# Planted tank questions/advice



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

I set up my planted tank on saturday, after running for a week all looks good. Gotta test the water again tonight. I have more plants coming so its not completely finished yet. I didn't wash the small amount of gravel, from when it was set up before, that I put back in. I will finish adding my gravel after I plant the rest of my plants. I didn't have much debris floating, I guess I was lucky.
My tests on monday showed 8ppm ammonia and some nitrites, is the ammonia supposed to get that high so fast?
What are the names of my plants?


Close up


Other plant


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Not sure the names of your plants, I'm not a good aquaria horticulturist like that, sorry.

Ammonia will get that high, don't worry. As long as there are no fish in there you'll be fine. Are you adding anything that generates ammonia?

My initial guess at why you've got such a high ammonia spike is that you're using used substrate. Bacteria that were in the substrate in your previous setup have probably starved and died. By filling your tank with this detritus, you've added a massive amount of decomposing bio-matter. Thus, an ammonia spike. That ammonia will fuel your cycle, but to be safe you should be adding a source of ammonia to continue the cycle. You can do this by dosing straight ammonia (unscented, with no sulfectants (sp?)) on a daily basis, or by adding some raw seafood that will decompose (not on a daily basis, easy but stinky), or simply by adding fish food on a daily basis.


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

Not adding anything, until you said too lol. I will start putting in fish food. Had flounder for dinner, wish I woulda saved a piece.


----------



## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Looks like you have vals, sunset hygro and ludwigia. Hard to tell for sure. If you can take seperate photos of each and try to get as close up as you can it will be easier to say.


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

Ammonia is still at 8+, nitrites disappeared  guess that means it will take even longer to get fish. I also remembered I didn't wash the castle, just set it aside in a box while I fixed the tank.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Don't do anything or add anything until the ammonia drops down.

On my planted tank I let it set a week. Never see ammonia that high.

If you access to anacharis I would try some even if you just float them. to get the ammonia down.

My concern is you may not have enough true aquatic plants to balance out and stabilize the system. Or at least things just need to settle down.


my.02


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

I just got a bunch of new plants today, is it safe to add them?


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

Ok so my tanks been running a few weeks, plants look okay, some better than others. I have some dead leaves, it difficult to remove it all. I guess thats what my ammonia issue is being caused by. Ammonia is still high at 8+ but I now have nitrites and nitrates. So it is cycling, just need to lower the ammonia.
Don't want to ruin a new filter with plant debris, so I need to go to the petstore and get a empty filter bag to use, should I get carbon too?

My tank now, except I tucked the java fern into the top of the castle.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Personally, I think it takes quite a bit for dead leaves to affect ammonia. They can't be just dead, they need to be rotting. The thing with that is it seems to take weeks to get to a point where a leaf is rotting. I have let leaves stay dead on some plants for long periods and still don't believe that they were giving off any ammonia, despite some nearly disappearing.

If you want the ammonia to drop, do a water change. Ammonia that high could end you up with a corresponding stuck high nitrite reading. They seem to take much longer to come down. At this point it doesn't seem like the plants are doing too much to lower the ammonia with any speed.


----------



## aQualung (Oct 20, 2010)

I don't know much about what you have in there but in my experience our tank never had a nitrite reading with our plants. We put a large wisteria in there which is a very fast growing, low maintenance plant and it sucked the ammonia out of the water ultra fast.

During cycling our tank never had over .5 ppm ammonia and 0 nitrites.

What are you using for lighting? With inadequate lighting the tank plants will not grow fast enough to use all the ammonia.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

GypsyV said:


> Ok so my tanks been running a few weeks, plants look okay, some better than others. I have some dead leaves, it difficult to remove it all. I guess thats what my ammonia issue is being caused by. Ammonia is still high at 8+ but I now have nitrites and nitrates. So it is cycling, just need to lower the ammonia.
> Don't want to ruin a new filter with plant debris, so I need to go to the petstore and get a empty filter bag to use, should I get carbon too?
> 
> My tank now, except I tucked the java fern into the top of the castle.


a few more fast growing plants would help but I see you do have vals which are also good.

I think at this point just let the tank be and even turn off the filter. I think you will find the ammonia will all the suddenly drop down in a day or two.

I would also use an ammonia test that measures free and total ammonia like the sechem multitest. Could be all that ammonia Is locked up and not the dangerous free ammonia.

my .02


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

This is the light I use, It says it is 950 lumens, 18 watts, 15000 h, I have it on a timer for 9 hours. The dead leaves are pretty mushy and fall apart easily. I am not currently using a filter cartridge. I just have the empty filter on to circulate the water. I did use an algea killer and then saw a bunch of dead brown stuff on my moss but its gone now. I really can't figure this ammonia thing out, I have no clue where its coming from.


----------



## aQualung (Oct 20, 2010)

GypsyV said:


> This is the light I use, It says it is 950 lumens, 18 watts, 15000 h, I have it on a timer for 9 hours. The dead leaves are pretty mushy and fall apart easily. I am not currently using a filter cartridge. I just have the empty filter on to circulate the water. I did use an algea killer and then saw a bunch of dead brown stuff on my moss but its gone now. I really can't figure this ammonia thing out, I have no clue where its coming from.


If it's the light that came with the tank it likely isn't going to be adequate.

With plants there shouldn't be a need for algae killer since if the nutrients and light are balanced right they should starve the algae of nutrients and keep it from growing in the first place.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

GypsyV said:


> ...
> 
> . I really can't figure this ammonia thing out, I have no clue where its coming from.


first it doesn't make any difference. IMHO the problem is that there are not enough ammonia consumers to lower the ammonia. So bacteria and plants have to expand.

Second: unless you have added some type of toxin virtually all the ammonia is from your bioload.

third: Is the ammonia locked or not? If locked it might not much of a problem to worry about.

Just my .02


----------



## AbadHabit (Sep 9, 2010)

Might want to read up on your algae killer you added. I bought some once and read the finer print. It said no to be used with aquatic plants or snails. I never used it. Don't know if it will kill the plants or not.


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

I just let the plants soak in water with a few drops of algea killer before I put them in the tank. Both my snail and algea killer said they are safe for plants. I will check on that ammonia tester, I have the master kit now that I'm using.
I did do a 25% water change and I waved the siphon around the plants and sucked up some of the brown yuck. Didn't touch the gravel with it. I also re-planted anything that came loose and got as much of the dead, broken off leaves as I could out.


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

I bought seachems ammonia alert, and after 24hours it still reads 0 free ammonia. So what is the difference between the types of ammonia? Does this mean I can get a few fish now?


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

GypsyV said:


> I bought seachems ammonia alert, and after 24hours it still reads 0 free ammonia. So what is the difference between the types of ammonia? Does this mean I can get a few fish now?


I probably means that all the ammonia is the safe(r) locked ammonia. and that the other test kit measures both free and locked.

the free ammonia is the dangerous form with locked ammonia safe(r).

The first thing it means is that there is no continuous free ammonia being generated that is not being either consumed or converted to the locked type.

The second thing it means is to stop using any ammonia lock chemicals.

To me what I would do is let things run as they are and in a short time the ammonia measured with the test kit should drop down to 0.

my .02


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

GypsyV said:


> Both *my snail *and algea killer *said they are safe for plants.*


Are you having conversations with with your snail?


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

click

click click


burp


click.


,


----------



## Niki7 (Aug 16, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> Are you having conversations with with your snail?


lol!! *r2


----------



## GypsyV (Nov 28, 2010)

That was hillarious lol. I should've worded that differently.


----------

