# Wanted: Overall advice for 2 Aquariums



## Jordin (Sep 14, 2011)

Hi,

I just got into this about 2 months ago. Here Are my two current tanks.

*
1: 46 Gallon Bowfront Planted Tank*

Aquaclear 70 HOB Filter
Double Sponge Filter

Planted tank with lots of driftwood and a moss wall.

Stocked With:

5 Zebra Danios
1 Male Crowntail Betta
1 Female Betta
1 Red Tail Black Shark
1 Rubber Lip Plecostamus
3 Algae Shrimp
1 Vampire Shrimp
1 Zebra Nerite
1 Rabbit Snail
1 Golden Apple Snail

Plan on getting two gorgous Angels and possibly some sword tails or plattys and cardinal tetra. Even a dwarf frog.

My Plants:

Java Fern, Java Moss, Merimo Moss Ball, Amazon Sword, Giant Val and a couple others the names escape me... Is there any concern in a plantd tank with snails or shrimps?

My Giant Vals weren't doing so well and I didn't notice much growth on any other plants... The vals looked like they were dieing and even the amazon sword starded to have a little light brown on the leaves... I half dosed exel and they seemed to do a bit better.. The main problem was the old crappy lighting I had. Two Single Tube T8 Bulbs. 15Watts each, 18" long. Balast or starter must have been old because the lights were very dim... One bulb was brand new... White plastic as reflector... One bulb was even 180000k.... it was an old hood that came with the tank...

I upgraded and got a Double Strip of 36" 30 Watt Daylight T8's. Nice Aluminum Reflector on inside aswell.

I also got a T5 14watt 22" Fluorescent Tube for a dimmer yellow light which I switch on in the morning and evenings. The Pleco likes to come out then.

This seems to have helped already as I half dosed again with Seachem Flourish and with the lights, the amazon sword looks healthier as well as the other plants. Some slight algae is forming on the glass and there is a little hair algae on a couple plants so at least I know there is enough light for things to grow now!

*2: 5 Gallon Tank*
- Sponge Filter (cycled with a betta and Seachem Stability)
- Marimo Moss Ball

I had a Crowntail Betta (Gorgerous). I tried adding a femle and he was too aggressive so the female was removed and I put in 6 Black Tetra which are tolerated and he realize he was too slow to catch them. They basically ignored each other.

My Betta Died Suddenly (within a week after adding the 5 Tetra). Coincidentally, I added a cory at the same time of the tetra. When the Cory went into the water, it sank to the bottom. Didn't move at all and ended up dying within an hour...

I tested my water parameters and the Ammonia is around .75ppm. Nitrite/trate are 0/0ppm. I started daily water changes of 10% and are double dosing with Prime and keeping regular daily doses with Seachem Stability. I beilieve it may have been too much Ammonia from the fish.... maybe I am wrong but this is what I think. I am trying to take corrective action in the tank and ensure this will not happen again.

I have a water quality test kit. Liquid for Ammona, Nitrite and Nitrates.

I want to put a constant PH monitor in the water. Is there anything else I should test with regards to water qualithy?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Jordin said:


> I tested my water parameters and the Ammonia is around .75ppm. Nitrite/trate are 0/0ppm. I started daily water changes of 10% and are double dosing with Prime and keeping regular daily doses with Seachem Stability. I beilieve it may have been too much Ammonia from the wish.... maybe I am wrong but this is what I think. I am trying to take corrective action in the tank and ensure this will not happen again.
> 
> I have a water quality test kit. Liquid for Ammona, Nitrite and Nitrates.
> 
> I want to put a constant PH monitor in the water. Is there anything else I should test with regards to water qualithy?


If you have Ammonia and no Nitrates, then your tank is NOT cycled, whatever you think of the sponge filter. I would put the fish in this tank in your 46 gallon and wait for the tank to cycle (doing a fishless cycle!).

Alternatively, you could heavily plant your 5 gallon and hope for a silent cycle. However, you'll need good lights and CO2 for that, as this tank is pretty heavily stocked.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

If you have ammonia, you need to do bigger water changes; 10% is nothing (try 50%). Why would you want to add a pH monitor? pH isn't really important, but clean water is.


