# New 29g tank: pictures and questions



## sunflower (Apr 5, 2006)

A while back I posted in this forum because I wanted to convert my 3g betta tank to an NPT. However, I decided to go ahead and set up a 29g NPT first (still worried about small tank being difficult to maintain, etc). Here it is. I do have some questions and any help with them are really appreciated.


At the moment (8 days after setup, see pictures) all the stem plants are growing extremely well. Also have ricci and duckweek growing on the surface (must've smuggled in with other plants). However, the chain sword, dwarf sagi, and val are melting. The java moss is turning yellow which really surprised me. There is also some algae (hair algae) growing on the Java Fern Windelov and surface of the glass. 

My questions are:
1. What do I do with the plants that are doing poorly? Do I pull them out? Do I cut the rotting leaves?
2. I read the MTSs are burrowing snails. However mine are not burrowing at all and very active during the day. They don't seem to eat any of the plants. So are they really MTS? 
3. Any tips on how much I should feed the shrimps and snails?
4. There seems to be a lot of fine particles in the water. Do I just wait and let it settle? Or should I get a diatom filter?

Thanks so much for answering my questions!

First pic: tank at 0 day
Second pic: tank at 8 day
Third and fourth: are they MTS?

Tank parameters
Size: 29g 
Lighting: 65W corallife 6500k CF
Filter: 100g/hour
Temp: 26 deg C
GH: 6 (after adding CaCl2 and MgSO4 at 4:1 weight ratio, before dosing it is 1)
KG: 1
NH3: 0ppm
NO2: 0.3mg/L
pH: 7.0
Substrate: 1 inch miracle gro potting soil + 1 inch onyx sand + maylasian drift wood (I bottle tested this mixture. Even though the miracle gro gave a NH3 spike at 7 days, it went away in a few days and NH3 has been 0ppm up to 1 month. So I think a tank with a lot of plants can handle it)

Plants:
Dwarf Lily 
Java Fern 
Java Fern Windelov 
Java Moss
Narrow Leaf Dwarf Sagi 
corkscrew val 
Hairgrass 
Lloydiella 
Ludwigia, Broadleaf 
Rotala Indica 
Anacharis 
Brazillian Pennywort 
Wisteria (I think the store shipped me the wrong plant on this one!)
Hornwort 
Anubias Barteri 
Glossostigma
Chain sword 
Compacta Amazon 
a Hygro plant

Livestocks
7 malaysian trumpet snails + other small snails that came with the plants (I regret not doing a thorough inspection before planting them!)
4 Red Cherry Shrimps (added a week after tank setup)
I plan to add more fish in another 2-3 weeks or so.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

sunflower said:


> However, the chain sword, dwarf sagi, and val are melting. The java moss is turning yellow which really surprised me. There is also some algae (hair algae) growing on the Java Fern Windelov and surface of the glass.


My sags and vals didn't do well when I first set up the tank. It took a while for them to get fully acclimated. I'd just let them be for a couple and see if they make a comeback. As for the algae, I'd just leave it alone for now. If it starts spreading too much then I'd worry about trying to get rid of it.

-ricardo


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## javalee (May 8, 2006)

I'm curious about the lighting since I'm getting ready to start the same size tank with the same light. My cousin just set up such a tank with a 65W coralife and a lot of her moderate light plants are dying back.

Also, if your MTS are out during the day, it might be because they aren't finding the light too bright. Others may know of other reasons. They are nocturnal, but mine used to stay out all day when I only had 1.5 wpg. Now they come out if part of the tank gets shaded and dark during the day.

I feed my tank and critters 2xday. I really overfeed, but that's the advantage of snails and shrimp. They will clean up everything. Of course, the more you feed, the less algae they eat.

You should try the 3g. I find them much easier to maintain just due to the small size.

Some of my plants looked a bit sickly right at first, but picked up after about a month. Oh, one other idea, yellowing of old leaves can be a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Have you checked recently? If your nitrogen parameters are zeroed-out, it's _possible_ that you aren't feeding the critters enough to provide nutrients to the plants. Just an idea. Great start!

Javalee


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## sunflower (Apr 5, 2006)

Ricardo,
thanks for your input. I will wait for a while then to see if they recover.

Javalee,
I have several brazilian pennywort in the tank and they require high lighting I think. And they seem to be doing well for now. However the new leaves on L repen are more green than red, which indicating it is not getting as much light. 

I think you are right about the Nitrogen deficiency that is turning the java moss yellow since I only have a few snails in right now.

As for the shrimps and snails, since there are a bit of algae in the tank, do you think that is enough to keep them happy for now before I add more fish?


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Miracle Grow potting soil should have plenty of nitrogen-- both from added fertilizer and from decomposition or the organic matter. 

Those snails look like regular MTS to me. 

Because of the rich substrate, I'm thinking that you might have some H2S toxicity. H2S toxicity (my book p. 133) will turn plant leaves yellow and cause them to float to surface. H2S, because it is toxic to all living things, will prevent MTS snails from burrowing in the substrate. 

The driftwood, if it is sitting on top of the substrate, is further preventing oxygen from diffusing into the soil layer.

I would remove the driftwood temporarily. I would poke the substrate with a knife, pencil, etc to bring in some oxygenated water. Do this every day for maybe a week and see what happens to your rooted plants. 

I'd remove the dead plants and debris; they'll only contribute to the problem. 

This is most likely a temporary problem of too much anaerobic decomposition of the soil's fresh organic matter. I'd address the oxygen-deficiency problem before you get a substrate "meltdown".


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Hello Sunflower,

Miracle Grow potting soil should have plenty of nitrogen-- both from added fertilizer and from decomposition or the organic matter. 

Those snails look like regular MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails) to me. 

Because of the rich substrate, you might have some H2S toxicity. H2S toxicity (my book p. 133) will turn plant leaves yellow and cause them to float to surface. Because H2S is toxic to all living things, it will prevent MTS snails from burrowing in the substrate. 

The driftwood, if it is sitting on top of the substrate, is further preventing oxygen from diffusing into the soil layer.

I would remove the driftwood temporarily. I would also poke the substrate with a knife, pencil, etc to bring some oxygenated water into the substrate. We're talking CPR. Do this every day for maybe a week and see what happens. 

I'd remove the dead plants and debris; they'll only contribute to the problem. 

This is most likely a temporary problem from the freshness of the soil's organic matter and the presence of the driftwood.


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## sunflower (Apr 5, 2006)

Hi Diana,
Thanks for your reply!!!
I will try the gravel CPR

Many thanks.


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## sunflower (Apr 5, 2006)

*gravel CPR*

Diana,

I tried the gravel CPR tonight (haven't removed the drift wood because there is a lot of plants (java moss, java ferns) tied to it. I need to set up a bucket of water later to house the drift wood and all the plants). I saw a lot of big gas bubbles coming out as I was poking the gravel with a butter knife. I will continue doing this for a week as you suggested.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

sunflower said:


> Diana,
> 
> I tried the gravel CPR tonight (haven't removed the drift wood because there is a lot of plants (java moss, java ferns) tied to it. I need to set up a bucket of water later to house the drift wood and all the plants). I saw a lot of big gas bubbles coming out as I was poking the gravel with a butter knife. I will continue doing this for a week as you suggested.


Sunflower,

I hope this works. I hadn't thought of it until your letter got me thinking that this might be a very easy way to alleviate H2S toxicity. So thanks!


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