Gravel Turning Orangish-brown?
- Thread starter SimonSays
- Start date
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
it's algae.
the chances of you having a completely algae free aquarium are somewhat slim, we all have some somewhere. however there's a number of ways you can control it.
can you give us details of the size of your tank, what fish you have, what equipment you're running (filter make & model, wattage of lighting, any Co2 etc), details (if you have any) of any live plants you have in the aquarium.
the chances of you having a completely algae free aquarium are somewhat slim, we all have some somewhere. however there's a number of ways you can control it.
can you give us details of the size of your tank, what fish you have, what equipment you're running (filter make & model, wattage of lighting, any Co2 etc), details (if you have any) of any live plants you have in the aquarium.
I have a 20 gal tank, I have 2 filters on it right now, a TopFin 20 which came with the kit I bought, and a Penguin 150 Bio Wheel rated for a 30 gallon tank,
I'm not sure what the wattage of my lighting is because i've thrown away the box =/ and no live plants
4 australian rainbows
6 Flame Tetras
3 Long finned Tetras
3 See through looking tetras, forgot the name
1 crab
Also on a side note, petsmart has a Freshwater Master Test kit for 21 something shipped, Is this a good deal?
I'm not sure what the wattage of my lighting is because i've thrown away the box =/ and no live plants
4 australian rainbows
6 Flame Tetras
3 Long finned Tetras
3 See through looking tetras, forgot the name
1 crab
Also on a side note, petsmart has a Freshwater Master Test kit for 21 something shipped, Is this a good deal?
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
in general a test kit is a great idea, if it's the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit then go for it, that's what I use and recommend. Can't comment on the price, you don't say where in the world your located or give a currency so it's a bit hard to tell! 
your probably about fully stocked so you don't really want to add any more fish to that tank. At a push maybe something like some algae eating amano shrimp could help you, but you'd have to check compatibility with the crab, depending what sort it is it could cause problems. You might find people advising you to get all sorts of algae eaters, plecs and Chinese Algae Eaters are the most commonly recommended in fish shops, these are probably the worst things you can get for your tank as they can get 12-18" long so get way to big.
Personally I would get some live plants, these should help to fight off algae, if your worried about them dying get something nice and easy like cabomba to start off with.
However you do have to accept there will always be some algae in your tank, and there's no magic cure for it, you can do some things to help but a bit of elbow grease and time spent maintaining the tank should keep on top of it.
your probably about fully stocked so you don't really want to add any more fish to that tank. At a push maybe something like some algae eating amano shrimp could help you, but you'd have to check compatibility with the crab, depending what sort it is it could cause problems. You might find people advising you to get all sorts of algae eaters, plecs and Chinese Algae Eaters are the most commonly recommended in fish shops, these are probably the worst things you can get for your tank as they can get 12-18" long so get way to big.
Personally I would get some live plants, these should help to fight off algae, if your worried about them dying get something nice and easy like cabomba to start off with.
However you do have to accept there will always be some algae in your tank, and there's no magic cure for it, you can do some things to help but a bit of elbow grease and time spent maintaining the tank should keep on top of it.
does the cabomba need any special substrate to root in? or will it do fine with my normal white aquarium gravel? also when I place the plant in do i have to bury the base into the gravel? or should I just let it sit on top of the gravel weighted down with whatever the LFS weighs them down with?
sorry for all the questions, but you've been a great help! =D
sorry for all the questions, but you've been a great help! =D
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
no it'll do just fine in normal gravel. it would do better in a specialist plant substrate but don't worry about that. for a first go with real plants you don't need to worry over it. if you feel like splashing some cash to make it grow better get some root tabs and put one in the substrate next to where your planting it. I recommend the seachem flourish ones.
it will come from the lfs with the base wrapped in a sort of cotton wolly type thing then wrapped round that with a lead weight. when you get it home take both off very gently taking care not to break the stems or roots if possible.
you should try to plant it fully into the gravel not just sit it on top
depending on how deep your gravel is and how much root the plant has when you get it, you may be able to plant it straight away, however you might find it keep floating up, in which case wrap it up carefully in the lead (not the wooly stuff) and plant it again, the lead should hold it down and in a few weeks when it's got it's roots established carefully take the lead off.
it will come from the lfs with the base wrapped in a sort of cotton wolly type thing then wrapped round that with a lead weight. when you get it home take both off very gently taking care not to break the stems or roots if possible.
you should try to plant it fully into the gravel not just sit it on top
depending on how deep your gravel is and how much root the plant has when you get it, you may be able to plant it straight away, however you might find it keep floating up, in which case wrap it up carefully in the lead (not the wooly stuff) and plant it again, the lead should hold it down and in a few weeks when it's got it's roots established carefully take the lead off.
wow thanks, you've been such a great help! one last question, how many cabomba should I buy? is there such thing as over loading the tank with plants? I wouldn't want them to grow so crazy the fish don't have enough room!
thanks again! you've been such a great help =D
thanks again! you've been such a great help =D
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
nope you can never have too many!! ha ha
i'm with you on the lots of plants front, that's how i prefer my tanks, head over to the planted tank forums and have a read through some of the members journals i think it'd be right up your street!! they can give you much mroe help than i can with plants, i only know the basics, but get some in there and get yourself started
no bother at all, that's what i'm here for
i'm with you on the lots of plants front, that's how i prefer my tanks, head over to the planted tank forums and have a read through some of the members journals i think it'd be right up your street!! they can give you much mroe help than i can with plants, i only know the basics, but get some in there and get yourself started
no bother at all, that's what i'm here for
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