Breaking down my 36gal Bow Front to start over to correct some mistakes made. The tank was progressing nicely then recently it started to crash. Water parameters were all good and the fish and shrimp were thriving.
Slowly the plants started to fall off. First the s. repens then my Amazon sword then the Cardinalis. I was beginning to think the CAE were destroying them and pulling the S.ripens out of the substrate. So I removed those two fish. No improvement.
Then one morning I woke to a huge bacteria bloom and the water was very milky. I then noticed my Pleco was missing. It was always very solitary and didn't see it much before this. I was warned about the CAE attacking and damaging plecos. Still haven't found the body!
So I had been having trouble with tea staining because of the large wood piece I have so because of all this I removed the wood also from this tank to vacuum some of the garbage from the bottom. Still no body!
Now the wood has been out for over a week and have done a fairly large water change yet the staining remains so now my question is could this staining be coming from my substrate?
When I started this tank my intention was for it to be planted so I began with an Under Gravel Filter plate and then a layer of dirt. The dirt is a natural uncented clay mixed 1:1 with potting soil. The potting soil was washed to float all the large pcs. and any junk. That was put in at a depth of about 2.5" and then capped with small pea gravel.
This was then filled about half way with water and the wood and left for about 6 weeks. After the dust settled I was immediately confronted with the tannin stain. After the 6 weeks I started placing the plants. 3 different java ferns all took off and soon started sprouting new growth. The anubias were put in place with stick pins on the wood but kept drifting off. after a little work I got them to stay in place. Tried some dwarf hair grass that never took and the S.ripens and another which I don't recall what it was but it melted quickly but the S. ripens was starting to do well.
Anyways I believe all the nutrients are now gone from the substrate and this is one of the causes of the failure of the plants. Now with the shallow dept of substrate I believe it will be hard to add tabs and the Flourish hasn't been really helping.
So the plan is to tear it down, rebuild with deeper substrate so I can later add tabs and also increase the depth of the pea gravel. Hoping this too will not stain the water with tannin's. The hard part is out to be catching and removing the bazillion little shrimp that are everywhere.
Slowly the plants started to fall off. First the s. repens then my Amazon sword then the Cardinalis. I was beginning to think the CAE were destroying them and pulling the S.ripens out of the substrate. So I removed those two fish. No improvement.
Then one morning I woke to a huge bacteria bloom and the water was very milky. I then noticed my Pleco was missing. It was always very solitary and didn't see it much before this. I was warned about the CAE attacking and damaging plecos. Still haven't found the body!
So I had been having trouble with tea staining because of the large wood piece I have so because of all this I removed the wood also from this tank to vacuum some of the garbage from the bottom. Still no body!
Now the wood has been out for over a week and have done a fairly large water change yet the staining remains so now my question is could this staining be coming from my substrate?
When I started this tank my intention was for it to be planted so I began with an Under Gravel Filter plate and then a layer of dirt. The dirt is a natural uncented clay mixed 1:1 with potting soil. The potting soil was washed to float all the large pcs. and any junk. That was put in at a depth of about 2.5" and then capped with small pea gravel.
This was then filled about half way with water and the wood and left for about 6 weeks. After the dust settled I was immediately confronted with the tannin stain. After the 6 weeks I started placing the plants. 3 different java ferns all took off and soon started sprouting new growth. The anubias were put in place with stick pins on the wood but kept drifting off. after a little work I got them to stay in place. Tried some dwarf hair grass that never took and the S.ripens and another which I don't recall what it was but it melted quickly but the S. ripens was starting to do well.
Anyways I believe all the nutrients are now gone from the substrate and this is one of the causes of the failure of the plants. Now with the shallow dept of substrate I believe it will be hard to add tabs and the Flourish hasn't been really helping.
So the plan is to tear it down, rebuild with deeper substrate so I can later add tabs and also increase the depth of the pea gravel. Hoping this too will not stain the water with tannin's. The hard part is out to be catching and removing the bazillion little shrimp that are everywhere.