Nice setup. Hope you enter our next Tank of the Month contest which will feature freshwater tanks sized at 30 US gallons and larger.
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First 55 gal setup thoughts?
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Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
Oo thats pretty!!
Yes i have root tabs and i use a liquid carbon, iron, and fertalizer
First suggestion concerning the background, do not use any picture. You have a very lovely aquascape, and putting any pictures behind it will detract and probably make it appear cheap. Black construction is about the best you can use, I have it on all my tanks. The colours of fish, plants, wood, rock all display well against black.
No, this is incorrect. Plants need nitrogen, and most species of aquatic plants prefer ammonium (ammonia). Only when ammonia/ammonium is depleted in balance with the light and other nutrients will plants turn to nitrate. They have a reason for this. In order to use nitrate, they must first change it back into ammonium, and that is additional energy that they need for other purposes.
Nitrate is poisonous to all aquarium fish; it does not act as rapidly as ammonia or nitrite, but depending upon the level, the exposure time, and the species, all aquarium fish are harmed by nitrate. Keeping it as low as absolutely possible is the goal.
The purpose of the regular partial water change is to remove pollutants. These are substances you cannot see, and cannot test for, but they harm fish. If nitrates increase from one water change to the next, you are not changing enough water. Nitrate should be as low as possible and then be kept there.
My tanks have tested in the 0 to 5 ppm range with the API nitrate test for over a decade. That is stability, and it means healthy fish. It is common in low-tech planted tanks to have zero nitrates permanently, and nothing could be better for the fish. The reason nitrate is so low is not because plants are using it, but because they are taking up most of the ammonia. Plants out-compete nitrifying bacteria for most of the ammonia, and with plants there is no nitrite produced, and thus no nitrate further along.
Do not use "liquid carbon." This is probably glutaraldehyde (Flourish Excel, API CO2 Booster, and others are glutaraldehyde based) and this has no place in an aquarium. Glutaraldehyde is a highly toxic disinfectant used to sterilize surgical instruments in hospitals, in embalming fluid to kill bacteris, etc, etc. At recommended doses some plants (Vallisneria is one, some stem plants too) will melt. If it should get overdosed, it can kill plants, fish and bacteria. This is not safe in a tank with fish.
No, this is incorrect. Plants need nitrogen, and most species of aquatic plants prefer ammonium (ammonia). Only when ammonia/ammonium is depleted in balance with the light and other nutrients will plants turn to nitrate. They have a reason for this. In order to use nitrate, they must first change it back into ammonium, and that is additional energy that they need for other purposes.
Nitrate is poisonous to all aquarium fish; it does not act as rapidly as ammonia or nitrite, but depending upon the level, the exposure time, and the species, all aquarium fish are harmed by nitrate. Keeping it as low as absolutely possible is the goal.
The purpose of the regular partial water change is to remove pollutants. These are substances you cannot see, and cannot test for, but they harm fish. If nitrates increase from one water change to the next, you are not changing enough water. Nitrate should be as low as possible and then be kept there.
My tanks have tested in the 0 to 5 ppm range with the API nitrate test for over a decade. That is stability, and it means healthy fish. It is common in low-tech planted tanks to have zero nitrates permanently, and nothing could be better for the fish. The reason nitrate is so low is not because plants are using it, but because they are taking up most of the ammonia. Plants out-compete nitrifying bacteria for most of the ammonia, and with plants there is no nitrite produced, and thus no nitrate further along.
Do not use "liquid carbon." This is probably glutaraldehyde (Flourish Excel, API CO2 Booster, and others are glutaraldehyde based) and this has no place in an aquarium. Glutaraldehyde is a highly toxic disinfectant used to sterilize surgical instruments in hospitals, in embalming fluid to kill bacteris, etc, etc. At recommended doses some plants (Vallisneria is one, some stem plants too) will melt. If it should get overdosed, it can kill plants, fish and bacteria. This is not safe in a tank with fish.
Also my tap water has .5ppm ammonia is that okay to use then since plants will eat it?
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
The product in the first photo may be good, so you could use it up and then perhaps consider a different brand. I don't personally know the product pictured, but it has most of what is needed, though it also has nitrogen and phosphate which is certainly never needed in an additive as more than sufficient naturally occurs in any fish tank with fish that are being fed. If you want to consider other products for the future, three I do recommend are:
Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium; their Flourish Tabs are also well worth using for larger plants like swords, they make quite a difference.
Brightwell Aquatics, FLorinMulti liquid, and I believe they also have substrate tabs.
The Nutrient Company's TNC Lite, though this may only be available in the UK, I've not seen it in NA.
Do not use the iron. You will note that iron is in the combo (first photo), and iron is a micro-nutrient that if overdosed will harm plants (and fish and bacteria, it is after all a heavy metal). Nutrient supplements for aquarium plants must be in proportions to each other, as an excess of "x" can cause plants to shut down assimilation of "z" and so forth. The products I listed above are balanced multi-nutrient supplements.
That is not much to worry about, and yes, the plants (and bacteria, some will still be present) should be able to handle this. Do they add chloramine to your tap water? This if they do is likely the source, as chloramine is a mix of chlorine and ammonia that is better than straight chlorine for killing bacteria in the water.
I would dose both as is directed in the bottle/bag.
Follow the directions. The substrate tabs are best if you place one close to the crown of the plant, and replace it in 3-4 months. The liquid should be dosed on the day following the water change, and no more than what the instructions recommend. Just once a week may be sufficient, even though it says once or twice.
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
I also dose it the day after water change and at 1/2 the suggested rate.
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