nanmer Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 It has been two days and this is the first time I was not too choked to discuss it. I have been meticusly grooming and desigining my natural light 33 gallon planted tank for four months. It was looking amazing for a first attempt at a planted tank. Three days ago I had to move a platform to get at a bit of hair algae. I must have accidently bumped the glass with a rock. The next moring there was a big crack, bottom to top. Luckly it was a slow leak and I was able to save everything. Well not my laminate floor! This is a warning to everyone to be VERY careful when rescaping tanks! I cried as I pulled all the plants out of their well established areas. All my hard work ... gone. I was going to buy another 33 gallon but nothing on kijiji. Drove to a few fish stores and found only one 33 gallon, for $75 ... yikes! I had to do something, my plants are crammed into a 20 gallon sump tank. Luckly I have a empty 90 gallon that I was going to move this weekend, I just sold all my saltwater stuff. I put the substraight in the tank and I am waiting for it to clear. I do not have the proper light for the plants, my saltwater light will have to cut it for two weeks. I am off to Cuba, for a week, in six days. I have a 48 gallon in storage that I am going to put in the 33 gallons place. I don't have time to establish substraight etc. I am going to hold my breath and hope things are ok until I get back. I hope plant losses are minimal. On the bright side, I get to plan and scape a bigger tank! I can also right any mistakes. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Ooooh- so sorry. Plants are hardy things, they will survive. What kind of lights from the salt tank? 10000K? At least getting to 'scape a bigger tank is a bit of a consolation, as is going to Cuba (jealous!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Thanks Werner for the hope! I am not fixture wise ... in fact I am quite ignorant lol. It is a 48" Glo fixture and I assume it is t5 bulbs??? I am glad that it happened this week instead of next week ... or even the following week when my kids are taking care of everything! I have promised not to think about the fish while sitting on the beach. However, I shall tip a "Cuba Libra" to the memory of the old tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgd Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Don't stress. Fire the plants right in the new substrate. No reason to wait. I setup, plant and full my tanks all at once. They should be fine for a week. Cut the actinics to keep algae down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubr0ke Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 actinics do not grow algae that is a myth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgd Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 actinics do not grow algae that is a myth... Plants will grow under actinics. And if plants will grow under is, so will algae. So to say that actinics do not grow algae is incorrect. IME algae has done better with actinics than without, but maybe it is true that they don't grow it more effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 sorry to hear about the tank! but i think a bigger tank AND a trip to Cuba makes up for it, lol. i'm running a 20 long with a 50/50 saltwater light (65 watt) that has half the bulb actinic. my plants are doing great! i've got java ferns on the driftwood and amazon swords planted in the sand. i haven't given this tank any ferts in over a month, and there are no root tabs in the sand at all. new leaf growth happens on a regular basis. i do have some algae, but nothing a clipped leaf here or a quick wipe there doesn't fix. there is a good bit of fuzzy brown algae (not diatoms) on the wood (mopani) but i attribute that to the wood never being underwater before this tank, and the fish pick at it, so i leave it be been running this tank with this light and same plants since just a few days before Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted April 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 Thanks everyone! Luckly the plants won't be under the saltwater lights long, three weeks at the most. I have great plans for the 48 gallon, will take a while to scape all the levels etc. I can't believe how big the plants grew in the four months they were in the tank! One val is now a large multi plant chain and the tiny sword has plantlets as big as it was! The tiny container of frogbit has grown leaps and bounds lol. I really did not notice until I pulled them out. It really is time to upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubr0ke Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 sorry ill re-phrase that...actinics have a lower par rating then 5-10k bulbs but they can grow algae if other conditions in your tank induce the algae's life cycle. But to say they are the cause or directly related is not correct.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 curious on how things turned out ... ck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanmer Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 I now have a beautiful 50 gallon planted tank and soon plan to upgrade to a 110 gallon. All plants were in ok shape and I don't think I lost anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Nice glad to hear. I guess plants are more resilient than think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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