# Problems in my planted tank!!



## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Okay so this is my first time with a successful aquarium since researching and realizing that owning fish isnt as easy as filling a tank with water and plopping in some fish... So heres my setup and then ill get to my problems.

29 gal tank
black sand substrate
lots of live plants amazon swords, star vine, jungle vals and a few others
some drift wood and rocks
t5 fluorescent lighting
aquaclear 50

so since cycling my tank and all going well i believe im dealing with brown diatom algae and have since upped the water changes and tried manually removing the diatoms as best i can but my problem is they keep coming back no matter what i do...

i do a 40% water change every Monday and i clean my filter every Tuesday

my plants have been choking out from the overwhelming amount of diatoms and they just seem to turn brown and die as well my other plants which the diatoms have a harder time sticking too are not doing so well it would seem as well my fish are all in perfect health and i don't have any issues with them so why all the issues with the darn plants!!

any help would be appreciated as to what i should do whether or not im doing what ive already stated wrong.

do i need more ferts?, do i need more lighting?, do i need more or less water changes?, do i need a different filter media?, should i get fert tabs for under the sand WHAT DO I NEED!!!?????????


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

i chose the easy to keep plants for a reason but for some reason they're not easy for me im a plant killer i wish you could put cactus in a tank sometimes those r the only plants i don't kill!! lmao


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Every hobbyist has gotten this before. Nothing to fret about. To resolve your diatom outbreak, just read the following info: http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/planted-tank-specific-13/how-get-rid-brown-algae-diatom-bloom-27928/

I'll let another member chime in on the plant matter. Lazy to type an essay out.

Reference:
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/intr...rs-please-read-forum-rules-quick-links-24774/


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Hey there. A few thoughts:
How long has this tank been set up for?
Are you buffering your tank?
Try skipping a filter clean to see if you can grow more beneficial bacteria?
Too much lighting? How long are they on for? How many bulbs is in your fixture?


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

How are you washing your filter? If your washing it from tap water you could be just recycling your whole tank over and over again.


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

How long has this tank been set up for? A few months (you sold me a giant plant package about two weeks in Reckon and theyve all but one since died due to my won doing not yours lol all trial and error i guess and didnt have co2) PLANTS WERE HEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL BY THE WAY TIL I GOT MY HAND ON THEM!
Are you buffering your tank? im not sure exactly whats buffering??
Try skipping a filter clean to see if you can grow more beneficial bacteria?
Too much lighting? How long are they on for? i try to turn them off but i like to watch them while i fall asleep i have a timer ill plug them into what would you suggest for a good light cycle?
How many bulbs is in your fixture? 1 bulb 8,000k full spectrum daylight bulb aqueon


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

blurry said:


> How are you washing your filter? If your washing it from tap water you could be just recycling your whole tank over and over again.


really i had no idea how should i rinse it then? and i make sure to not rinse it all at once i do the sponge and carbon one day and the biomax the next week and then alternate


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Hm. Ok. Try this.
1) Rinse your filter media in tank water.
***2) Lights on a timer, 10 hours MAX. I think you should actually set it for 8 hours until the diatoms decrease. ***
3) Use buffers, this sets your KH and GH (water hardness). Too soft and your plants aren't getting enough minerals from the water. This will help your fish too. There's a thread about that on this forum somewhere... Seachem sells Alkaline and Acid buffers as well as Equilibrium. Start with setting your tank at KH4, GH4.

What are you doing for dosing?
Have you tried using Excel?
I still have some plants for sale when you're ready to try again. An easier batch this time


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

I would strongly advise not to use carbon in a planted tank as well. I would only clean your filter once a month or even more.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

If you like to look at your tank at night you can add a weak LED light to use as your night light. This way, you are still be able to see your fish at night without prolonging your photo period.
If your fish are your #1 priority and they are healthy and happy--but your plants do not grow well-- you may consider just keep your fish with a hard scape (wood and rock) or use fake plants. You can still have a nice looking tank either way. But it is of course entirely up to you.
About cleaning your filter if you use tap water the chlorine in the water may kill your nitrifying bacteria; using tank water--which is supposed to be chlorine free--will not post this problem. 
I hope you have it all sorted out soon.


