Someone Reassure Me...

[SNAIL]

Hey there,
I have been growing HC for about a year now.
You have pretty bad algae there. Looks like you need to temporarily put some fast growing plants in the tank to stabalize your waters parameters and to keep the algae at bay.
I see you've removed the infected specimens but that is just a temporary repreive.
Reduce the lights and do the so called siesta 5 on 2 off 5 on.
Don't add any more fish. No corys as they'll disturb the HC. Wait till they have settled which could take about a month or two.
Do 2 water changes every week as this is beneficial to plants but stressful on the fish.
Clean your filter every two weeks and no activated carbon. Just use sponge or the floss pad.
You should add more ferts into your substrate. HC needs lots. I add pellet ferts to my substrate once a month and liquid ferts twice a week. Half of my tank is covered with HC which I started with one small pot. I've done some cutting and replanting a couple months ago and its only now that I can see some improvement with the new cuttings. Just be patient and be deligent with your weekly maitenance.

 

[Themuleous]

Cheers for the snail, had a few people say it will pass so will keep my fingers crossed re the substrate, its 100% eco-complete and I've grow HC in it this tank in the past so should be ok, but cheers of the heads up

Sam

 

[nry]

How are the cory's getting on with the Eco-Complete? EC is not recommended for burrowing fish like corydoras but I am unsure how it will go with pygmy cory's? I ask because I have EC but would like some pygmy cory's though have been put off by the maker not recommending it for that type of fish.

 

[Themuleous]

They seem fine and I haven't noticed an burying as yet. I have some julii corys in my big tank and that's also got EC, no problems there either, all have a healthy set of barbels

Sam

 

[nry]

Cheers, puts my mind at rest if I do decide on some! Do they have a similar character to the larger corydoras? I have some sterbai that are reasonably mad but my deceased panda's were truely nuts!

 

[lljdma06]

Cheers, puts my mind at rest if I do decide on some! Do they have a similar character to the larger corydoras? I have some sterbai that are reasonably mad but my deceased panda's were truely nuts!

No they don't actually, unlike most corydoras, Corydora pygmaeus dwells at all levels of the tank. They readily pick up food from the surface, so crushed granules and such are good food for them. They have very small mouths, so crushed food is good. They relish shrimp, bloodworms, tubifex even. If the food settles on the leaves, they'll make short work of it. The eco-complete should harm them too. I kept mine with regular aquarium gravel, some of the chunks were larger than they were! They don't burrow as much as your standard corys. Too small. Sand is about all these little guys will be able to move and that'll be pushing it!

I really, really think Sam that you need to put some weeds in that tank there. You've planted the HC well, but you've reduced your plant load in the process, and you know what a reduced plant load gets you! Just leave them floating until your tank settles, or pick a plant that doesn't root well (hornwort comes to mind) and stick it in the substrate for a spell. I just don't want you having algae issues again.

llj

 

[nry]

Cheers, puts my mind at rest if I do decide on some! Do they have a similar character to the larger corydoras? I have some sterbai that are reasonably mad but my deceased panda's were truely nuts!

No they don't actually, unlike most corydoras, Corydora pygmaeus dwells at all levels of the tank. They readily pick up food from the surface, so crushed granules and such are good food for them. They have very small mouths, so crushed food is good. They relish shrimp, bloodworms, tubifex even. If the food settles on the leaves, they'll make short work of it. The eco-complete should harm them too. I kept mine with regular aquarium gravel, some of the chunks were larger than they were! They don't burrow as much as your standard corys. Too small. Sand is about all these little guys will be able to move and that'll be pushing it!

I really, really think Sam that you need to put some weeds in that tank there. You've planted the HC well, but you've reduced your plant load in the process, and you know what a reduced plant load gets you! Just leave them floating until your tank settles, or pick a plant that doesn't root well (hornwort comes to mind) and stick it in the substrate for a spell. I just don't want you having algae issues again.

llj

I have some 'better' plants arriving to replace the ones mauled via the UK postal system last week, once they're here (from Greenline to see what they're like) I'll have to go and get some pygmy cory's then! I saw them in a LFS a while back and I would have impulse purchased if I had a mature filter in my tank!

 

[Themuleous]

The eco-complete should harm them too.

I hope that was meant to be shouldn't

I'll chuck in a load of hornwort from my other tanks for a few weeks

 

[lljdma06]

The eco-complete should harm them too.

I hope that was meant to be shouldn't

I'll chuck in a load of hornwort from my other tanks for a few weeks

It was early, and I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet.