stopped. There is still the slightest tinge of tannin colour but it has stabilised and I have not done a water change for 2 weeks.


Now, a sane person would just sit back and enjoy the tank .... but in a moment of weakness (or insanity) I decided that I needed to do it all again and upgrade my daughter's little guppy tank to NPT 
This one is not going so well and I'd appreciate some help.
Alll the elements are the same as the first tank (soil, gravel, water) and it gets roughly the same amount of sunlight but the plants seem to be dying. All the leaves are thin to the point of transparent - see attached picture. Even the frogbit and duckweed are not growing.
Fish seem fine and water parameters are all good - in fact nearly identical to the main tank. So I am baffled as to why one tank is thriving and one is dying.

I have done 2x90% water changes but not sure what else to try.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

I just went and found one of the first pictures of this tank.
The older picture was taken before the driftwood was added, but the plants are 95% the same.

The first image taken on 24 March
The second one taken on 09 June


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

lookin good!


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## mysiak (Jan 17, 2018)

Great progress, love the jungle look 

How do frogbit/duckweed look like? From my experience they grow like weed, unless:
- missing nutrients, mainly nitrogen and iron - new leaves are very pale, small or not growing at all
- nutrients are there, but they are not abundant - growth is slow and floaters have very often extra long roots, even duckweed
- too much of surface water movement, plants are moving constantly around the tank and/or they're pushed under the surface - this causes rot of almost all leaves, starting at the edges


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Dale-CT said:


> Alll the elements are the same as the first tank (soil, gravel, water) and it gets roughly the same amount of sunlight but the plants seem to be dying. All the leaves are thin to the point of transparent - see attached picture. Even the frogbit and duckweed are not growing.
> 
> I have done 2x90% water changes but not sure what else to try.


I think that it is--once again-- a lack of calcium in the water. [You must have incredibly soft water (depleted in calcium and other hardwater nutrients).] Plants, especially Amazon swordplants, will die without calcium in the water (my book, page 114). You may have some oyster grit in the filter, but every time you do a water change, you're removing calcium from the water and making the problem worse.

You need to stop doing water changes and get some calcium into the water ASAP. If it were my tank, I would mix 1 T. of your oyster grit with 1 teaspoon of vinegar and let it sit for a couple hours in a small dish. The vinegar's acidity will dissolve the calcium more quickly than just adding oyster grit to the filter. Add a little of this gunk to the tank and check tank water's pH. Hopefully, the oyster grit will neutralize the vinegar's acidity and the tank water pH will not go too acid.

I would also raise the Amazon swordplant slightly above the substrate so that its crown is not buried in the gravel. The plant's crown could rot.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> I think that it is--once again-- a lack of calcium in the water. [You must have incredibly soft water (depleted in calcium and other hardwater nutrients).
> 
> I would also raise the Amazon swordplant slightly above the substrate so that its crown is not buried in the gravel. The plant's crown could rot.


Yup, I also suspected gH reading but its currently 7 so thought that should be ok. Our water currently comes from a well point around 200 feet underground and then goes through limestone and particulate filters to raise the pH. It normally ends up around pH=7.3 at the tap. I never got round to taking it to a proper lab to be tested.
Anyway I will try the vinegar and grit idea - thank-you.

Have raised it a little to get it out the substrate.


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## Dale-CT (Feb 13, 2018)

Ok, so time for a 4month update ...

The tank is still thriving. Newly added inhabitants are a pair of Otocinclus and about 10 ghost shrimp - all big enough not to become Tetra snacks. Have had 2 Neon Tetras die, both on the same day and I don't know why.
The Sterbi's seem to be in a continual mating dance, but no eggs yet.

My canister filter went on a go slow so I replaced with a internal filter - no noticeable change in fish behavior or water parameters.
There is a small amount of green stringy algae, especially where the sunlight touches the tank in the afternoon, but it is localised to one side of the tank so I don't stress about it - also the shrimp like to snack on it.

Plants are doing so well that it has raised another question that seems not to be answered on the general internet so would appreciate some input....
*Is there a "best" way to trim plants?*

As many others have reported, the plant growth has been amazing and I am at the stage where the fish are running out of swimming space so it's time for some plant trimming. The question is, what is the best way to do this? 
I have noticed that plants seem to grow in cycles. First it was the Crypts that grew at around 1cm per day! then they slowed down and the frogbit reproduced like mad ... so I removed a bunch of frogbit before they took over the tank and the plant in the 2nd picture pushed 4/5 leaves straight up and out of the tank! Am sort of feeling like I am watching a plant relay race 

So, how to trim them? Do I cut them back close to the roots - like you would with grape vines? or just remove a leaf or two?
And, do you trim all plant at one time? or do them in weekly cycles?

Anyone have any thoughts or advice for me?


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## R. Dirte (May 31, 2018)

Not sure if the ghost shrimp were in the tank when the neons died, but I put “ghost shrimp” in my tank and a week later I was down 7 neon tetras and 1 rasbora. Guessing they were macrobrachium because they killed my fish. Took them out, no more dead fish. Tank looks really nice!


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Tank looks great!

For trimming, be careful not to remove more than about 25% of growth at a time--every week or two. For Cryptocoryne, I just squeeze off the entire above-ground mass--stems and leaves--of a single plant. Overall, I would say just use your judgement on this; you seem to have a lot of common sense.


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## vvdo (Mar 7, 2006)

Nice tank, makes me want to try my hand at NPT!


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## Rodgie (Dec 28, 2017)

I think this is a successful NPT tank.


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## zolteeC (Dec 26, 2017)

Dale-CT said:


> Now, a sane person would just sit back and enjoy the tank .... but in a moment of weakness (or insanity) I decided that I needed to do it all again and upgrade my daughter's little guppy tank to NPT


Yeah, this is addictive. I know. 
I wish NPTs would cost more then there would be a logical reason why NOT to set up new ones. ) joke...)


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