bcbishop

hey guys. Anyone here use Ada Amazonia? I have my 20g long with Eco complete and the water in that tank stays pretty hard. I do have some drift wood that lowers it a bit but my plants and fish are doing great. My 10 gallon has Ada Amazonia and drift wood as I was going to make it a shrimp only tank. The water in that tank obviously it a lot softer. I have noticed my plants don't do as well in it as they have been getting a lot of black algae growth. Anyone else here have similar problems with soft water? Are there any concerns when using substrate like this to buffer the water so much? Thanks

Can anyone tell me what this is and what i need to do to get rid of it? Its like a black algae growing on my plants. I do ei dosing with weekly 25% water changes. I have a Marineland Double bright that runs 10.5 hours. Thanks

Hey there. I have a 20g long tank that is planted. I am trying to grow a carpet of dwarf baby tears and also breed some shrimp. My problem is I have hard water (13 gh 9 kh) which in turn is keeping my ph around 7.8-8.0. I understand lowering the hardness will make my ph more unstable but I think getting my ph down will be better for breeding my shrimp. I have tryed putting a bag of peat moss in my filter and that hasn't really done much. Any ideas in what I can do? Thanks

Awesome. Never been there yet. Thanks

Good to know. Thanks

The water is perfectly clear. I've had this tank going for 2 months.

Ya it seems I haven't had good luck with big al fish for some reason. Should I try getting more neons or go with something else. I wanted them because if the blue color. But I do want a non aggressive fish because of the shrimp. Thanks

I didnt check nitrate. I will tomorrow. I currently have 2 neon tetras, 2 Red Cherry Shrimp, and 2 Red Chrystal Shrimp.

I do not have an airstone. I have the Co2 connected to a powerhead which is on the same timer as my light so when the light turns off the powerhead stops dispersing the Co2.

Yes i bought them from Big Als and i try and put as minimal bag water as possible.

Should it be cycled even if i didnt have fish it it yet?

Hello, So ive had my 20G long planted tank running for about 2 months now with lots of plants, and last week bought some fish and shrimp to get it going. I purchased 5 neon tetras and 2 red crystal shrimp. I did acclimate them properly and added stability correctly. I do run DIY co2 within the correct amounts. The first two days 2 neon's died. They are sensitive fish i am aware but i had no ammonia or nitrites yet. So i got them replaced. Next couple days 2 more died. It has now been a week and one more died yesterday. So i now only have 2 of them. Mean while my two red crystal shrimp are doing fine... I tested for ammonia and nitrites again today and still nothing. Do i not have enough stock to cycle the tank? I haven't seen it cycle yet. Any ideas on what i should do? I was going to look at purchasing more less sensitive fish to cycle with. I'm not gassing them out because they are swimming every where not just at the top and my shrimp are fine. Thanks for any info!

Anyone have any suggestions for a 20G long tank?. I purchased a aqueon http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/standard-aquariums.htm and derimmed it, but it started to haze on the edges with water in it so i dont trust it. I think im going to stay away from derimming as it will be in a living room :S Im thinking of just buying another aqueon tank but was wondering if anyone else suggests anything? the one thing i dont like about the aqueon is the thick rim on it. May trim it back to its not as thick.

Did you sprinkle it on the glass before you layered your substrate? Or how did you use it ?

Anything wrong with the high boron? I dont know what brand or anything it is. I can ask them.

disagree. use as a liquid when tank is full. don't need with dry-start. Do you think that trace element mix is good ? How much should i put in the tank when i install the substrate? Where should i put it?

Anyone have any input to the trace element mix? I guess i want to know if it is a good mix to do a DSM with or should i inject it later after flooding it? If i can add it before the DSM where should i put it? Under the soil or on top of the soil then add the sand?

Anytime I've tried to mix sand and gravel, the sand all just falls through to the bottom anyways. Maybe i will just try the dirt then a layer of sand on top.

Hmm that doesn't sound right does it. 1 1/2" dirt 1/2" gravel and 1/2" sand?

Here is progress on my tank build http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=513849 Update: I picked up what im going to use for my substrate. I got a bag of earthworm castings, a bundle of peat, and a bag of turface. I plan on mixing them so it will be 1/2 earthworm castings, 1/4 peat, and 1/4 Turface. Then mixing in sand. I will lay this mixture 2'' thick first. I also picked up a trace element mix from the garden center i purchased the materials from; that includes the following: 7% Iron 2% Manganese 1.3% Boron 0.4% Zinc 0.1% Copper 0.06% Molybdenum 1% Potassium Oxide 3% Magnesium 3% Sulfur Any comments on this mix? How should i include the mix if i plan on doing a DSM? Should i sprinkle the mix on top of the soil mix? If so how much? I plan on capping the mix with 1" gravel the 2" sand. The guy at the plant store said i should dilute it and inject it into the soil mix after its flooded as he said that filling the tank with water will wash it out of the soil. But i did not tell him i was doing a DSM.

Yes bag of it. I ended up buying earthworm castings, peat, and turface I plan on mixing with some sand and gravel. Then capped with a gravel layer then a sand layer.

Does anyone know where i can buy topsoil in Edmonton this time of season? Just plain black topsoil? Ive tryed garden centers, hardware stores, everywhere. Its either frozen and berried in snow or not there at all. Thanks

I dont need to i guess. I will be doing a dry start method also so its not to important. Ive heard of guys just using a miracle grow soil mix. Would i need to use any fertilizers with that method? Thanks

Hey everyone. I am doing a 20g long build and am wanting to do a MTS substrate following the AaronT thread. The ingredients ask for dolomite and Muraite of potash. Does anyone know where to find these things? I've already been to All Season off whyte ave and I bought dolomitic lime in a powder form and potassium sulphate. I have been researching more and it seems that if I can find dolomite and Muraite of potash that is best. Thanks

Hey guys. I am a beginner hobbiest from Sherwood park. I'm 23 and just started a 10g planted tank in October. One thing i did not do from the start of that tank was a proper substrate and just have gravel in it. I am currently working on a rimless 20g long build that I am hoping on doing a MTS substrate. I am on the plantedtank forum also with the same username. I'm hoping to learn a lot and hope to seek some guidance from other peoples experience here. Thanks http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=513849