any aquarists here? I need some help...

[deranged chipmunk]

Ugh, you're so mean!
I do not fertilize the tank, would any of the plant fertilizers at the lfs suffice, or do reccomend a specific brand?
The airstone is about 4 months new.
The Co2 I bought and have been using for only about a week is API Co2 booster. I follow the directions, 1 ml per day per 10 gallons.
I feel so bad for those plants, yes, they are 2 years old! They were huge, but as the leaves have started dissentigrating, I've been pruning them off... now they're just these pathetic little things.
One thing that someone jsut mentioned, I also have never replaced my bulb, maybe that is part of the equation?


Who would take my pleco? I have no friends with tanks, and I kind of like him. I read he will max out at 4 inches. I believe he is an albino bristle nose? I could be wrong.

Thanks bill!

for swords, since they are heavy root feeders, i would use root tabs. either the seachem or api versions work well. if you have access to empty gel caps (doesn't everyone? LOL) you can fill them with osmocote (available at most big box stores), in essence, making your own root tabs.

the problem with adding carbon AND an airstone is that you are just pouring money into your tank. the o2 you are adding from the airstone is negating the co2 you're adding. my recommendation? put the air pump on a timer and put it on at night only. since the plants don't utilize co2 at night, it will supplement the tank with o2 for the fishies. the bulb could be part of the equation, but i doubt it. they most likely started melting due to the death of the 2 fish and lack of fertilization. swords are very sensitive to ammonia swings, even if only temporarily. i change the bulbs in my planted tanks annually, but i know people who change them when they burn out.

as far as the pleco goes, you're good to go darlin'. i was under the impression that you had a standard pleco. abn's are perfect for small tanks. they are great little fish. and i'll let ya in on a little planted tank secret: the more plants you have in a tank, the more leeway you have with stocking. the plants serve as a bio filter and allow for a bit of overstocking. so your current stocking level is ok with the swords you have in there.

[Bolisnide]

for swords, since they are heavy root feeders, i would use root tabs. either the seachem or api versions work well. if you have access to empty gel caps (doesn't everyone? LOL) you can fill them with osmocote (available at most big box stores), in essence, making your own root tabs.

the problem with adding carbon AND an airstone is that you are just pouring money into your tank. the o2 you are adding from the airstone is negating the co2 you're adding. my recommendation? put the air pump on a timer and put it on at night only. since the plants don't utilize co2 at night, it will supplement the tank with o2 for the fishies. the bulb could be part of the equation, but i doubt it. they most likely started melting due to the death of the 2 fish and lack of fertilization. swords are very sensitive to ammonia swings, even if only temporarily. i change the bulbs in my planted tanks annually, but i know people who change them when they burn out.

as far as the pleco goes, you're good to go darlin'. i was under the impression that you had a standard pleco. abn's are perfect for small tanks. they are great little fish. and i'll let ya in on a little planted tank secret: the more plants you have in a tank, the more leeway you have with stocking. the plants serve as a bio filter and allow for a bit of overstocking. so your current stocking level is ok with the swords you have in there.

Ahh, I've just learned so much!!!!
Thank you so much for your time, bill!
I like the timer idea for the bubbler, so if I understand correctly, put the bubbler on at night so the fish get the o2, and turn it off at during the day so the plants get the co2?
I'll get some fertilizer, and no, I don't have access to empty gel caps? Maybe the vitamin store... but I think I'll just buy the root tbs you suggest, I'm not that handy!

I'll let you know how this progresses, thanks again!

[deranged chipmunk]

that is correct. co2-day 02-night. and you are very welcome oh, and don't forget to trim off those melted leaves

[Mentat]

Hi, just want to add couple simple thoughts. 1st thing is to buy new light bulb/s. If fluorescent tubes; they start losing lumens around six month mark and by 1 year many are producing 1/2 the lumens they did as new. Only light elements you do not replace are LEDs.

Second thing is your aquarium pH of 8. For tetras in general, a pH of 8 is a bit high. Do you know what was pH before starting to add the CO2? If adding CO2 raised the tank pH abruptly; it could explain the death of first Tetra. Also, if store had 2nd Tetra in neutral to acidic water; it probably died of pH shock when released into highly alkaline water. Sadly, Tetras don't handle abrupt pH changes well .

