[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Your setups looks good . Fish choice for the tank size is also ok. I hope the hang on filter has bio media in it. If not please add that. Increase water change frequency (50% once a week) and use Seachem prime.

Since you are invested in the hobby i suggest you get a water test kit from API. It really helps. Anytime you think something is wrong first up you can see if it's because of bad water parameters and do remedial measures. If water parameters are good and still the fish is sick then you can move onto medications and such.

UV seems to help in controlling mycobacterium if that is the case. There are hang on filters with UV available.

Be patient and sadly the hobby is such that we have to accept that fishes will die.

My filters on both tanks are pretty basic and I can't even find a place to add in some bio media. The 3 feet I am building right now would have a canister filter with lot of bio media though. Will try to stuff in some media in the small filters too but I don't know how effective it would be.

For some reason I find Seachem and API products atrociously priced for what they actually are. My dad is a agriculture scientist and he was shocked to see the prices of aquarium fertilisers. Most of them are basically NPK with trace elements. Same for test kits from API. I am surprised to see very few companies coming up with these formulations. Did see a few but with not so encouraging reviews. So might end up with the API test kit soon.

Regarding UV hang on filters I might give them a try if its confirmed that mycobacterium is whats causing the fish deaths.

I also keep a 25l bucket for growing plants. Its kept outside under some shade and has plants like Ambulia, Difformis, Corymbosa, Elodea, Hornwort, Pearlweed and Guppygrass. On a trip to Naukuchiataal in Uttarakhand I saw some very small fishes in lake and got a couple of them. They were added to this bucket around 2 months ago. I haven't changed water for past 4-5 weeks and give feed every alternate day. They seem to be flourishing in this tank with almost no maintenance. Seems like the heavy growth of plants specially hornwort, guppy grass and elodea keep the water filtered and balanced. On the other hand my indoor tanks are so much maintenance prone and still fishes are dying.

Thankfully I am not done yet and in no mood to pack my backs on this hobby. Trying to fix most things I missed out on previous tanks and build my 3 feet with best possible filtration.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

My filters on both tanks are pretty basic and I can't even find a place to add in some bio media. The 3 feet I am building right now would have a canister filter with lot of bio media though. Will try to stuff in some media in the small filters too but I don't know how effective it would be.

For some reason I find Seachem and API products atrociously priced for what they actually are. My dad is a agriculture scientist and he was shocked to see the prices of aquarium fertilisers. Most of them are basically NPK with trace elements. Same for test kits from API. I am surprised to see very few companies coming up with these formulations. Did see a few but with not so encouraging reviews. So might end up with the API test kit soon.

Regarding UV hang on filters I might give them a try if its confirmed that mycobacterium is whats causing the fish deaths.

I also keep a 25l bucket for growing plants. Its kept outside under some shade and has plants like Ambulia, Difformis, Corymbosa, Elodea, Hornwort, Pearlweed and Guppygrass. On a trip to Naukuchiataal in Uttarakhand I saw some very small fishes in lake and got a couple of them. They were added to this bucket around 2 months ago. I haven't changed water for past 4-5 weeks and give feed every alternate day. They seem to be flourishing in this tank with almost no maintenance. Seems like the heavy growth of plants specially hornwort, guppy grass and elodea keep the water filtered and balanced. On the other hand my indoor tanks are so much maintenance prone and still fishes are dying.

Thankfully I am not done yet and in no mood to pack my backs on this hobby. Trying to fix most things I missed out on previous tanks and build my 3 feet with best possible filtration.

Aquaclear hang on back filters are your best bet for small tanks. They can hold a decent quantity of bio media. Or Fluval hang on backs but they are slightly more restrictive compared to the Aquaclear.

In this hobby, you get what you pay for and some of these brands are expensive for a reason.

If bio filtration is not possible, suggest you do weekly water changes at least.

Larger tanks are easier to maintain as more water allows for better bio load handling and you can scale up filtration much better than smaller tanks. Get a good branded external filter say from fluval or eheim. Sunsun's are ok but prone to leaks and failures.

My 80Gallon african cichlid tank runs on 2 Aquaclear 70s and 1 Fluval C3 hang on back filters. Two filters loaded with bio media one with carbon. Weekly 60% water change is done regularly.

Good luck with your hobby and the new 3 feet tank.

[Kumar101]

This thread is v good and informative so have decided to revive it!

I'm looking for good quality Amano shrimps(large size) anyone know of a place online that sells them?

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by Kumar101

I'm looking for good quality Amano shrimps(large size) anyone know of a place online that sells them?