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## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

your water changes look good, i have a similar setup and had similar problems and i cut my lights back to about 9 hours it helped, im thinking about cutting them back even more to 8 hours, a light timer is probably the best way id say


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Brown diatoms are usually the sign a tank is finishing its cycle. If you keep getting brown algea that suggests to me and all the others that have commented. You keep killing all your beneficial bacteria when you clean your filter under the tap. You are reseting your tank over and over again. This is a common mistake and a great learning experience. Once you move past this issue you will be well on your way to having a nice tank. 

As for what you need. I wouldn't go adding or changing a bunch of things until your tank finishes its cycle. That's most important IME. I agree with the lights. Get a timer. No more than 8hrs of light a day. I wouldn't feed the plants anything right now. If they arnt doing well I don't see more food as helping. They can go a week or 2 without food. Keep wipping the brown off. Once the tank fully cycles it should go away. Try wiping it off when you do your water change so all the brown gets out of the tank if you arnt already.

Your filter is an aquaclear50. What are you using in the filter. Bioballs? Sponges? etc..........

Adding a Seachem Stability would be a good idea at this point to help cycle the tank. I would read the label and dose the tank as a new tank. The more good bacteria the better.

How many fish are in the tank?

Adding products to increase the KH and GH are great but if you are new to fish tanks, adding a bunch of things can be overwhelming and pricey. 

Clean your filter less often. Unless you have your tank heavily stocked. Each tank is different. Figure out how often it needs to be cleaned. You might only need to clean it once a month.

40% water change is good. Once a week is really good. Good work  

Good luck and keep us posted


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanx for all the help i plugged the luights into a timer set to a 10 hour schedule for now to see how that goes im going to remove the carbon from the filter and i will from now on rinse the filter in tank water im going to go and buy buffers for my tank on the weekend and yes i am using excel already by the instuctions on the bottle.

And yes Reckon once i get this under control id love more plants


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

in my filter right now for media i have a bag of the biomax balls or whatever they are and then at the bottom a sponge and in the middle a bag of carbon which im going to remove and buy the other nitrate ammonia remover one instead


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## randylahey (Jun 25, 2013)

I'd skip the nitrate remover and just get more bio media.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I agree. PAck it with as much biomedia as you can. Keep the sponge but rid the carbon.


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Okay will do


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

If you want to make your water even more clear put a filter floss on the top level.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

A small bag of purigen instead of carbon will work very well, too. i.e. sponge-->bio-->purigen-->filter floss
Or
Use a sponge pre-filter to wrap the intake of your AC50 then just use bio-->bio-->purigen-->floss
With the first set up you take the filter out and rinse the sponge in tap water and squeeze it very well. You can leave the bio or rinse them in tank or de-chlorinated water. Change the filter floss.
With the latter you only need to squeeze the prefilter when you change your water, and change the filter floss. No need to really touch or change the media for a while. When the purigen looks dark brown, you can recharge it with bleach. You can still keep your bio in the filter as you recharge the purigen.
I do not use filter floss anymore but it is true that it will screen out the very fine debris and make your water more clear; it will slow down your flow to a certain extend though, and you need to change a new one once they get dirty. You can get a big roll for very cheap though..


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

okay so i bought the Nutrafin test kit for kh and gh testing here are my results maybe you can tell me where to go from here as i think this is all gibberish to me. apparently my my ppm is Gh 100mg/L i did the drop test thing and i had to put in 5 drop before it changed to blue then x 20 = 100 so apparently thats 100mg/ L what this means i have no friggin clue but anyways ill go on the next part is where it gets confusing i did the kh teset put the water in and added a drop and it stayed yellow the manual says that this means that its below 10 mg/L (ppm) so now what do i need ot do do i highten the levels or lower them and which ones?>


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

It depends on what kind of fish you keep--some fish need hard water and some need soft. But in most cases, as long as it is not zero you are okay. You can think of kH/gH as what helps the fish to breath. Hardness is also important for plants because it gives them minerals (mg, ca..etc)to help with their growth. If you do not have any plants in your tank you can add aquarium salts to increase the hardness. As long as you have some hardness you are good, in most cases. It also helps to prevent the pH from crushing too much, which can kill your fish. Some people add some epsom salt, aquarium salt, and baking soda. The idea is just to add some minerals into your water. For plants, it is also like a kind of ferts, and it creates a good environment for the plants to grow. Some plants like hard water and some soft, but I have a feeling most of your plants probably like soft water so a bit of hardness is all you need. Most people use Seachem Equilibrium to increase hardness in a planted tank.
Some people keep some fish (e.g. discus) without adding any hardness and the fish is fine, too, so it is just a guideline.
If your tank is not cycled, high hardness will make ammonia more potent (I think it is true but it is getting late so someone please correct me if it is nto true, dotn want to give out wrong info), so please make sure your tank is cycled (ammonia=nitrite=0).


