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Lady Hobbs
03-24-2007, 09:49 PM
You've all heard the story of the plant delivery and finally they come and some are dead? That isn't what this post is about but just seems to be the beginning of my planted tank woes.

When I added the substrate for planting, I used about half used gravel with my Fluorite to give a good jump start cycle. Used crummy filter gloss and added ammonia daily for two weeks and did all the testing like we're supposed to do. Ammonia was dropping off to 0 within hours of adding it and nitrites were gone as well. Did a big water change and added my angel fish and 6 zebra danios.

Today I test the water and have .50 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates. WHY DO I NOW HAVE AMMONIA AGAIN? The amount is not staggering but about .50 more than what angels can tolerate. I should not be having any ammonia at all and especially with plants so am getting flustrated with this whole planted tank thing.

My Featherfin is tearing around the tank at night and all my stem plants are floating on the surface in the morning. Each day I must replant them. :)

Man, I made a honey of a huge mistake today!!!! My poor angel has already gone thru enough and today I was changing his water. Suddenly I see him tearing around the tank panting and run and check the water going in. My Gawd. It must have been 90 degrees. Didn't take me long to tear to the faucet and hit the cold water. Sheesh. I bet he thought he was pouched fish on my menu for tonight.

Lady Hobbs
03-24-2007, 09:51 PM
Getting totally ticket off!! ROTF

Goes to show my flustration is getting to me.

cocoa_pleco
03-24-2007, 09:55 PM
poor angel. Angels can be sensitive to ammonia and high temperatures.

Chrona
03-24-2007, 09:58 PM
You've all heard the story of the plant delivery and finally they come and some are dead? That isn't what this post is about but just seems to be the beginning of my planted tank woes.

When I added the substrate for planting, I used about half used gravel with my Fluorite to give a good jump start cycle. Used crummy filter gloss and added ammonia daily for two weeks and did all the testing like we're supposed to do. Ammonia was dropping off to 0 within hours of adding it and nitrites were gone as well. Did a big water change and added my angel fish and 6 zebra danios.

Today I test the water and have .50 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates. WHY DO I NOW HAVE AMMONIA AGAIN? The amount is not staggering but about .50 more than what angels can tolerate. I should not be having any ammonia at all and especially with plants so am getting flustrated with this whole planted tank thing.

My Featherfin is tearing around the tank at night and all my stem plants are floating on the surface in the morning. Each day I must replant them. :)

Man, I made a honey of a huge mistake today!!!! My poor angel has already gone thru enough and today I was changing his water. Suddenly I see him tearing around the tank panting and run and check the water going in. My Gawd. It must have been 90 degrees. Didn't take me long to tear to the faucet and hit the cold water. Sheesh. I bet he thought he was pouched fish on my menu for tonight.

lol, I read the first sentence and thought Aquadise had shipped you the wrong plants again. I put my WSPH on (wooden spoon protection hat)

Anywho, the tank was planted prior to adding fish right? It sounds like there either wasn't enough ammonia going in (due to faulty test kit?) or some of those plants are rotting. Did you leave any dead/dying plants in the tank? Having plants does not guarentee a lack of ammonia spike. All those articles about adding a medium/heavy bioload to a planted tank with no ill effect assumes vigorous plant growth and high plant biomass. Regardless though, after a fishless cycling + plants, you should not have any ammonia even if the plants were all rotting.

Yes stem plants are a pain to keep in the substrate (especially in Flourite) until they spread some roots. Nothing you can do about it but wait really lol.

If it makes you feel any better, I was pulling my hair out when I started planting my tank too. Took a lot of trial and error over 3 weeks to finally get something right ;)

Lady Hobbs
03-24-2007, 10:03 PM
Of course I had dead plants in there. LOL My dead vals that I finally pulled out. But I just can not understand why a cycled tank would suddenly get ammonia. I almost didn't bother checking it today as I seldom do once I have a cycle.

My angel wants me to take a vacation, I'm sure. First I poison him and then I scald him.

Rue
03-25-2007, 12:38 AM
Dead plants...decay...ammonia...

...could that be it?

Lady Hobbs
03-25-2007, 01:09 AM
They weren't black rotten and laying in a heap. Just soggy rotten. LOL

Incredulous_Ed
03-26-2007, 08:23 PM
It could still cause some ammonia. Sorry to hear about the frustration!