Best4pets.in is a good option for live fishes and shrimps.They have comparatively better fishkeeping practices and their shipping and packaging is top notch(packing cost is higher also). But I have observed that most of their stuff is out of stock by now or maybe they avoid shipping during winters.

Bunnycart and Himadri Aquatics are other 2 sites that I rely on.

[Kumar101]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Best4pets.in is a good option for live fishes and shrimps.They have comparatively better fishkeeping practices and their shipping and packaging is top notch(packing cost is higher also). But I have observed that most of their stuff is out of stock by now or maybe they avoid shipping during winters.

Bunnycart and Himadri Aquatics are other 2 sites that I rely on.

Hiimandri I use frequently for plants, also ; just so happens I placed and order with Bunnycart for some moss via Amazon, good to know they are reliable.

I watched some Best4pets videos and they look to be very well setup. I'd like to place an order with them for Ammano's but unfortunately they are out of stock.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by Kumar101

Hiimandri I use frequently for plants, also ; just so happens I placed and order with Bunnycart for some moss via Amazon, good to know they are reliable.

Bunnycart have their own site and they provide live arrival guarantee. In case plants or livestock arrive dead or rotten you can reach out to them the same day and they would promptly refund the amount in genuine cases. Their customer support and shipping is also good so you can directly buy from their website as well.

[Kumar101]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Their customer support and shipping is also good so you can directly buy from their website as well.

Sounds good will give them a try.

[Maverick Avi]

Its been more than a year since I started my 1st planted tank and now with 4 of them running simultaneously I thought of sharing some of my experiences and observations aimed specifically at low tech or non CO2 injected tanks.

• Planted tanks require lot of time to maintain so commit to them only if you are really passionate about this hobby. Keeping them purely for ornamental purposes should be a big NO.

• Initially for first 1-2 months focus on growing plants only.

• If you not opting for CO2 injection then choose your plants very carefully. Some plants that have worked well for me are Hygrophila Difformis, Ambulia, Guppy Grass, Pearl weed, Cryptocoryne, Bacopa Caroliniana, Dwarf Saggitaria and Hornwort. For some reason other easy species such as Vallisneria, Rotala rotundifolia, Java moss and Java fern have not done well for me. But you can still try as plants are sensitive to water parameters.

• Commercial Aquasoil is not necessary but would lead to predictable results since garden soil and compost have lot of variable components which can lead to different results for different people. If you not using aquasoil then can start off with 1 to 1.5 inch of 100% organic compost+garden soil(50% each) capped with 1.5 inch of sand or fine gravel. Just make sure to not disturb this layering while pouring water. 3 out of my 4 tanks have garden soil and are doing equally great.

• Plant heavily at the beginning. Use more stem plants that grow fast such as Hygrophilla Difformis, Ambulia and Hornwort. Remove them later if you feel they are overtaking your tank. Hornwort specially can be quite invasive. Fast and healthy growing plants is the best way to avoid algae in your setup. Otherwise you end up in a long cycle of analyzing 20 different components to combat algae menace which can get quite frustrating

• Add a good filter with a good flow. You would not want detritus to accumulate on the substrate. Add lots of bio media.

• Choose fish wisely. Small tropical fish are more suited for planted tanks as they are less likely to harm the plants. Start off with some hardy peaceful species such as Danios, Guppies(might be a hit or miss), platies, mountain minnows and mollies. These are no nonsense community fishes and come in all colors and sizes to liven up your tank.

• Be prepared to do daily 50% water changes during the 1st 2 weeks of setup. Post that twice weekly and finally can move to once a week after 2 months.

• Start off with medium to low light initially. Most of led lights do not have option to change intensity so either increase the height or add black strips. This is very critical. Too harsh light during 1st 2 weeks and you can end up in brown mess called algae.

• If possible, try to procure submerged plants. Immersed plants take too much time to acclimatize in a new setup which leads to opportunistic algae taking over. During 1st month you might end up with brown algae or diatoms taking over your tank. Do not panic. Its normal and will go away after 2-3 weeks. Just increase your water change frequency during this phase.

• Once you decide to add fish after 1.5-2 months of your new setup make sure to test your water for Ammonia and Nitrite. Post adding fish, keep testing for few weeks to make sure the nitrogen cycle is working as expected.

• Do NOT overfeed your fishes. Err on the lower side. Believe me you are not starving them.

Sit besides your tank and watch each fish for some time. You would realize they have their own personalities. Whenever I do my weekly water changes I find 2 guppies and a danio constantly wanting to nibble on my fingers and play. This was surprising to me as usually these fishes are not that reactive to human presence. Planted tanks are a great way to relax and unwind on your weekends if you really get the feel for it. It has surly made me more relaxed and it would be no exaggeration to say that it just might have some therapeutic effects for your mind. On a concluding note sharing my 5 month old 3 feet tank's latest shot.

