My new tank!

[lizkline91]

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH, specify units): 12x12x12

Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 10,000 kelvin
No. of hours your lights are on : 10

CO2 : none

HOB Filter

Age of setup : 2 1/2 weeks

Water change frequency : 10 % every few days

Water surface movement (None/gentle/turbulent) : gentle

Tank Temperature : 81 degrees f

Nitrate- 30 ppm
Nitrite - .2 ppm
GH - 75 ppm
KH - 40 ppm
pH - 7.0 ppm

Bioload:

four pond snails, two cherry shrimp, dwarf hairgrass, baby tears, micro sword, java moss, and a tall leafy plant I haven't identified yet (can anyone help with that?).
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Describe your problem :

Ammonia levels are perfect but i am in the middle of a nitrate spike. I keep changing the water to keep the levels down. How long until I can add a few guppies?

The java fern is not as vibrant as I had thought it would be. I am also not entirely sure how to establish it on my central rock.

Is 10,000 k too white for freshwater plants?

do I need to feed the shrimp anything in addition to the algae and dead plant matter already in the tank?

Any general suggestions?
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[lizkline91]

DSC_0082.jpg DSC_0094.jpg DSC_0108.jpg

for some reason those photos did not work!

[thebaldingaquarist]

welcome to AQ!

the tall leafy plant looks like barcopa.

I saw a foreign (to me) looking thing in the top right panel of the tank.. only after looking at your country that i knew what it was.. a heater!

[stressed]

It is interesting on how here we are in singapore utilizing a chiller to keep temperatures down and over there up north, heaters are used. How nice to be inbetween

[smwhang]

Funniest thing; no one has yet addressed your question..sorry for that.

Java Fern can be superglued onto the rock…it'll grow on its own.
Theres a glue called Aron Alpha Gel-10 that is good for this type of adhesion. Apply a bit, not too much.

10% water changes is a bit light…try 30% each time.
Get a quick start helper on beneficial bacteria like Tetra Safe Start. Your NO2 and NO3s will drop to zero in 24hrs.

Lighting
6500K is sunlight at noontime.
10000K is still doable and may seem too white for your eyes but for the plant, so long as your light fixture height from the water surface is not searing the leaves of your plant, then its ok..play around with height of lamp to get your desired effect.
I use 35cm for mine but its a HID 150w 6500k

Algae in the tank?
What type of algae….shrimps do eat some types of algae but avoids most of what aquarists don't like as well…
Advise you to understand what type of algae is in your tank presently and then decide on your corse of action.
There is a type of shrimp most of us use to eat more of the algae; amano shrimps. They are good cleaner shrimps and can live for about 6 years.
If you're keeping crystal reds and other such dwarf ornamental shrimps, then yes, you'll have to feed them with shrimp food….maybe once every 2 or 3 days or so.
Take care no to overfeed as many do….they always look hungry but the leftover food can be trouble for your water parameters.

Not sure what filters you use but be mindful of the requirements of the water when deciding what species of shrimps and fish goes into your tank.
Basically, keep the tank clean of bad algae and dead vegetation. weekly cleaning and water changes are recommended.

Don't know if you're going for CO2 injection or not but thats up to you….pros and cons to it too. Basically more variables to balance out.

Other that this above…what else would you like to know?