My Tank Isnt Working Out The Way I Planned It

[joshjames]

so i set up my first planted tank with sand cycled it fine and added 12 cherry shrimp and 4 neitire snails
all seemed good but now my plants are dying
i dont know why lighting is on 9 hours a day but they just arn't staying alive also i go to do a water change and i try and clear up some of the poo the shirmp are making but it just doesnt seem to be clearing i vacuumed it but its still all there
also i can only ever see 3-5 shrimp at a time and im wondering where they all are???
the filter inlet is secured and water parameters are fine do they just like hiding??? they have been in there a week or so now
and just to top it all off i find a shrimps head stuck in the filter
ohwell moan over i suppose ill just hav to persevere and get it sorted

 

[paulbr1]

Hi, do you have any pics of the plants and are you feeding them? - I made the mistake of buying plants from my LFS which turned out not to be for the aquarium!!

It may be an idea to post this in the planted section also..

Paul.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Are you dosing ferts?

Also, went planting plants in sand it is important not to bury all the roots. You want to leave the op of the roots exposed to the water.

Sand acts as a really good sealer so the roots can't get all of the trace minerals and ferts that are in the water column.

So, try to expose the top of the roots a little.

Also, what is your WPG (Watts Per Gallon)?

-FHM

 

[keenonfish]

I find some days all my shrimp are quite easy to find other days I am lucky if I can count two or three! However you could have a problem with your filter killing your shrimp I find my Juwel filter is quite kind to shrimp and they can easily escape.. they don't get mashed unless they get past the floss which is nearly impossibly I would guess.

 

[matchstickman47]

many plat bought from lfs's are just cliipings....they dont last

 

[Truck]

many plat bought from lfs's are just cliipings....they dont last

they do if theyre cared for correctly. most of my plants that i used to have were all cuttings from other plants i have

 

[fatheadminnow]

many plat bought from lfs's are just cliipings....they dont last

If cared for properly they should survive just fine.

How do you think new forage in the wild or plants in the lakes grow?

-FHM

 

[joshjames]

thanks for all the advice guys
i didnt know about the roots so will give that a try
what fertiliser can i get which is cheap and easy to use???
im sure my filter isnt killing the shrimp as the inlet is so tiny no shrimp would ever fit up there
i bought my plants on line from www.java-plants.com
i was going to buy them from my LFS but then a man in the shop suggested the website because they were a lot cheaper than the LFS if 4 plants for £15

 

[shelaghfishface]

do u have reflectors on the lights?? i didnt ( well i did but they were measly white things) truckasaurus recomended that i make my own using foil.. wow what a diffrence they have made,the plants are growing much better and a lot faster.

 

[joshjames]

what would the reflectors do though?? and how do i make them

 

[K-Holed]

A reflector does just that, reflects light back into the aquarium. In short your increasing the amount of light reaching your plants.

 

[fatheadminnow]

what would the reflectors do though?? and how do i make them

Yup, I use Tin Foil for a reflector.

A reflector will 'reflect' more of the "wasted" light into the tank.

A good fertilizer to use it Flourish made be Seachmen!

What is your WPG (Watts Per Gallon)?

Total wattage form your lights divided by gallons in your tank.

EX: 20 watts/10 gallons = 2 WPG

-FHM

 

[joshjames]

it doesnt say on the top of the lid so i dont honestly know
how do i add these tin foil reflectors just put them onto the lid of the tank???

 

[shelaghfishface]

i basically just placed foil behind the tubes.. the full length of them, then covered the rest of the inside of the hood, looks a bit unsightly from the outside, but it whats going on inside that im interested in, i was just rushing to get it don tho . with time you wouldnt even know it had been done