# Tank been running for 3 weeks, advice?



## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

this is my planted tank, it's been setup for about 3 weeks now

i think there is hair algae growing on some of my plants, 2 otos were picked up today, along with 2 sae and some sort of snails that hitched a ride with my plant purchase are doing not a very good clean up duty

hagen co2 generator with the recipe from the site instead of the kits it came with, coralife 30" pc, ac110

any sort of advice, comments, suggestions are appreciated!




thanks in advance


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## critter333294 (Apr 15, 2007)

It looks very nice, It'll look even better when it fills in. Just remember, for new setups, try and fill the tank up with fast growing stem plants so that they'll out compete the algae and starve it of nutrients. 

Do you plan on fertilizing?


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

critter333294 said:


> It looks very nice, It'll look even better when it fills in. Just remember, for new setups, try and fill the tank up with fast growing stem plants so that they'll out compete the algae and starve it of nutrients.
> 
> Do you plan on fertilizing?


i did purchase some seachem flourish and the hagen came with a little bottle of fert too. i started feeding the recommended dosage per the bottom but i recently picked up some hair algae and diatoms, so i've stopped fertalizing for now


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Don't stop fertilizing, that will cause algae also. You want to be consistent with your fertilization schedule. I would start out with half the recommended dosage then as your tank matures start increasing the amount if needed. The flourish is good to start with but you will most likely have to start adding nitrates, phosphates, potassium & micros. 

Algae (especially diatoms) is very common in a newly setup tank and is just part of the natural process. Diatoms will go away in time & hair algae is usually caused by a lack of nitrates. You may want to get some Amano shrimp which will eat the hair algae. I would also add some more fast growers to the tank. If you don't want to plant then add some floater like hornwort.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I agree with eveything that's been said. It will help to add some fast growing stem plants. You are just experiencing the new tank blues... This too shall pass and your tank will be great.


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

trenac said:


> Don't stop fertilizing, that will cause algae also. You want to be consistent with your fertilization schedule. I would start out with half the recommended dosage then as your tank matures start increasing the amount if needed. The flourish is good to start with but you will most likely have to start adding nitrates, phosphates, potassium & micros.
> 
> Algae (especially diatoms) is very common in a newly setup tank and is just part of the natural process. Diatoms will go away in time & hair algae is usually caused by a lack of nitrates. You may want to get some Amano shrimp which will eat the hair algae. I would also add some more fast growers to the tank. If you don't want to plant then add some floater like hornwort.


i'll look into the hornwort tomorrow at petsmart, gotta go grab some heartworm medicine the canine rescure promised us. i am not sure i can add shrimp because of the 2 blue rams in the tank. crs are on their way, but i was told by others on the forums to put it in a seperate tank till they breed a bit so i have more to experiment, and i'll start putting in the flourish again


Tex Gal said:


> I agree with eveything that's been said. It will help to add some fast growing stem plants. You are just experiencing the new tank blues... This too shall pass and your tank will be great.


i have 3 swords back there and vals, should i split the swords and replant them? my wife was thinking the tank was getting a bit crowded with plants, there are about 14 plants in there and also 10-12 stems of moneywort, and when i picked up my crypt, it came with a whole bunch of little ones attached on the leaves that i pulled off and replanted

and the diatoms, i picked up 2 oto cats to fight it, and both died within a day.. yet our other fishes are fine, i do 25% water change once a week.. bleh


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Show your wife some pxs of tanks in this forum. Then she won't think it looks crowded by comparison. 

Most swords get huge. They will probably end up out of your tank once they grow. 

I think your rams will eat your shrimp too. Rosey barbs will eat hair algae. They get bigger than your rams but are peaceful fish. I like the ones with the long fins. Otos are hard sometimes. They are wild caught and so have been stressed horribly. I have found that I can count on a 50% survival rate. If you have an LFS near and can buy from them instead of a big store like Petsmart you may have better luck since they may have been there longer and only the healthy are left. You'll probably pay more.


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

surpisingly, i came back from picking up the heartworm medicine yesterday, and the guppies were helping the sae eat algae..?

there are still diatoms on the glass, but the leaves on the swords are clean :mrgreen:

petsmart didn't really have anything good and the store i went to wasn't my usual store and the people weren't too helpful:sing:

i did put fertilizer into the tank the day after i read i should add fert and it generated some green algae the next day, but the fishes have taken care of it, i am dosing 1 thread of the flourish cap, once a week 

i really need to change out that 50/50 bulb i think, but no one in the area actually sells non-50/50 is it something i can locate at home depot or lowes?


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Try http://www.atlantalightbulbs.com/ or http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

for bulbs

Also, your substrate looks a little coarse for good root growth (might just b the pic)- what are you using?


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> Try http://www.atlantalightbulbs.com/ or http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT
> 
> for bulbs
> 
> Also, your substrate looks a little coarse for good root growth (might just b the pic)- what are you using?


thanks for the link

they are just regular black gravel with laterite, the gravel is about the same size as the laterite

it's not deep enough imo, i would like to go pick up some tms and put it in this tank as well


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Instead of TMS, you could save yourself alot of $ by going to 3M.com and finding a local pool supply company that carries black colorquartz $25 or less for a 50lb bag? (mine is $22.23 plus tax)


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

i ended up planting the hc over at this tank, since the shrimp tank doesn't have co2 yet


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

woke up this morning to some yellowing of one of the swords in the back right side

stem is going yellow as well, only been dosing flourish, have the rest on it's way in a mail package


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

now dosing with excel 

got my hands on 3 amano shrimp and 2 otos that are still kicking, and an apple snail as well

the amanos already show some nice colors and 1 of them have molted

the watersprite has been growing so quickly that i had to trim it and moved the trimings to my other tanks

i ordered a new 36" 96watt coralife housing to replace the current 30" as well and the super efficent diy reactor will be here on friday


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## voiceofid (Jan 31, 2008)

finally got my camera back from my parents, here is a short 20 second video of the tank


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