I’m honestly a bit baffled...

[Mspringer]

Are you posting through your phone?

My guess is the ferts are throwing the chemical balance in the tank out-of-whack...stable all of this time, then you start adding chemicals...more than a coincidence, I bet

And yes it’s through my phone. Sometimes it will let me edit a post and other times it will not. Considering I always have typos I just end up making 5 posts about everything I typed wrong ha! Maybe some day I’ll just learn to proof read rather than hitting the post button...until then please bear with me!

[Mspringer]

I have added flourish and excel for some time now just got excel again recently so I hadn’t added it in a bit but it is something that had been added previously.

Just looked at the root tabs and site enough they have like 14% calcium that’s a huge amount compared to flourish which is .14%. My guess is moving root tabs is a big no-go. Note to self...once a root tab is in don’t move it. There was quite a cloud of nutrients that came off the tabs when I moved them I think that’s what did it.

I’m going to change some water again today I think and keep a close eye on the parameters. If the water doesn’t clear up within another week and/or I continue to get calcium build up I think I will remove or completely discontinue the use of the tabs.

I’d really like both of your feedback on this particular post! Really appreciate the input!

[Slaphppy7]

I'd discontinue the ferts until the tank stabilizes...and yes, don't move root tabs after they're buried

I don't use ferts at all, because I'm afraid I'll mess up my water chemistry...fish poop is plenty enough for my plants to grow well

[Rocksor]

Specifically to the point of squeezing the media I didn’t expect it to move all of the bacteria but figured it couldn’t hurt and it’s one the the things I’ve done previously when I removed media without issue. I know you never really know where the bacteria is hiding but you’d like to think most of it hangs out in your ceramic bio media...

I think I removed some from each of them too close in time to one another and maybe two much at one time. I felt comfortable with it at the time because I had done it before but obviously didn’t pan out in this case.

I am used to some cloudiness in the water after a water change and vacuuming gravel or moving decor due to the debris that’s kicked up but that typically only lasts a few hours. I believe I’m coming up on a week for sure several days now with the cloudiness in this case.

1 weeks worth of cloudiness is definitely a sign of having too little population of heterotrophic bacteria, and too much nutrients in the water column.

[Mspringer]

Did a big water change with nice crystal clear water yesterday. Today it may look a touch better but still pretty cloudy and some small amount of new calcium build up on the glass. Should I wait it out a few more days? Remove some of the tabs? Remove all of them? My plants weren’t taking off without the tabs so I hate to go without any. It I also hate that I don’t have a nice clean and clear aquarium anymore.

I have read a lot online about root tabs causing both cloudy water and ammonia spikes.

[Slaphppy7]

Leave the tank alone, let things settle.

Don't overfeed, don't move anything in the tank, leave the tabs.

Do another WC in a few days, be sure to treat for the entire tank volume with Prime.

Make certain you "baby" the media in the filters, keep it wet, rinse in old tank water only.

I'd be willing to bet your inner glass is dirty, when you do the WC, clean the glass, and you'll see an improvement with the looks of the tank....use an ORIGINAL Magic Eraser (not the ones with chemicals added) to clean the glass, soak in tank water and hit the front and side inner glass

Magic Eraser.jpg

[Mspringer]

Leave the tank alone, let things settle.

Don't overfeed, don't move anything in the tank, leave the tabs.

Do another WC in a few days, be sure to treat for the entire tank volume with Prime.

Make certain you "baby" the media in the filters, keep it wet, rinse in old tank water only.

I'd be willing to bet your inner glass is dirty, when you do the WC, clean the glass, and you'll see an improvement with the looks of the tank....use an ORIGINAL Magic Eraser (not the ones with chemicals added) to clean the glass, soak in tank water and hit the front and side inner glass

Magic Eraser.jpg

What you mentioned is how I always clean the media. Rinse it in old tank water. I cleaned the glass pretty well at the last water change which was yesterday but could do better. I’ll leave the tabs and all for now per your suggestion.

[Mspringer]

Well the water is clearing up. Tried cleaning up more of the calcium build up on the glass but not having much luck with anything aside from my finger nails. Magic eraser works for any brown algae or small stuff that’s on the glass but doesn’t touch the calcium. Haven’t had any ammonia spikes. But did lose one more too.

All of the rasbora and barbs in the tank are doing great. Only have 1 oto left. Have 4 rasbora in quarantine eating to get a little bigger and make sure they are healthy before adding them to the school innthe main tank.

Probably will change the water in the main tank here in a couple of days and clean the glass a bit more.

Wish the otos would make it in my tank because I sure like their character and the tank cleaning they do.

Should I try more of them? Or do some
Panda cories and a snail or two?

[Slaphppy7]

How many times have you tried the otos?

Get you a razor scraper for the glass, they work great for stubborn residue

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=razor+scr...f=nb_sb_noss_2

[Boundava]

Issue with otos is many of them are starved from capture till you buy them. Many times even if the LFS feed them they have gone without for so long the bacteria in their gut has died so they eat but still starve. Happens to some wild caught plecos too. If you can try to get the tank raised ones.

Also someone said to me that brass blades will never scratch glass so try something like this for algae:

https://www.snowjoe.com/products/sno...th-brass-blade