Plants

[j1k]

hi.
ive only had my tank for 4 weeks and some of the plants i have dont seem to be taking hold.i know i have proberbly set up my tank with the wrong substrate, i have used roman gravel, has anyone any tips for getting plant to stay put and stop suddenly floating to the top??
cheers

 

[rabbut]

Deaper substrate The deaper the substrate, the easier it is to get the plants to root. You want about 3 inches of deapth to your substrate IMO. To plant, push the plant into the substrate, and puch gravel over the roots

HTH
Rabbut

EDIT to add; Where are you with your fishless cycle? is your ammonia starting to drop yet, or are you planning a fish-in cycle?

 

[j1k]

Deaper substrate The deaper the substrate, the easier it is to get the plants to root. You want about 3 inches of deapth to your substrate IMO. To plant, push the plant into the substrate, and puch gravel over the roots

HTH
Rabbut

EDIT to add; Where are you with your fishless cycle? is your ammonia starting to drop yet, or are you planning a fish-in cycle?

ok sorry should of said; i have had fish for nearly 2 weeks,(4 silvertip tertas 3days ago i added 2 honey gouramies)i test my water every 2 days and the readings are PH7.4 Ammonia 0.ppm nitrite and nitrate 0.ppm.is this ok?i assumed it was
also can i mix the substrate as i want to eventually have a few panda corydoras and i have been told perhaps the gravel i have may damage the sensitive barbels.so i supposei should have used a sandy substrate to start off with.
any info gratefully accepted
p.s tank is only a small 60x30x30

 

[SJ2K]

What test kit are you using? I find it hard to believe you can have 0 Ammonia and nitrite whilst fish are in there. 0 Nitrate is deffinatly odd as most people have a nitrate reading from water straight out of the tap.

 

[rabbut]

OK, if keeping corries, I'd convert to sand, it will be better for them and IMO, it looks better. IME sand seems to work better for plants than gravel does...Easier to clean too (you don't )

Zeros for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate is ery unusual for a tank with fish in. At least one would usualy be raised What test kit are you using, and what media do you have in your filter? (carbon, sponge bio-ceramic, zeolite e.t.c)

The corries need a mature tank, as do the honey gouramis. I'd wait for the tank to be 3-4 onths old before adding them. It's a bit late to remove the honey now, so keep an eye on them. They will either last it out or they won't

To change substrate, round up the fish into a container, move the filter and heater across and then strip the tank. In the now empty tank, place your washed sand into the bottom and re-scape it. Re-fill with heated water and replace the fish, filter and heater. Keep the filter wet for this time, or you will have problems

HTH
Rabbut

 

[j1k]

OK, if keeping corries, I'd convert to sand, it will be better for them and IMO, it looks better. IME sand seems to work better for plants than gravel does...Easier to clean too (you don't )

Zeros for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate is ery unusual for a tank with fish in. At least one would usualy be raised What test kit are you using, and what media do you have in your filter? (carbon, sponge bio-ceramic, zeolite e.t.c)

The corries need a mature tank, as do the honey gouramis. I'd wait for the tank to be 3-4 onths old before adding them. It's a bit late to remove the honey now, so keep an eye on them. They will either last it out or they won't

To change substrate, round up the fish into a container, move the filter and heater across and then strip the tank. In the now empty tank, place your washed sand into the bottom and re-scape it. Re-fill with heated water and replace the fish, filter and heater. Keep the filter wet for this time, or you will have problems

HTH
Rabbut

i am using an API freshwater master test kit.i am doing 15% partial water change every 2 days.
i have taken water samples to my local pet store before adding any fish and they said levels were ok and ready to add the fish.i also took a sample straight from my tap.my filter is an elite stingray foam and carbon/zeolite cartridge(supplied with the tank)i will take another sample for the pet shop to test again at the weekend.hope im not doing everything wrong anymore info gratefully received

 

[rabbut]

The tank isn't cycled, you are relying on the Zeolite to remove your ammonia. It is expencive to run your tank on zeolite, as it needs monthly replacement or salt baths to keep it "charged". It eventually stops absorbing ammonia when it becomes saturated, and at this point in a stocked tank, ammonia will raise. If for whatever reason you forget to change the cartridge, you will suffer massive fish stock losses You will also have issues with medicating, as few if any medications can be used with a filter running zeolite.

At this point I'd advise you to remove the zeolite and swap it for either more foam or some bio-ceramic media. You will then start to get ammonia spikes, and your fish-in cycle will begin. The honey gourami probibly won't make it, and the tetras will likely struggle, but it would be best to get the cycle completed before you get the tank fully stocked, as the ammonia and nitrite won't need as many or as bigger waterchanges to reduce, thus the few fish in there will fare better than a tank load

Have a look at the mature media donation thread, as mature media would be an ideal replacement for the zeolite, as it will bring in lots of benifisial bacteria

HTH
Rabbut