First 10 gallon planted tank!

[newmag1659]

This is my second tank ever and will soon have a couple pairs of killifish (gardneri)! Currently there's six little corycats in there and they love the plants. It's stocked with: various floaters, cabomba, java moss, wisteria, two amazon swords, rotala indica, ludwigia repens, pearlweed, and hornwort.
I just added some of those plants today so it's a little cloudy, but I think I'm in love with this tank! Constructive criticism, comments, etc. are welcome

note: I am getting a finnex stingray 2 tomorrow, so the cheap light will soon be no more

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Looks very good! Your Anacharis is showing good promise.

 

[newmag1659]

Looks very good! Your Anacharis is showing good promise.

Thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

You need a picture on the back of the tank to make the fish feel more secure.

The water looks cloudy.

Having lots of wood and rock in a tank can look good, but make sure you clean under them each week to stop gunk building up and causing water quality problems.

Apart from that it looks good.

 

[newmag1659]

You need a picture on the back of the tank to make the fish feel more secure.

The water looks cloudy.

Having lots of wood and rock in a tank can look good, but make sure you clean under them each week to stop gunk building up and causing water quality problems.

Apart from that it looks good.

Yes, the water is a bit cloudy because the substrate is Fluval stratum which kicks up and clouds the tank when you add new plants. I’m thinking of dosing the tank with API algae fix but I’m concerned it could harm the plants or fish. What do you think?

 

[Essjay]

It is never a good idea to add chemicals to a tank to fix a problem unless there is nothing else that will work. In this case, if the cloudiness is the substrate, adding an algae killer won't do anything except get inside the fish.

 

[newmag1659]

It is never a good idea to add chemicals to a tank to fix a problem unless there is nothing else that will work. In this case, if the cloudiness is the substrate, adding an algae killer won't do anything except get inside the fish.

Ok! I think the cloudiness is mostly a substrate issue, but I’m sure there’s some algae making it that way too. I also have a UV light that’s supposed to kill algae, but I’ve not used it before. Either way, I’ll probably give it a few days before trying anything.

 

[Retired Viking]

Are you doing a planted/silent cycle?

 

[newmag1659]

Are you doing a planted/silent cycle?

I did a planted cycle for about a week with already cycled filter media before adding 6 little corys yesterday

 

[Retired Viking]

Looks like youi have plenty of hiding spots for the fish, try and test the water at least once a week for the next several weeks to make sure the plants are absorbing all the ammonia. If not you may have to add more plants I have done planted cycles on all my fish tanks and have been happy with the results. Good luck

 

[newmag1659]

Looks like youi have plenty of hiding spots for the fish, try and test the water at least once a week for the next several weeks to make sure the plants are absorbing all the ammonia. If not you may have to add more plants I have done planted cycles on all my fish tanks and have been happy with the results. Good luck

I’ve been testing water and the only thing is that my pH is low, slowly dosing it back up everyday. That’s an issue with the city water though, not the tank. Thanks!

 

[Essjay]

Are you adding chemicals to change the pH? If you need to add whatever it is everyday because the pH is swinging, this is not good for fish. They need a stable pH.

Can you tell us please, what is the pH of your tap water, both freshly run and some that's been allowed to stand overnight; the pH of your tank water before you add anything to raise the pH; the hardness of your water.

If you have soft water, fish that can be kept in soft water will have no problem with a low pH.

 

[newmag1659]

Are you adding chemicals to change the pH? If you need to add whatever it is everyday because the pH is swinging, this is not good for fish. They need a stable pH.

Can you tell us please, what is the pH of your tap water, both freshly run and some that's been allowed to stand overnight; the pH of your tank water before you add anything to raise the pH; the hardness of your water.

If you have soft water, fish that can be kept in soft water will have no problem with a low pH.

I do have very soft water, around 50 ppm. Tap water is around 6.6 fresh and 6.2 after sitting. I check pH every other day and dose as necessary. I went out of town for part of the week and the person feeding my fish forgot to check pH, thus why it was so low when I came back.

 

[newmag1659]

I do have very soft water, around 50 ppm. Tap water is around 6.6 fresh and 6.2 after sitting. I check pH every other day and dose as necessary. I went out of town for part of the week and the person feeding my fish forgot to check pH, thus why it was so low when I came back.

Tank without any chemicals sits around 6.0

 

[Essjay]

In that case, as long as you keep fish which are suitable for your GH, the pH is fine at 6.0. Adding stuff to raise the pH is not good for the fish since it keeps dropping again, and fluctuating pH is not good for fish. We have several members with a tank pH lower than your and their fish are fine without trying to alter it. Cories will be fine at 6.0 and if the killifish are Fundulopanchax gardneri, they'll be fine as well.