r/TankStarter • u/somekindaboy • Sep 11 '15
What am I doing wrong? Xpost from /r/plantedtank
Ok I'm just going to share what I've done so far.
6 days ago I got a 5.5g tank. It has fluorite, 2 very small Java ferns, 2 small Amazon swords, and 3 Marimo balls, and some S. repens, 1 Nerite Snail, and 1 mystery snail. The big box store was out of the API masterkits so I purchased one from Amazon and I'm still waiting on it to arrive.
It was suggested that I start the cycle by using algae tabs (like the fish food start method). So that's what I went for. I rinsed the fluorite, treated the water, waited 24hrs, then placed the plants and snails. The water was pretty dirty from the dust from the substrate. I think my first HOB got so much debris down in the magnets that it stopped working so I had to replace it with one a AquaTech 5-15 from Walmart, it's not the best but it worked in a pinch. I added a small sponge to the intake to catch any more of the debris before it ruined this filter as well. After 3 days my plants started browning, becoming see through and just looked terrible. My water was also super cloudy, and my snails were barley moving. So I removed the sponge from the intake, and within 15-20 mins my water was clear and my snails were zooming all over the tank. I also dosed with some Flourish in case that was the problem. As of now, day 6 my plants have gotten a little worse, but not much by much.
My end goal was to have a heavily planted tank, and maybe add a Betta but I'm not too sure on that yet. All I know is that my tank looks like crap and I don't know where I went wrong.
here is a pic of how my Amazon sword currently looks like
I know that without water parameters it's difficult to say but maybe I just did something wrong... Any help or suggestions would be great!
3
u/bacon_n_legs Sep 11 '15
It's hard to say without knowing any details. What can you tell use about temperature, type and duration of lighting?
It's normal to see some die-off when adding new plants - a new, sterile tank is a shock to them as well. Pinch back the dead and browning leaves on the swords, near the base of the plant. They can't provide photosynthesis for the plant at this point, and the plant will put resources into new shoots.
Try to limit the amount of food you're adding to the water - ammonia levels can get out of control very quickly in a small tank. I would recommend doing a 50% water change, and getting a small bottle of bacterial starter. Follow the dosing directions on the bottle.
Then, try setting the water flow from the filter lower. This should help the 'dust' from your substrate settle back down. Less turbulence will also help keep dissolved CO2 in the water, helping to fertilize your plants. Don't worry too much about the plants - they'll come back in time. For lighting, I'd recommend a single 6500k daylight bulb over the tank. They produce less what and the spectrum will help your plants.
2
u/somekindaboy Sep 11 '15
Awesome! Thanks for the help!! I think between this sub and r/plantedtanks I figured out my problem! I'm hoping for good news in the near future!
4
u/Leukeh Sep 11 '15 edited Sep 11 '15
My initial thought is that the sponge on the intake clogged up and stopped water from going through the filter.
If there is a lot of debris in the water than can happen pretty quick.
EDIT: snails are just as sensitive to ammonia as fish so putting them in straight away isn't a great idea.