Problem with stems

[ChadRamsey]

Some of" my stem plants are looking rough. Leaves are falling off and some "dissolving" in a way.

PH 6.6
Am O
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 90ish ( i havent calibrated though)
temp is 77

I doses dry ferts(always have). BUT i have withheld or cut the dose of KN03 due to the high nitrate level.

I do NOT dose GH booster though.

What could be happening?
__________________

 

[ShadowMac]

pictures would be really helpful here.

 

[Biollante]

Pictures, Heck Information Would Help! Nitrates 90ish, No GH Booster! O Please!

pictures would be really helpful here.

Hi,

Information would be helpful...

[video=youtube;JkSj8y4AWEw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkSj8y4AWEw&feature=related[/video]

Biollante

 

[ChadRamsey]

pictures would be really helpful here.

Ill post some as soon as my light come on today

I have high lightening. 3 rows of Sun Blaxers T5's. Lightening and CO2 are on a timer, with a 9.5 hour photoperiod.

Hi,

Information would be helpful...

[video=youtube;JkSj8y4AWEw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkSj8y4AWEw&feature=related[/video]

Biollante

please excuse my ignorance. I am new to planted tanks. But what other information would be helpful?

"Pictures, Heck Information Would Help! Nitrates 90ish, No GH Booster! O Please!"

Once again my ignorance prevails, but are you saying that there is a correlation between the high nitrate levels and me not dosing GH booster? My nitrate levels have always been high really, i cant seem to get them down, even with normal WC's.

 

[ChadRamsey]

also, i am talking about plants like Hygro Sunset, Rotolas, and Ludwiga.

My drop checker is with 6 inches of these plants and in the green

 

[Biollante]

Welcome, Information Please; Photos Welcome, More Reading

Hi,

Welcome and thank you for the additional information.

In addition to this thread I recommend doing some reading, with a little reading I think you might answer your own question, but certainly would have had an awareness of the information required so people can give meaningful advice.

Many folks here love helping and exploring options, but there is some expectation that you are making an effort as well.

Helpful information includes:

1. Your experience level (this quickly becomes obvious).
2. Tank size, volume is a nice thing to know.
3. Lighting
   1. Type
   2. Wattage or PAR (if you know), color temperature (if you know).
4. Filtration.
5. Water change routine, general maintenance.
6. CO[SUB]2[/SUB], pressurized, do-it-yourself or none.
7. Substrate.
8. How long has the tank been set up.
9. What you are dosing and how are you dosing?
10. What are you trying to accomplish?
11. Critters, sensitive critters, plants, types of plants, sensitive plants.
12. Information about the water you use for the tank, tap (is it a well?), RO, DI, bottled, blended.
    1. Listing your geographic location helps (your profile page)
    2. Do you have a water report you can share?

Obviously, certain information may be more pertinent, anything that might be relevant to your question and situation.

Once again, welcome, your response tells me you are serious.

Yes I am saying there is no (or precious little) correlation between nitrates and general hardness (GH). Again, something I think even a little reading would have told you.

90ish Nitrates can be an indication of a serious problem, the result of a serious problem, the result of overdosing fertilizers, and an indication of tap water problems, bad test kit or procedure, all of which may or may not be a big deal.

How does the tank smell?

90ish Nitrates after large water changes means

1. The water you are using has ridiculously high nitrates.
2. Your test kit or methodology is whacked.:chargrined:
3. Somebody is adding stuff without your knowledge (happens all the time in families and offices).:distant:
4. Something died and is rotting.

My guess of the moment is that something is rotting plant matter.

Why and how to fix it requires, wait for it…

• You guessed it!:surprise:
  • More information!

Are there any missing fish?

Are there any missing gerbils, hamsters, mice, small dogs, cats or children?

Biollante

 

[Tug]

How to fix it

I'll have to bookmark this on an opening page someplace.

Best example: Laughing baby anthropomorphism.
[video=youtube_share;OlNXKOChi8w]http://youtu.be/OlNXKOChi8w[/video]

.. unless.​

 

[ChadRamsey]

OK Bio, now we are talking!!!

