What To Stock With German Gold Head Rams?

[Twinklecaz]

I'd love to see some pics!

 

[fishprotector]

Any updates Nicole?

 

[Suleika]

This is my tank (the rock is to stop the driftwood from floating)

Everything is going well, except for my Vallis which look like this:

They were shooting up to start with but are now browning steadily and leaves are coming off.... Lights are One Power-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 20W 60.96cm (24in) T8, One Aqua-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 20W 60.96 cm (24in) T8, with JBL Aquabasis Plus long-term nutrient substrate mixture underneath the sand. I have not been using any plant fertilisers - maybe I need to?

I test the water on a regular basis and change 20 - 30% of water when needed (0.25ppm Ammonia present every few days).

 

[fishprotector]

Wow I like it. That is a very nice peice of wood and it looks brilliant with the black sand. Have you just got the cardinals and corydoras still? Regarding the vallis, I would remove the brown leaves to stop the plant wasting nutrients trying to heal them. It can then concentrate on building new leaves.

 

[minnnt]

Very nice. The wood is fantastic. But, imo, the ocean rock doesn't fit in.

The Vallis will just be adjusting to your conditions, but the leaves will not recover, so you should remove them as they will soon start to release ammonia into the water.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Wow is that a 125L?

 

[Suleika]

yes it is!

I have a problem: algae. In the last week or so I have started to see algae growth and not sure what to do about it, or whether there is something wrong with the water to cause this. There is brown/yellow algae on the glass and the ocean rock, in addition to some brown "threads" coming off the wood. Any ideas? I will post pictures if this might help.

 

[fishprotector]

Diatoms is a brown algae which normally occurs in new set ups for the first few months until all is settled in. It wipes off very easily. Just out of wonder, how long do you leave your lights on for?

 

[Suleika]

From 7.30 am when we leave the house until 10-11 pm at the moment.

 

[fishprotector]

That is far too much. As you have plants, I would buy a timer and have then on for between 8 and 9 hours per day. Anything over 10 hours for a planted tank will just cause algae to build up. My planted tank gets 8 hours and my big tank only gets 6 as the fish dont need that much so I just have it on in the evening so I can see them.

 

[Suleika]

Hi guys,

My water levels are now Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 5.0 ppm. Going to phone around at the weekend to see if any of the pet shops have 2 pairs of German Gold Rams in stock. The light is on a timer now and is on for 8 hrs per day. The plants are still alive but haven't really grown much, most of the leaves look like they are deformed though, not sure why that is. The Cardinals have grown quite a bit though

 

[fishprotector]

Sounds like you water stats have settled, good stuff. What lighting do you have again? You using any fertilisers?

 

[Suleika]

These are my lights:

One Power-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 20W 60.96cm (24in) T8
One Aqua-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Tube 20W 60.96 cm (24in) T8

Not currently using any fertilisers, would you recommend I do? I have a 2.5l bag of JBL Aquabasis Plus long-term nutrient substrate mixture underneath the sand though.

None of the stores have got any german gold rams in stock at the moment, would it be possible to buy them online and have them delivered? Not sure if I feel comfortable with that - do you usually get healthy fish?

 

[Suleika]

My vallis have now pretty much completely disintegrated... The larger plants at the front have their leaves covered in brown algae and there are now also some tiny bright green algae on the rock and wood.

 

[fishprotector]

The brown algae will be diatoms which are common in new tanks. They form due to the release of silica from the glass and seals. It will easily wipe off. Keep up on the water changes and it will go over time. The green algae is forming due to the fact that there are no plants to compete with it. Try getting some more live plants and turning your lightning down to 7 hours for a while. Once you have done these two things, I would leave the ferts for a while and monitor the situation and see if the plants are lacking anything.

I have only ever bought a betta online but he was fine. I have posted hundreds and hundreds of shrimp though and they all arrived ok. Most of the shops have a doa policy in place just incase though.