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## Jordin (Sep 14, 2011)

The Ammonia levels as of right now are down to .25 or less in the 5g. I am doing daily water changes and continuously monitoring the water. I will increase the changes to 50% and keep dosing with Seachem Stability / Prime. I have a small Marineland LED lighting strip on the 5g with the Moss Ball. Are there any small plants that might be ideal for this tank?

Anyone know if there are hidden issues I should know about with regards to the shrimp or snails in the 46 Gallon Planted?

The water parameters in the 46g are 0/0/0 Ammon/Trite/Trate. Temp is 25c


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Jordin said:


> I am doing daily water changes in the 5g and will continuously monitor the water. I will increase the changes to 50% and keep dosing with Seachem Stability / Prime. I have a small Marineland LED lighting strip on the 5g with the Moss Ball. Are there any small plants that might be ideal for this tank?
> 
> Anyone know if there are hidden issues I should know about with regards to the shrimp or snails in the 46 Gallon Planted?
> 
> The water parameters in the 46g are 0/0/0 Ammon/Trite/Trate. Temp is 25c


I really doubt the LED strip is enough to allow plant growth. Why not put your old 18" fixture to use?

Best plants for silent cycling are stem plants like _hygrophilia polysperma_, or floating plants like hornwort and duckweed. The faster a plant grows, the more ammonia it absorbs.


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## Jordin (Sep 14, 2011)

solarz said:


> I really doubt the LED strip is enough to allow plant growth. Why not put your old 18" fixture to use?


The old fixture is 36" long (2x18" Bulbs) Single Strip... Also, I think it needs a new ballast and starters. The bulbs in it are dimmer than they should be and it won't turn on new bulbs.

I really like the low profile of these LEDs for the small tank and the way it lights the water. I guess my options are fairly limited for plants in this tank. I'll put in some Java Moss on a small piece of wood.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Jordin said:


> The old fixture is 36" long (2x18" Bulbs) Single Strip... Also, I think it needs a new ballast and starters. The bulbs in it are dimmer than they should be and it won't turn on new bulbs.
> 
> I really like the low profile of these LEDs for the small tank and the way it lights the water. I guess my options are fairly limited for plants in this tank. I'll put in some Java Moss on a small piece of wood.


You can get this and use a CFL bulb. That would be enough to grow any plants.

The idea with the silent cycle is that plant growth absorbs ammonia. Without enough lights, plants will not grow fast enough to balance the bio-load.


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## Jordin (Sep 14, 2011)

The damn rabbit snail started eating my Sword plant! I caught him when he had chewed through and entire leaf. I'm sure given a couple days, he could have eaten the entire thing!!!

Moved him to the 5 Gallon tank and he immediately went for the Moss Ball. I've been putting algae wafers in the water every day and assorted veggies...

What a little bastard that snail is. The guy at the LFS told me they wouldn't eat or harm the plants...


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## chriscro (Dec 3, 2010)

tank #1 has alot of contrasting fish, red tailed sharks can be extremely aggressive when fully grown and if you intend on adding angels that could pose even more problems. be careful of your fish selection i would suggest a specific group or breed of fish rather then a mashup.


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## Kooka (Feb 8, 2011)

Ha, you should go back to that LFS and throw him back into one of their planted show tanks... But in all seriousness, rabbit snails will destroy most all plants besides mosses, anubias, hornwort and pellia. The ones I keep don't like the taste of bolbitis fern or pennywort either.


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## sudz (Dec 13, 2010)

*Fish Selection*

Sounds like its going to be a beautiful tank!

However, I would not put angels in with those fish - Angels are somewhat agressive and would pick at the betta's. Also, Male betta's WILL eventually either be picked on/Fin Nipped, or Kill any fish a similar size.

Below is a chart that used to be on elmers aquarium site, its been taken down, but it is on quite a few sites around the internet. Its Not conclusive, and I've seen some of these pairings work - but in general it is a good guide to go by.


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