[Bolisnide]

Hi, just want to add couple simple thoughts. 1st thing is to buy new light bulb/s. If fluorescent tubes; they start losing lumens around six month mark and by 1 year many are producing 1/2 the lumens they did as new. Only light elements you do not replace are LEDs.

Second thing is your aquarium pH of 8. For tetras in general, a pH of 8 is a bit high. Do you know what was pH before starting to add the CO2? If adding CO2 raised the tank pH abruptly; it could explain the death of first Tetra. Also, if store had 2nd Tetra in neutral to acidic water; it probably died of pH shock when released into highly alkaline water. Sadly, Tetras don't handle abrupt pH changes well .

Yes! I think you may be right about the pH.
I posted this exact post on tropical fish forums, and that was their main concern...
My tap pH is 8.0. I can't figure outhow to lower the pH? I've tried several products.
The suggestion on tropical fish forums was to re-home the tetras and then get more alkaline, hard water tolerant fish...

[Mentat]

Yes! I think you may be right about the pH.
I posted this exact post on tropical fish forums, and that was their main concern...
My tap pH is 8.0. I can't figure outhow to lower the pH? I've tried several products.
The suggestion on tropical fish forums was to re-home the tetras and then get more alkaline, hard water tolerant fish...

Your tap water must be very "hard." It's a term used to describe the mineral content of water. Most prevalent is calcium carbonate and one of it's effects is to raise pH and buffer it there no matter what you do. So the first thing to do is to soften the water a bit until the pH lowers some; at least to neutral territory. For that, you use a product like this one in your tank until the desired pH is reached: Water Softener Pillow. Once you get there, can store the resin pillow in aquarium salt solution and it recharges until next use. There are also test kits where you can monitor the water hardness: Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals GH/KH Test Kit; but you can monitor indirectly by measuring pH. API is widely available in US so you can get those products locally or order through the net.

Couple more things I forgot, that plant damage could be caused by a hungry Pleco. Have you seen him "vigorously" cleaning leaves in the Amazon plants? Try adding a veggie disk to tank in evening and see if it helps. In reality a full grown Albino is a heavy load for your tank.

And in regards to Nitrates; would take a clean water sample to local pet shop and ask them for a complimentary Nitrate test; because your test kit might be bad. Also, if using test strips, those are very inaccurate. Good luck !

[Bolisnide]

Your tap water must be very "hard." It's a term used to describe the mineral content of water. Most prevalent is calcium carbonate and one of it's effects is to raise pH and buffer it there no matter what you do. So the first thing to do is to soften the water a bit until the pH lowers some; at least to neutral territory. For that, you use a product like this one in your tank until the desired pH is reached: Water Softener Pillow. Once you get there, can store the resin pillow in aquarium salt solution and it recharges until next use. There are also test kits where you can monitor the water hardness: Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals GH/KH Test Kit; but you can monitor indirectly by measuring pH. API is widely available in US so you can get those products locally or order through the net.

Couple more things I forgot, that plant damage could be caused by a hungry Pleco. Have you seen him "vigorously" cleaning leaves in the Amazon plants? Try adding a veggie disk to tank in evening and see if it helps. In reality a full grown Albino is a heavy load for your tank.

And in regards to Nitrates; would take a clean water sample to local pet shop and ask them for a complimentary Nitrate test; because your test kit might be bad. Also, if using test strips, those are very inaccurate. Good luck !

My water is very hard, it's a battle on all fronts, not just with the aquarium. I had the well water tested, and the calcium and magnesium were very high. I was unaware of the water softener pillow, I'm definitely going to try that out, thank you!

The pleco is fed algae/veggie disks regularly, and I have never personally witnessed him on the plants, but he is more active at night so that's not to say he doesn't ever graze on the plants.... he's a big guy for sure (about 4"), but it seems like he's stopped growing. I do like him... so who knows what I'll do. It seems that the fish forum also agrees that he's a big load on the small tank. Maybe I should get a gigger tank?

I was also thinking of getting a complimentary water test done at the fish shop. I do use the API freshwater master test kit, but have read the nitrate readings can be off a lot of the time.

Thanks for your help! I'll keep you all posted.