Possible Lighting Problem ..........!

[Malfie]

Hi Guys.
It's me again. Listened to all you had to say and Im doing/done the following

1 Sammie gave me a quite detailed run down of my plants so I have taken a couple out that weren't aquatic species , spread one out so it will get more light and rolled over my mossball !! Also planted a couple more.

2 Ever helpful Andy gave me info on lighting and CO2 which I am to follow in the morning when my new T5 lights should arrive.

3 going to install the CO2 maker and put an air curtain in also in the morning !( Busy boy, eh?)

Tested my tank and both Nitrate and Nitrite levels were high and there was a slight amount of ammonia also.

What I really need to know is should I be doing a fishless cycle eventhough I'm already 2 weeks in ?

Just read a very informative piece on it on this forum which said it may make the tank look horrible during the process. Guess the brown algae will be eaten by the fish later on ?

Any help B GR8.

M

 

[Sammie7]

The only fish I think will eat that algae are otos maybe mollies? It should go away after a while just wipe it away for now. Also if you have any more plant ID issues check out the garden section on the left hand side of www.aquahobby.com. Or for a direct link http/www.aquahobby.com/e_garden.php
Any updated pictures?

 

[Malfie]

Hi Sammie.
Just took this photo so you could see. Hope you like.
think it will look good when the background plants grow a few inches.

What about the fishless cycle, then ?

Should I just put in a couple of hardy fish in or what ?

Any feedback would be great.

Due to the fact that my tank has been set up for over two weeks I'm hoping there might already be loads of bacteria present .
I don't want to be cruel to my fish.

M

 

[Sammie7]

Since you have quite a few plants, you could probably try a silent cycle. In a silent cycle, you put in a few fish, and because plants take up ammonia and other wastes, those wastes will be filtered out before they can form the characteristic ammonia spike seen in regular cycles. Thus, the fish are not overly harmed from it. Sorry, for my crazy long run-on sentence.

 

[Malfie]

Thank you Sammie.
I will try that as soon as my nitrate/nitrite levels go down.
I think I ought to do a little more research as I can't remember whether these results will go down before I add fish (ammonia) or not !

Thanks again.

M

 

[voo]

This might have been better in the planted section rather than beginners. I know you are a beginner, but you're asking about plant related problems

Anyway, seems like you've got most things sorted out now. Just a few things to do:

When adding CO2, you want as little water surface movement as possible. A little is good, but an air wall is bad. It creates a lot of movement on the surface, which releases the CO2 from the water.

The light you are planning to add is powerful, so make sure you keep on top of the CO2 and fertilizers, otherwise you could soon run in to algae problems. If you do, which you probably will if it's a new tank, just ask in the planted forum and someone will be along to help.

The plants in the tank will help to remove some ammonia from the water, which can allow you to add a couple of fish to start the cycle if you wanted. With it being 2 weeks since you got it, a fishless cycle would have almost been over by now If you do add some fish (just 2 or 3), go fora hardy fish like platties, not neon tetras like a lot of places recommend.

 

[Malfie]

Thanks, Voo for your comments.

Just checked your profile and I see you are in Lincolnshire; I was born in Boston ! Was a little flat for me so I left in 1991.

Thanks again

M .