Need Advice To Go From Surviving To Thriving (semi Tank Log)

This will probably be long but I figured being as descriptive as possible would be best. Really any information or suggestions you have I'm open to. My primary concerns are getting the plants vibrant again, fish perky, and algae gone.

Background:
So I've had my 20-high going for about two weeks now. First planted set up, first stocked tank, so lets just say first tank. It is cycled, used the filter media from my original attempt, and about 4 gallons of old tank water. Ammonia went up to 1, then nitrites, then nitrates.



Tank-24"L x 12"w x 17"H
24" Finnex Planted + 24/7
Aqueon 20 filter
Flourite Sand over Flourite grain
Cryptocorene Balansae
Cryptocorene Undulata
Ludwigia Peruensis
Dwarf Hair Grass
Java Fern
Java Moss
Moss ball

Ferts
Flourish
Flourish Trace
Nitrogen
Potassium
Phosphate
Root Tabs
Liquid CO2



Day 2
PH-8.2
KH-8
GH-15
Temp- 76f
Noticed diatom bloom from old tank filter and water used to jump start this one.



Day 7
By this point I had noticed a pretty substantial Diatom bloom, Detritus worm population explosion, and green algae on glass. Obviously underestimating the tank maintenance involved.
50% water change (Using full RO from here on. Remineralized to 7.6 PH, 7KH, 14GH)
Gravel vac
Glass cleaning
Plant trim

Day 8
PH-8
NH-.25
NO2-0
NO3-5
KH-7
GH-13
Temp-76f
-Added 4 Neon Tetra, 3 Nerite Snails to aid with clean up between water changes.

Day 10
PH-8
NH-.25
NO2-0
NO3-2.5
KH-7
GH-13
Temp-76f
Added 2 Amano Shrimp, 1 Clown Pleco to bring variety and utility.
I figured after not seeing an ammonia spike, or any variable water conditions more fish would probably be ok. I think I was pushing it adding others so soon, but I really wanted some additional cleaners.

Day 11
50% water change
Clean hardscape with wire brush
Clean algae from glass
TrI'm plants

Day 12 (Today 4/5)
PH-8
NH-.25
NO2-0
NO3-0
KH-6
GH-14
Temp-77f

The Parameters have stayed consistent since about day 4, even with adding stock I didnt see any change. My Ammonia reading may be off. I tested my mixed RO water in the bucket and even it was showing the same results as my tank, so either the bucket had some ammonia hanging out or my tank is actually 0 ammonia. I have dosed about 1.5 doses of each fert spread out over multiple days this week. I dose flourish one day and trace the next then break for a day or two. NPK's I dosed over separate days originally but dosed all three yesterday. Liquid CO2 I add in the morning before lights on. I skipped ferts/co2 the days following new additions.



At this point the algae is improving, but the tank is still not nearly where I want it to be, but that is something I'm sure many can relate too. I don't want to over do it and harm my new buddies. None seem to be in bad shape. Pleco hides, but that's what he does. Neons tend to stay schooled up mostly at the bottom but do venture around occasionally, colors are pretty vibrant. Snails and shrimp are hiding until night.







Here are some s of my plants. Please excuse the algae. I feel so dirty.

I think its a nitrogen deficiency. NO3 is at 0 in my tank so I guess that would make sense. I'm also thinking potassium might be an issue as well due to some pin holes and tan patches. Again I don't want to harm the new occupants so I'm hesitant to do big doses of ferts, even if the bottles say its safe for animals.

Hey if you made it this far, You're one cool cat. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and thanks for any suggestions you may have. Hopefully this is entertaining or educational to someone as well.

 

It seems to me like the algae problem is caused by too much light, and because your plants are still transitioning to your tank, they aren't able to effectively outcompete the algae.

 

agreed, I'd cut the lights back by four hours at least for a week or two, I'm doing the same thing I added a second light and my tank went out of control quickly.

 

Ok, honestly they're getting about 12 hours of light a day, I have been giving some thought to cutting it back, just didn't want to cut it back and have light added to the issues. I'll try to cut it back for a bit, I need to purchase a timer as well.

Any advice on fert schedules? Is NPK all in one day ok? Do you see any sign of deficiency?

 

I've cut mine back to seven hrs. a day and things are getting better quickly.

 

Ok, honestly they're getting about 12 hours of light a day, I have been giving some thought to cutting it back, just didn't want to cut it back and have light added to the issues. I'll try to cut it back for a bit, I need to purchase a timer as well.

Any advice on fert schedules? Is NPK all in one day ok? Do you see any sign of deficiency?

