A newbie on a 2 ft tank

[j.c.koh]

@urban aquaria,

Guess there's no shortcut to it, can't risk it lol

What type of floaters do you recommend and how many do I need for my case?

[j.c.koh]

today when I went home to do the water change the unexpected happened.....



MY TANK IS FULLY CYCLED!!!!!!

I thought the average cycle time is 4 to 7 weeks, I didn't expect mine to be so fast, it took 2 weeks.
I swear when I tested it 3 days ago the nitrite was still bright purple, today it dropped to 0ppm like a rock.
I couldn't believe it at first, I poured away the mixtures and did a second testing with the same result.

Now what do I do?? I have so many questions...
I still have the excess nutrients water issues, can I add the fishes 1st follow by the floaters after a week of quarantine or do I have to solve the water issues 1st before adding the fishes?
how long can the tank remain fishless until the bb starts dying off?
what should I add 1st? shrimps or fishes? I read we need to intro them bit by bit, is 10 tetras at 1 go too much?

[aza]

Do you have algae crew in your tank? If not can start with some ottos and yamatos. But of course do this after you solved the green water issue first.

[Urban Aquaria]

What type of floaters do you recommend and how many do I need for my case?

You can try various common floating plants like frogbits, salvinia minima, dwarf water lettuce, red root floaters etc... though from my experience so far, salvinia minima has been one of the easiest to grow and also easy to remove when required.

Just for reference, this is what they look like (their small leaves are usually around 1cm size):



Photo from Google Images.

You don't need much to start off with, just a few healthy bunches will do. They will quickly grow enough to cover the water surface of your tank, then you will be harvesting and discarding handfuls of them every week.

[Urban Aquaria]

today when I went home to do the water change the unexpected happened.....

MY TANK IS FULLY CYCLED!!!!!!

I thought the average cycle time is 4 to 7 weeks, I didn't expect mine to be so fast, it took 2 weeks.
I swear when I tested it 3 days ago the nitrite was still bright purple, today it dropped to 0ppm like a rock.
I couldn't believe it at first, I poured away the mixtures and did a second testing with the same result.

2 weeks is unusually fast for a tank using ADA Aquasoil to cycle completely. Parameters usually spike up and down during the initial few weeks of a tank cycle. In such cases, it may be a good idea to let the tank run for another few more days or another week and test the parameters again. See if the measurements are still consistent. If there is another spike in parameters then it means the cycle and parameters are still not really stable yet, need to give it more time.

I still have the excess nutrients water issues, can I add the fishes 1st follow by the floaters after a week of quarantine or do I have to solve the water issues 1st before adding the fishes?

If after another week and the parameters are still consistent and stable, then you can look at adding in small batches of livestock in progressive stages.

As the nitrates are at an elevated level during this initial period, just do a series of water changes to reduce it to more moderate levels (ie. 10-20ppm, lighter orange color), before acclimating and introducing in the livestock.

how long can the tank remain fishless until the bb starts dying off?

Since you are using ADA Amazonia aquasoil, it'll actually still be slowly releasing ammonia over many weeks and months (the cycled beneficial bacteria just converts new ammonia to nitrates quickly, hence ammonia and nitrite shows up as 0 on the test kit), so the beneficial bacteria will still have ample "food" to sustain and multiply for quite a long time more. So no worries about not introducing livestock yet.

what should I add 1st? shrimps or fishes? I read we need to intro them bit by bit, is 10 tetras at 1 go too much?

Usually once a planted tank is cycled and stable, most people start to introduce in the algae eaters, let them get to work clearing up algae and debris in the tank. Fishes can be added anytime as they are mostly just ornamental anyways, no actual real jobs to do except swimming around eating and pooping.

Introducing 10 small fishes (ie. tetras) per batch is generally okay in a 2ft planted tank, a fully cycled tank can usually handle those small increasing amounts of bio-load.

Do note that shrimps are more sensitive to fluctuating water parameters in a newly cycled tanks (compared to fishes), so do make sure to get healthy ones and acclimate them well before introduction.