1. Im a noob, have had aquariums all my life, started my first planted tank, 2.5 months ago
2. tank size is 6' 125g
3. Lighting: 3 rows of sun blazers T5 HO, 6500k, blue, with GREAT reflectors. 26.5" above the substrate.
4. filter is an FX5
5. 25% WC biweekly
6. Pressurized co2, Rex Reactor
7. MTS capped with Flourite
8. Tank has been up and running for 2.5 moths
9. dry dose with 1/2 tsp KNO3, 1/4 tsp KH2P04, 1/4 tsp K2S04,(sunday, tuesday, thursday), Plantex-csm+ Boron (monday, wednesday, and friday). NOTHING else atm
10. trying to accomplish a lush Tom Barr looking Dutch/Jungle look
11. critters:
-10 Tiger barbs
-8 Purple pasion danio
- 6 Roseline sharks
-6 cories
-5 otos
-1 clown pleco
-a bunch of nerite snails
12. Water. I used cold side tap. Here in Ga we have great water. I primed it. Sorry no water report, BUT i want to get one. Ill work on that.

I believe that the 90 nitrates was due to a bad test kit. I bought a second kit today and the readings are:

GH 25
KH 60
PH 6.7
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 40ish

I have nothing missing really. The only thing that i could say is "missing" is possibly nerites snails. I started with 55 of them. sold about 15. Pulled out 5 empty shells that smelled AWFUL!! And can only see about 10 active ones. So its safe to say that i have maybe 25 nerite snails MIA.

 

[ChadRamsey]

Plants:

Fore ground:
049
micro sword
Hydroco Trip

stems:
Altern Reinekii
Rotola Green *
Hygro Polysperma*
Rotola rotund *
Hygro sunset*
Bocopa Japan*
Hygro cory angus
rotola wallichii*
Lud palustris*
Lud glandulosa*

other:
crypt bechettii
crypt wendtii red
crypt nurii
Apono Ulv
Hygro Pinn*
riccia
Fissidens

All plants with * are being effected. Leaves melting and falling off. Some have stems that are melting as well.

 

[ChadRamsey]

heres the rotola green

 

[ShadowMac]

what is the length and wattage of the bulbs? 3 fixtures? Could you describe the lighting better?

Pictures out of the water are hard for me to see if they are stunting or melting. Biollante won't steer you wrong. He has a methodical process and has helped me out more times than I can remember.

Usually growth problems are CO2 and/or flow related. Often exacerbated by excess light.

 

[ChadRamsey]

what is the length and wattage of the bulbs? 3 fixtures? Could you describe the lighting better?

Pictures out of the water are hard for me to see if they are stunting or melting. Biollante won't steer you wrong. He has a methodical process and has helped me out more times than I can remember.

Usually growth problems are CO2 and/or flow related. Often exacerbated by excess light.

there are 3 48 inch fixtures with reflectors at 54 wats each and 2 24" fixtures with reflector at 54 watts so a total of 270 watts???? 2.16 wpg???? sound about right?

I know that pics out of the water are tough, but i can really get good ones while they are still in the tank?

I switched to a rex reactor 2 days ago and am pumping co2 into it until my drop checker located on the end of the tank with the powerhead is a nice green color.

heres a crude diagram of my setup and flow

 

[Biollante]

Easy Does It

Hi Chad,

I suspect the change to Rex’s reactor may solve many of your problems. Be patient, no dramatic changes.

Information is good, a couple of things jump out…:surprise:

It is a young tank and you need to figure out if that Nitrate level is correct, there is in and of itself nothing wrong with Nitrates in the 40-ppm range, if it is from salts.

• If the Nitrates are organic, that can indicate a problem in the making.
• I just looked at Atlanta and Fulton County water reports and I do not see anything that would indicate a problem.

What have you got in your tank to give you 25-dGH?

Based on the photographs, plant material could be a source, symptom or cause I do not know.

I recommend a

Clean up, trim up and dead material, any debris, rinse your filter; make sure it is not clogged and so forth. See what happens.

How much CSM+B are you adding?

I recommend

• Large water change, 50-80% and see what happens.
  • If you can handle it three water changes each two days apart.

• Until the Nitrate mystery is solved
  • Stop dosing KNO[SUB]3[/SUB]
  • Dose K[SUB]2[/SUB]SO[SUB]4[/SUB], [SUP]3[/SUP]∕[SUB]4[/SUB] teaspoon 3-times a week.
• Cut the amount of KH[SUB]2[/SUB]PO[SUB]4[/SUB] in half.
• Be very cautious in adding CO[SUB]2[/SUB] never more than a drop in pH greater than .2 from the previous days low.
• Watch your critters.

What is your aquariums pH without CO[SUB]2[/SUB] injection?

You have some critters that need a good bit of swimming space. The Puntius denisonii will get to about 10-centimeters or so and are pretty good jumpers.