Whoa yeah 12 is way too much, even mature tanks only have lights on for around 8 hours a day.

I don't see any obvious deficiency. NPK all at once is fine.

 

Whoa yeah 12 is way too much, even mature tanks only have lights on for around 8 hours a day.

I don't see any obvious deficiency. NPK all at once is fine.

Ok, ya guess the duration of light was something I never really looked into. I'll do that starting tomorrow.

As far as deficiency, all my new growth is discolored and wilted. Older growth has some pin holes and tank patches. My ludwigia is pretty ugly right now, brown and nasty colored. The balansae are worst off, they have lost probably 3/4 of the branches and leaves and new ones just look shriveled.

 

The 3rd from the bottom picture....that algae has a weird green-blue color to it. I'm wondering if that is cyanobacteria. If it is, you need to get that under control ASAP! I had it and it about took over my tank.

 

The 3rd from the bottom picture....that algae has a weird green-blue color to it. I'm wondering if that is cyanobacteria. If it is, you need to get that under control ASAP! I had it and it about took over my tank.

Oh no!! I'll have to look it up thank you.

 

Ok, ya guess the duration of light was something I never really looked into. I'll do that starting tomorrow.

I had the exact same problem as you starting out, I cut my light down to 6 hours.

 

Oh no!! I'll have to look it up thank you.

I had to do a blackout of my tank for a week. Actually, I did cheat a bit. I kept the lights out and still fed the fish. I had extra envelopes that were just laying around and I taped them around the bottom of my aquarium, right where the algae was growing. I could still see my fish and monitor the death of the cyanobacteria.

 

Blackout for a week with newly planted tanks that doesn't sound good.

 

cyanobacteria blackout cheat!

• RedLoredAmazon
• Apr 5, 2017

This is a picture of my tank with the envelopes around the bottom. I had this stuff REALLY, REALLY bad. The whole bottom was blue-green, so that's why it took a week for me. Hopefully, just changing your lighting will help you out.

 

I'm having trouble finding a good picture of cyano but it does look odd. In my tank it just looks like a dark green algae, it started appearing on the wood and then got on the plant. I can cut it out or just throw away that whole moss. Idk that it's appeared anywhere else in the tank, but that spot is probably the highest light intensity in the whole tank.

My water parameters are ok, so there shouldn't be excess nutrients, maybe phosphate because I have been dosing that and I read it's a cause. I would rather not dose antibiotics, so would cutting the light back kill them?

 

Cutting back the light will help; I think cutting that out will help too. I didn't use antibiotics in my tank to treat that. I did try the risky hydrogen peroxide treatment and that did nothing; I spent more time trying to keep the cories away from it.

I realized just googling "cyanobacteria" gets lab pictures, but if you do "cyanobacteria in aquarium" you will get better results. Mine looked like really vivid green like green for St. Patty's day decorations; it didn't have a blue color to it. Hopefully someone else can chime in and say if they see it as cyanobacteria or not.

 

I believe I have some cyano as well, though definitely not as bright? Vivid? As that in your picture. If mine is in fact cyano, it's a lot more like a dense bit of dark green algae with a slightly blue tinge.

Whatever it was, it didn't actually do too well in my aquarium, and is mostly contained and dying now that I've got DIY CO2 running.

 

I believe I have some cyano as well, though definitely not as bright? Vivid? As that in your picture. If mine is in fact cyano, it's a lot more like a dense bit of dark green algae with a slightly blue tinge.

Whatever it was, it didn't actually do too well in my aquarium, and is mostly contained and dying now that I've got DIY CO2 running.

I was trying to avoid co2 injection. Should I bite the bullet and get the small cheap 15 gallon set ups? Think that would work in a 20? I'm just concerned something will go wrong and wipe out my tank.

I'll try removing as much as I can get my hands on the cutting the light in half, so like 6 hours and go from there You think I should keep dosing my ferts? It looks as though all the plants on the center piece log have that dark green mat on them.

 

Just reduce your light; I don't do CO2. You could probably do a day without any light in your tank. It will be like a cloudy day for your plants.

 

I was trying to avoid co2 injection. Should I bite the bullet and get the small cheap 15 gallon set ups? Think that would work in a 20? I'm just concerned something will go wrong and wipe out my tank.

I'll try removing as much as I can get my hands on the cutting the light in half, so like 6 hours and go from there You think I should keep dosing my ferts? It looks as though all the plants on the center piece log have that dark green mat on them.

You definitely don't need CO2 to grow plants well. I'm not sure about the ferts.

 

I cut it to 6 hours today, the bacteria is spreading rapidly, on hair grass today. Probably going to do no light for at least a day, any other advice?