[j.c.koh]

went over to AA for the floaters just now, came home empty handed..
he told me to use the massive water change method....
he said use floaters only when there's fishes inside the tank and doing massive water change will hurt them.
he said floaters will block out the lights and affect the MC and sp mini.

he said since the tank is still fishless might as well nuke the tank to get rid of the problem 1st.
he suggest changing the water 90% every 2 days. aquasky will be set to 3 hours per day and then slowly increase to 6 hours in a 1 to 2 weeks period.
dosage of the fertilizer step-1 and brightly k @ 3 pumps a day as per normal.
after a week plus after the improvement then start worrying about the stability of the tank's bb.

I really hard decision for me. one is to wipe out half of the bb I worked so hard to establish and the other this to let the plants suffer from lack of lights......

will decide tomorrow.

[tetrakid]

Too drastic a water change eg 90% may affect the integrity of the bacteria. It may be good to do 25% water changes spread out over a few days until the nitrate level is acceptably low. In any case, such water changes would become the norm even when the tank is inhabited,

[Ivan Choo]

Floaters don't have to block out much light as you can control how many to add and remove. Besides floaters will usually be pushed to the edges by the flow thus the important areas in the center won't be blocked. Also floaters won't block 100% of the light and render the base in total darkness. Floaters can soak up the excess nutrients fast since they are not co2 limited, and thats why we use them in this case.

Everyone has different takes based on their experience, there's no right or wrong. There's a lot of science involved, but much of it is common sense too. Figure out which method you're most comfortable with and makes the most sense to you, and go try it. Don't be afraid to try things and fail, because that's the best way to learn.

Also I wouldn't worry about your BB that much. Once your plants are healthy and growth is at full throttle, your nitrate and ammonia problems will take care of itself.

Good luck!

[aza]

Ivan is right; focus on growing healthy plants and algae will be kept at bay. Remember, it's your tank so in the end you decide and everyone's tank condition differs, so what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

[tetrakid]

... Remember, it's your tank so in the end you decide and everyone's tank condition differs, so what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

This is so true!

There are so many variables in each person's tank to consider that no one formula will work for another. Each will have to recognise the unique chemistry and biology of a particuler tank in order to create the most desirable result. This is why even two or more tanks owned by the same owner at the same time can have widely different conditions.

[j.c.koh]

Everyone has different takes based on their experience, there's no right or wrong. There's a lot of science involved, but much of it is common sense too. Figure out which method you're most comfortable with and makes the most sense to you, and go try it. Don't be afraid to try things and fail, because that's the best way to learn.

Exactly, I too felt that solutions to problems shouldn't have right or wrong, only pros and cons. Any cons can adjusted given the effort. Except for medication dosing, I wouldn't go down that route.

I believed he did over exaggerated the floaters blocking the light from the plants part.

After much thought I think I am going to try both ways.

Reason is the floaters need a week to quarantine, so right now I need to do something to bring down the nutrients. I've been doing daily 30% water change since day 2 of the set up but still can't bring it down. Think it time to up the volume.

The plan is while I quarantine the floaters, I go 75-90% water change every 2 days. Fertilizer dosage will be normal. Lights will start from 3 hours a day, ramping up half an hour everyday until it hit the 6 hours mark. By then its already 1 week the floaters should be ready. The tank shall have major improvements given the water volume changed, so any excess nutrients I will drop in the floaters to finish them off and do water change as per normal to let the tank stabilize.

The only problem is I don't know where to get floaters, AA is not going to sell me because he disapprove the method. I tried that aquarium, nothing much with them right now, I went over to the lfs at yishun interchange, only duckweed and water lettuce, the conditions are horrible.

Is there any place I can get nice floaters??

However I do have great respect for staffs at AA, they do things with passion and very are knowledgeable, their funas and plants are one of the greatest I seen so far on par with fishy business. I just feel like solutions shouldn't be a one way only thing...

[Urban Aquaria]

Actually its not really necessary to have to go out of the way to buy floating plants, most of them can be gotten free.

You could look out for floating plants that other hobbyists are giving away (most keepers have to throw away lots of them regularly anyways)... or just get from any LFS which grow them in their retail tanks like AA or GC. If you ask them nicely or happen to buy some livestock from them, they will usually be glad to toss in an assortment of floating plants for you.

All of the floating plants i have kept so far are given free from other hobbyists or LFS (usually randomly chucked into bags with the fishes or shrimps). Even just a few tiny leaves is sufficient, as they will gradually multiply until you have to keep throwing bunches away.

