Problems, Anyone Help?

[Gini]

So, I apologise in advance for making this long I tend to be a little long winded and I have been going crazy over my tank. Also, thanks to anyone who offers me suggestions.

I got my 35 g hexagonal tank about 7 years ago. It did just fine until about 2 months ago when I decided to try to add plants to it. Being an impulsive person and hearing over and over again how easy it is to have live plants ("Just stick them in there and they will grow"), I bought some going on the recommendations of the LFS people and stuck them in there. They died So, I have since made a comedy of errors (based on the advice of the LFS) and am rapidly killing fish. So, please help me.

First of all... current readings on my tank are (I did a 10% H2O change last night and tested this afternoon) pH 7.9, Nitrate little less than 40, Nitrite 0, Total Hardness (GH) 300 and KH 80. In my tank, I have three plants. One I think is an anubia of some sort, two that I have no idea about, and a small piece of bogwood (added recently because the LFS told me I needed to bring down my pH). I had two swords, but I took them out last night so they wouldn't pollute the water as they finished dying. The fish in the tank are 1 pleco (that I thought was a common, but in doing research I am wondering if it is a leopard?), a Hoplosternum thoracatum (LOL, what a name, I don't know the common name for him, though), one cory (the others died recently 3 neon tetras, 3 rummy nose tetras, 5 rasboras, and one tetra with a black stripe which I am not sure of the name.

What I have done to my water recently is add salt (I know, don't flame me). Supposedly that was going to fix everything. Well, you can imagine that it did not. Since then, 3 corys, a rummy nose, and a neon have died. I have one more cory that is on it's way out.

So, my plan now is to try to fix my tank by getting back to the basics. I spoke with my old LFS (where I used to live and always got good advice) and he recommended that I not add anything to my tank for a while, just do small (5-10%) water changes frequently. Then, to try to add one plant at a time and see what does well in my tank.

Also, since I now know that my pleco and the Hoplo are going to be BIG and I really like them both and don't want to get rid of them, I hope to sometime get a bigger tank going to accommodate the pleco while the Hoplo stays in the old one.

Anyone with any advice about which fish and plants will do well in my water? I know cichlids are good, but I don't think that I want them. I have heard Mollies, platys, and guppies, but I haven't done much research to see if they can live together.

Also, as far as plants. I am now obsessed with having a beautiful, planted tank and really don't want to go back to plastic. What is the best lighting for my hexagonal tank to make sure the light is penetrating to the bottom? And, as far as substrate... I have just gravel in there. Some sources I have read say that is fine. Others say you should have a nutritive substrate layered under the gravel. Would it be worth it for me to siphon off water (saving maybe 50%), take all the fish out temporarily, change the substrate, and put everything back in? A lot of work, but we could do it if it will help my tank.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and I welcome any advice offered. I hate watching my tank and waiting for my fish to die.

PS Two more questions. Any good basic book recommendations? Also, what should I be feeding my pleco? Thanks again.

 

[teaker1s]

if possible move the fish to another tank, I'm guessing something on the plant's are killing the fish-did you remove metal and wool off plant's (metal poisoning) if the fish were okay before I'd guess virus/bacterical problens if the water is okay

 

[freddyk]

he recommended that I not add anything to my tank for a while, just do small (5-10%) water changes frequently. Then, to try to add one plant at a time and see what does well in my tank.

This is probably as good advice as you've gotten. PH of 7.9 id higher then ideal yet our tank bred fish do fine in this water and it's better to just leave it then start messing with it.

I know cichlids are good, but I don't think that I want them

For every cichlid that thrive in hard water there are many cichlids that do best in soft water. If you ever here anything about 'cichlids' in general is probably wrong. The reason to get cichlids is because we like them, not just because the water is suitable, they take research to do properly.

and a small piece of bogwood (added recently because the LFS told me I needed to bring down my pH).

Bogwood can help, but it will take more then one small piece to show anything noticable, and it needs to be a soft type wood.

The best thing in the end is just to use your water as it is and leave it - more complication only adds to the things that can go wrong. Keep it simple and the fish will thank you. For information on plants that can handle the water, try the planted section. Good luck.