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

tropical community fish nothing special but trying to keep my plants a love what the best for them


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Make sure your tank is cycled first because if you increase your hardness too much with ammonia in the tank your fish could die.
If you are injecting co2 then you need more buffers to counter the crush. In the beginning you fish may suffer and even die when the pH is going up and own like crazy on a daily basis.
If you are not injecting Co2, I say 3-4 drops or something like that is good. As long as your have some hardness you are good. Add like 1 teaspoon of equilibrium for 20 gallon or something like that should work fine in most cases. 
Your plants will not look awesome overnight. It is a complex equation because you have lots of variables to deal with, such as substrate, ferts, light, co2, ph, dh...etc. You need to find the "sweet spot" to make them thrive. 
It also depends on where you got your plants and what the plants are used to. e.g. if the plants have been grown in a high tech tank with co2 and fancy nice bright light they will not like a tank with dimmer light and no co2 in the beginning, or if the plants are grown above water they will not look too good being under water in the beginning. But if you keep at it, and do things right, they will may be melt or die and then grow nice in your tank once the new growth comes out.
Also, I would recommend to use a powerhead to increase current in a planted tank because with a HOB sometimes the current is stronger around the outlet but much weaker as it gets further away. Try to add some current so you can see all your plants swaying slightly in the tank. This can also help to reduce algae.
Try to change your water more often (may be 40-50% twice a week), and try to take out as much dead plants and algae as you can during water chane. I would turn the light on for only 6-8 hours for now. Add seachem stability after water change. bacteria can help to decompose the waste on your substrate, and cycle your tank.


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## gouedi (Apr 25, 2010)

if i ware you. i will add a little phosphate fertilizer, add amano shrimp and flying fox fish. do not wash filter media. then wait.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I believe otos love to eat diatom. They will not damage your plants.
Too much phosphate and silica can cause a diatom outbreak.
This diatom issue should go away once your tank is matured, as long as you keep up with water changes and keep things clean...and make sure your tank is cycled.
You can get a UV sterilizer, which can keep your water very clear.
Good luck.


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Thank you all so much i will keep you posted on how things go


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Post some before and after pics.


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

gouedi said:


> if i ware you. i will add a little phosphate fertilizer, add amano shrimp and flying fox fish. do not wash filter media. then wait.


Amano and fox fish is only for BBA


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

So ive purchased some otos two for now im going to buy more soon anyone on here that has some to sell would be awesome i took some pica of my before and i will upload them soon. I purchased some alkaline buffer to raise the KH of the tank from 1 to 4 and i have bought filter floss and removed the carbon from my filter media

hopefully all goes well


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Great. Otos will eat your diatoms, they produce very little bit of waste and they wont hurt your plants so they are really good to have. 
Charles of Canadian Aquatic had some I am not sure if he still has them. I got 12 from him for $20 or $25 I think, and they are very healthy.
Your carbon will lose its adoption ability after about 4 weeks. Carbon is useful to take away medication or if you have a new set up you can use that to remove possible toxin or heavy metal or things like that in your tank. Once your tank is matured, it is not very useful. Some believe that it can also take away your ferts and minerals in your planted tank. However, I saw carbon used in Amano's newly set up tanks before, and he also recommends the use of bamboo charcoal as a media in his filter. Some also believe that carbon will release back what it has adopted once it is exhausted. If you change your carbon every 4 weeks it can get quite expensive. Your filter should focus on providing you bio filtration as its number one priority, so a lot of people recommend not to use it.
A lot of people use Seachem equilibrium to increase hardness of the tank along with alkaline buffer.
Good luck. Hope everything clears up in the tank soon.

.


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Heres the before picture







Heres a pic of after 50% water change last night i cleaned everything and moved some stuff around and removed any plants which looked to be getting smothered it seems to kill off the really frilly plants so i removed them from the tank alll together heres a pic of it cleaned up


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Heres the latest pic everything seems to have all cleared up now and i seem to have gotten rid of it finally!! can tell the difference even from the last pic i posted only a few days ago.  Thanks to everyone for all your help. lol now Reckon lets talk about those plants


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## xxKeatoxx (Aug 20, 2013)

Thanx to all of you its all gone and my tank is looking better than ever and i loaded it with twice as many plants


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