[deathwalkr]

A quick pick of my Papa Pleco.

Belongs to the Panaque variety of Plecos and they are wood eaters. Always loved fancy plecos and Panaques are my favourite.

These fellows rasp up driftwood and poop sawdust. By the end of the week tank is a mess and filters are all clogged with sawdust! And he's just growing up

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Its been more than a year since I started my 1st planted tank and now with 4 of them running simultaneously I thought of sharing some of my experiences and observations aimed specifically at low tech or non CO2 injected tanks.

Thanks for those priceless tips. I am maintaining a planted aquarium for close to 3 years now, but is been struggling to control the algae growth. I guess it is the Black Beard Algae (BBA) that is troubling the tank off late. I am thinking about a complete overhaul replacing the current set of plants, drift wood etc.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Thanks for those priceless tips. I am maintaining a planted aquarium for close to 3 years now, but is been struggling to control the algae growth. I guess it is the Black Beard Algae (BBA) that is troubling the tank off late. I am thinking about a complete overhaul replacing the current set of plants, drift wood etc.

Fighting algae and getting rid of it would be a better option since it gives a sense of achievement and immense satisfaction. You can always rescape your tank in case you get bored with the current one but algae can hog you in the new setup as well. Like I mentioned, fast healthy growing plants are the best bet against algae but with non Co2 injected tanks it might be tricky to grow plants fast.

Can you share details and pictures of your entire setup with maybe a few close ups of the algae infested plants?

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Can you share details and pictures of your entire setup with maybe a few close ups of the algae infested plants?

It will great if you can help me get out of this, hope these snaps gives a good picture of the algae trouble

[deathwalkr]

Another common reason for algae bloom is excess of organic material in the water. Due to fish waste, excess food etc.

Hope you are doing periodic water changes.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

It will great if you can help me get out of this, hope these snaps gives a good picture of the algae trouble

Ahh, yes that's BBA. I would start by taking out the hardscape and scraping the BBA using a brush and placing them back. Cannot do much about the plants for now. Just cut off the heavily infested leaves.

You have lot of aquasoil out there with very few plants(How old is that aquasoil?). So that excess nutrient is not getting utilized and hence algae is taking over. As you can see plants are trying to grow but algae is outcompeting them for now. So the 2nd solution I would try is to plant fast growing stem plants at the back. Add in Hygrophila Difformis, Hygrophila Polysperma and Ambulia(Limnophila Indica/Sessiloflora). Just cover that entire backdrop with these 3(add in around 10-15 stems of each). In the middle you can add in Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green/brown. In foreground add in more of that Dwarf Saggitaria and can also use Echinodorous tenellus for carpet effect. Just fill up those empty spaces as much as you can. Finally get in floating plants like red root floaters, Amazon frogbit or Sylvania Minima. These would soak up excess nitrates and also help with reducing the light intensity. Not to say they add to that intense jungle look with their floating roots. If possible add in Platies and Mollies as they keep nibbling at the algae.

Restrict photoperiod to 6-7 hours. Certainly not beyond 7 hours.

Finally, do atleast 40% water change a week.

Wait and monitor for a month. I strongly feel you have a good chance of reviving your tank. Just focus on creating an army of healthy growing plants which would then take care of all types of algae. Good luck with your tank!

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Another common reason for algae bloom is excess of organic material in the water. Due to fish waste, excess food etc.

Hope you are doing periodic water changes.

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

Ahh, yes that's BBA. I would start by taking out the hardscape and scraping the BBA using a brush and placing them back. Cannot do much about the plants for now. Just cut off the heavily infested leaves.

I reduced the frequency of water changes few months back based on advice from a friend, In fact, he is running a very healthy planted aquarium with just replenishing the lost quantity. Let me go back the old routine of half water change weekly

I am also planning to reduce the feeding frequency from twice daily to once.

My aquasoil is as old as my aquarium, it is from Jan 2019. I recently removed the top layer thinking it might have weathered with age and was clouding the water. Please suggest if it is due for a complete change

I was keeping away from Mollies and platies thinking that may affect the current healthy breeding population of guppies and shrimps. Do you think I can introduce them safely to the mix?

I will start planting based on your suggestion after replacing the aquasoil if that is needed

Photoperiod is 7 hours now, will reduce to 6 hrs going forward

Thanks for the great inputs, and hoping for the best results