[aza]

Found a bro in marketplace selling/giving some floaters:

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...422#post850422

Quick, before someone else get em all!

[Zep]

Hi bro jc koh, I have some dwarf water lettuce or red root floaters to spare if you want some. I bought my red root floaters from AA and got the dwarf water lettuce from another bro. They just took off and covered my 50cm tank.

You can pm me if you would like some. If not I will need to throw them away during my next water change.

[Ivan Choo]

If you live near marine parade, I have some salvina minima to spare. I throw away a handful during every water change. In fact, most hobbyist in the forum will be happy to give floaters to you for free.


BTW, @UA gives good advise, salvina minima has smaller leaves, don't really propagate that fast but works well enough, has short roots and are easy to remove. Fishes love 'em too. I still use them even though I don't have algae issues; for fish comfort and to cover the edges of my tank so as to cut down light hitting on my sand surface (this way the sand won't grow green). They also help keep my nitrate in check as I'm heavily stocked.


On a separate note, I usually don't quarantine new plants for that long. I will soak them in ISTA anti-snail and/or AlgExit 10X overdosed solution from a few hours to max 2 days. It all depends on the type and condition of the plants, and the location where I've got them. It worked well for me so far, I don't get any pest snails or critters.


I do have some limpets surfacing lately (I suspect them got in from new fishes), but from my experience they will go away themselves eventually (provided you don't overfeed and keep up with tank maintenance); their numbers are insignificant and don't bother me much.


My point is, unless you live a laboratory environment, pests and algae will sneak in. In fact it's only natural as we strive to provide a conducive environment for fishes and plants, which coincidentally works well for these critters too. Even if you quarantine 2 weeks, there is no guarantee of it being pest free; just more probability of it being so. What matters most is regular maintenance to keep your tank clean, and these nasties will be kept at bay. This is how nature works, embrace it, don't fight it.


My advise is don't stress yourself too much over all these best practises. Strike a balance between what is convenient and practical, and do things to best effort. Else fatigue and disappointment will creep in and eventually kill the joy of the hobby.


Just sharing my $0.02, YMMV, listen at your own peril!

[j.c.koh]

Happens to be at nearby sunpet after work, decided to go there for a walk.

I ask them for the salvinia minima and got myself a packet. Half way home I get a closer look at the plant..

It looks different for the picture UA post...

20161219_165720__1482138359_180.255.252.90.jpg

It I got the wrong plant? lol

Is it still usable??

[Urban Aquaria]

It's just a different salvinia variant...probably salvinia cucullata, those tend to grow more in clumps, also usable too. They all have similar growth rates and care, just with different leaf structures.

[limz_777]

Happens to be at nearby sunpet after work, decided to go there for a walk.

I ask them for the salvinia minima and got myself a packet. Half way home I get a closer look at the plant..

It looks different for the picture UA post...

20161219_165720__1482138359_180.255.252.90.jpg

It I got the wrong plant? lol

Is it still usable??

Bigger leafs floater are much better, easier to clear later on

Sent from my SM-G928I using Tapatalk

[j.c.koh]

I'll like to take this time to thank everyone here for helping me out this past week and those who offered their floaters to me, I am very grateful and I appreciate it.

This set up has not been a smooth one, the nightmare begins on day 3 when the AQ server crashed. I can't ask for advises and all information here were locked away from me.

I'm on my own, I doubted myself for everything I did because there is no clear answers.
I'm not sure if it's green water at that time, I thought it might be a bacteria bloom or aquasoil staining the water, but again no clear answers so I just keep doing water change.
but when the water keeps going back the the greenish color after the next day, not knowing whats going on and not knowing the solutions really sends me into fatigue.
I'm not free during that few weeks so I went to a few lfs near me, they ask me to dose medication......

then finally the website went up, through you guys I learned whats wrong with my tank and how to solve the problem, I know what to do now.

again thank you guys for the help, it means a lot to me.

[jackychun]

Happens to be at nearby sunpet after work, decided to go there for a walk.

I ask them for the salvinia minima and got myself a packet. Half way home I get a closer look at the plant..

It looks different for the picture UA post...

20161219_165720__1482138359_180.255.252.90.jpg

It I got the wrong plant? lol

Is it still usable??

I notice they would transform to small leaf version after sometimes staying in the tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk