Hello all,
Everyone has been very helpful so far so I figured now that I have my tank up and running, stocked a little better and have been trying to grow plants in a super low light/low tech environment for a while I should find out a couple of things before they get out of hand.
I have a 55 US G tank, no CO2, and a 35W T8 bulb. The tank is stocked with 8 Platy's, 5 Black Skirt Tetras, 5 Sailfin Molly's, 1 Columbian Shark, 3 Peppered Cory's?, and 1 lone Guppy. The tank has been running constantly for a year but up until two months ago the stocking was down to a Large Common Plec and an unknown fish. I lost both of those and decided to start all over and have been adding all of these new fish slowly. I am doing weekly 30-40% water changes. I add Flourish Excel (1 Capful/5mm) everyday to the tank. I would love to be able to give you exact stats for my water but I have been unable to buy a test kit yet. I know my AM and NO3 stay at 0 and my NO2 hasn't been above 80 before a water change. Goto the LFS and have them test it but they use strips. I was told a few days ago before my water change that my PH was at 8.4 but I find that hard to believe as the 10 gallon tank I run was at 7.4. So there is a little background information on the tank and now I will start with the pictures and questions and hope that you all can help. Thanks.
First here is a picture of my complete layout that I setup yesterday during my water change. My lighting is slightly supplemented by the light on the left. It has 25W bulbs in it and 2 of the lights are pointed at the tank. I had it on the right for a few weeks and now have put it on the left in the hopes to get the Cabomba to grow better.
Next picture is of an unknown plant. When I bought my Cabomba and a few other plants I forgot the names of I found this plant like 2 weeks later hanging out tangled in one of the plants. It had only two leaves about an inch long each and a single root about a half inch long. I got it planted and it has been doing great.
This next picture is of one of the plants I forgot the name of. It is also the plant that I found the above plant hanging out in. It was thriving while I had the extra light from the lamp on it but it does ok with just the T8 and just grows slower. I would like to know what this plant is and what I need to do about the black algae growing on its leaves at the top. Do I just cut them off or should I scrub it off or something completely different?
This next one has two plants. I know the front one which is red is a Water Lily as it came in a bulb pack I bought. Will the Water Lily stay that small or is it because of lighting that it hasn't sprouted upward yet? The plant in the background is one I forgot the name of and it seems to do ok in my tank. It will grow to reach the top slowly but as it grows it tends to loose it leaves at the bottom. I just figure it is because there isn't enough light getting all the way down there. I also find the black algae on this plant.
This next plant I bought and it has been doing great. It has been constantly sprouting new leaves. I would like to know what it is, how can I propogate it, and what I need to do about the algae that is growing on it. The second picture of it has a close up but it is pretty poor as it is a digital zoom using my phone.
Thank you all for any help you provide and I look forward to being able to learn more and make my tank into a thriving jungle. Also I will be getting my own API Master kit soon. Waiting on a paycheck to get here and then I will update you on proper water stats and what my tap stats are as well.
Everyone has been very helpful so far so I figured now that I have my tank up and running, stocked a little better and have been trying to grow plants in a super low light/low tech environment for a while I should find out a couple of things before they get out of hand.
I have a 55 US G tank, no CO2, and a 35W T8 bulb. The tank is stocked with 8 Platy's, 5 Black Skirt Tetras, 5 Sailfin Molly's, 1 Columbian Shark, 3 Peppered Cory's?, and 1 lone Guppy. The tank has been running constantly for a year but up until two months ago the stocking was down to a Large Common Plec and an unknown fish. I lost both of those and decided to start all over and have been adding all of these new fish slowly. I am doing weekly 30-40% water changes. I add Flourish Excel (1 Capful/5mm) everyday to the tank. I would love to be able to give you exact stats for my water but I have been unable to buy a test kit yet. I know my AM and NO3 stay at 0 and my NO2 hasn't been above 80 before a water change. Goto the LFS and have them test it but they use strips. I was told a few days ago before my water change that my PH was at 8.4 but I find that hard to believe as the 10 gallon tank I run was at 7.4. So there is a little background information on the tank and now I will start with the pictures and questions and hope that you all can help. Thanks.
First here is a picture of my complete layout that I setup yesterday during my water change. My lighting is slightly supplemented by the light on the left. It has 25W bulbs in it and 2 of the lights are pointed at the tank. I had it on the right for a few weeks and now have put it on the left in the hopes to get the Cabomba to grow better.
Next picture is of an unknown plant. When I bought my Cabomba and a few other plants I forgot the names of I found this plant like 2 weeks later hanging out tangled in one of the plants. It had only two leaves about an inch long each and a single root about a half inch long. I got it planted and it has been doing great.
This next picture is of one of the plants I forgot the name of. It is also the plant that I found the above plant hanging out in. It was thriving while I had the extra light from the lamp on it but it does ok with just the T8 and just grows slower. I would like to know what this plant is and what I need to do about the black algae growing on its leaves at the top. Do I just cut them off or should I scrub it off or something completely different?
This next one has two plants. I know the front one which is red is a Water Lily as it came in a bulb pack I bought. Will the Water Lily stay that small or is it because of lighting that it hasn't sprouted upward yet? The plant in the background is one I forgot the name of and it seems to do ok in my tank. It will grow to reach the top slowly but as it grows it tends to loose it leaves at the bottom. I just figure it is because there isn't enough light getting all the way down there. I also find the black algae on this plant.
This next plant I bought and it has been doing great. It has been constantly sprouting new leaves. I would like to know what it is, how can I propogate it, and what I need to do about the algae that is growing on it. The second picture of it has a close up but it is pretty poor as it is a digital zoom using my phone.
Thank you all for any help you provide and I look forward to being able to learn more and make my tank into a thriving jungle. Also I will be getting my own API Master kit soon. Waiting on a paycheck to get here and then I will update you on proper water stats and what my tap stats are as well.