Consider adding at least 15 more Otos once the Nitrate problem is resolved.

I would also recommend another 20 Corys, minimum.

Biollante

 

[ChadRamsey]

OK ill do a cleaning, trimming, and try to remove all the plant matter that i can find. As well as look for nerites that look iffy as well.

Ill callibrate my Nitrate test kit.

Dry dosing 3/4 tsp plantex-csm+B

Tomorrow is my WC day. Ill do a big one! and adjust my ferts as you advise.

My PH without co2 is about 7.0

I love my roselines. They are only about 2 inches atm. Fun to watch.

I do plan to add more otos no doubt. They are just hard to find in my area atm.

Why so many cories if you dont mind me asking? I though that the 5 i have would suffice. Ill get more though.

here is a pic of my tiny roselines

 

[Biollante]

I love Corys! That’s Why!

Hi Chad,

Despicable me I made an assumption, what is the unit of your GH and KH measurement?

• Are you having problems with the snails?
  • Any pitting or deformity of the shells?
    

How often do you dose the CSM+B?

I recommend over the course of the next week to work down to pH 6 by addition of CO[SUB]2[/SUB] in pH 0.2 per day increments.

If you are going to have Corys help tend the tank, have Corys. 20 or 30 Corys allow them to live in the groups and social structure. A nicely planted 125-gallon tank will give plenty of room for your herd to grow.

A note on the Otos, it is nice to keep some patches of nice algae growing, but remember to feed them.

[video=youtube;IwV_WIvjdH0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwV_WIvjdH0&feature=relmfu[/video]

Biollante

 

[ChadRamsey]

Hello Bio. i swear that i replied to your above message, but maybe i am going crazy.

I will pick up another dozen or so cories.

Yes i am having problems with my nerite snails. Pitting no deformities. Most of them are just lying on top of the substrate, motionless.

I have increased my co2 quite a bit. PH is dropping nicely during daylight hours. Drop checker is a nice green color and i am getting pearling for the first time. Daily. All due to the reactor.

I also moved the powerhead to the right side right under the far right filter output

I am dosing the csm+b monday, wednesday and fridays

Im now doing weekly 50% WC and dosing 3 tbs GH Booster after. I am on my second one as of yesterday. (where i was doing 25% wc bi-weekly and NO gh booster before)

Here are pic i took yesterday. The melting has spread to my 046

L Aroma

 

[Biollante]

Got Calcium?

Hi Chad,

I know what you mean about posts disappearing… Poof they are gone… A little “auto-save" thing comes up while entering stuff, so apparently it is going somewhere, just cannot seem to recover it.

Pitting in snail shells is usually associated with too little Calcium, though it can be high dissolved organic material or even high TDS.

I am assuming, as in do not know, that your stated GH and KH are in parts per million (ppm). That is indeed low and the GH Booster using Gypsum may simply not be getting into the water column.

I have been using Calcium chloride, CaCL[SUB]2[/SUB]•6H[SUB]2[/SUB]O for many years, recently I have been looking closely at gypsum and plaster of Paris and in my madness, I have noticed what the solubility charts should have told me, not much of the stuff really gets into solution. Most of it ends up in the substrate.

I recommend you dose 10 teaspoons of Calcium chloride initially then 1 teaspoon for every 10-gallon of water changed. You can also dose 3 teaspoons of Epsom salt then a quarter teaspoon for each 10 gallon of water changed.

Based on the photos and the nitrate readings I still think you have a problem with high dissolved organic materials and

• I would not add any critter until that is resolved.
• Water changes are the first thing,
• make sure you are not over feeding and
• that nothing is rotting in the tank.
• A good general cleaning, make sure you clean, without over cleaning, the filters.
• Adding activated charcoal will help.

Biollante

 

[Tom Barr]

Take your time with the CO2, recovery can take longer for some species. Starougyne you should tell in a few days, maybe a week you should see good recovery.

 

[Biollante]

I Always Think CO2, I Just Think Based On... Oh Well...

Hi Chad,

I think something else is going on but, hard to argue with the big guy.

Biollante

 

[Florin Ilia]

Off topic - about recovering posts

I know what you mean about posts disappearing… Poof they are gone… A little “auto-save" thing comes up while entering stuff, so apparently it is going somewhere, just cannot seem to recover it.

When you lose a post after seeing the little yellow "Auto saved", just go to the thread where you were trying to post and press "Reply to thread". You should notice a button, "Restore auto-saved content":




Push it

Sorry for the off topic.

Florin