# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  Newly planted tank need some advice and help

## RoyKoh

Hi. Just start aquascape during the lockdown period, bought tropica rotala h'ra and it melted so much after 2 days. I don't have test kit. Some of my HC and hairgrass mini also melted. Alot of money down the drain. Please advise . Thanks in advance. 

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## Bieffe

Most of the time is the usual. Water parameters, ferts and Co2.
But is normal for some melting.
Is ur tank cycled?
What's the CO2 injection level?
Any ferts applied so far?
Lighting timing?

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## Bieffe

This is at the side of the tank? Lighting there seems good.

Does the water moves to that spot? Maybe is blind sport water don't move towards that area so not enuff c02?

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## RoyKoh

Hi, currently co2 is about 1 to 2 bubble per second, 2 hours before light on. co2 indicator is lime green. 2ft tank with eheim 350. Water flow is good. Now I dose 1 pump of tropica premium fertilizer and specialized fertilizer each. Water is directly from tap

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## Jetxx

I'd use a water conditioner during water change. Or leave water sitting out to breath for a day or 2 for the chlorine/chloramine to off gas. An air stone will help the process. Water from tap usually contains chlorine or chloramine which will kill your BB. 

I had this problem when I first started my tank. Might be the elevated ammonia that caused the melt. I did about 70% to 80% water change everyday and the melt stopped after about a week. To salvage your melting plants, cut off the healthy parts, don't leave any melted parts on it. And clear off all melted parts from your tank including the roots. Float the healthy parts and they should grow some roots. Some will make it some will continue melting.

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## RoyKoh

Will try huge water change tonight. I afraid my the time tonight the rotala h'ra will be all melted. 

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## Bieffe

Ya what the bro said is quite spot on. I really don't think using water straight from the tap is correct.
Pls use conditioned water.
Your co2 and circulation seems ok and ferts ok.
How long light a day 6hrs with co2?
No choice...remove all dead or looks like dead....so they won't pollute ur water more.
Keep on doing water change...ya I know heart pain the water right?
If u have been using water from the tap since u started then ur filter has zero bacteria. So start today...used conditioned water like u will in future so ur plants no need to re adapt again...this will also cause melting.

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## Bieffe

Do check ur pH also.
But the conditioned water is very important.
Is for the bacterial to grow in the filter.
For bacterial to stabilise it will take u weeks.
Plants to stop dying also weeks.

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## Jetxx

You can use fritzyme 7 for liquid bacteria or powder bacteria to help kick start your cycling process. And put in seachem matrix in your filter to house more bacteria. You can cut short the cycling process to about 4 weeks with it instead of 8 weeks or longer without.

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## Jetxx

> Ya what the bro said is quite spot on. I really don't think using water straight from the tap is correct.
> Pls use conditioned water.
> Your co2 and circulation seems ok and ferts ok.
> How long light a day 6hrs with co2?
> No choice...remove all dead or looks like dead....so they won't pollute ur water more.
> Keep on doing water change...ya I know heart pain the water right?
> If u have been using water from the tap since u started then ur filter has zero bacteria. So start today...used conditioned water like u will in future so ur plants no need to re adapt again...this will also cause melting.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


Agreed, your co2 levels need to be stable. Everytime there's changes, your plants will stress and reprogram their enzyme.

Drop checker not so accurate. Use the PH KH chart to gauge will be better. 

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## RoyKoh

Thanks all for the information. I have another pot of rotala h'ra but will wait till I get all the water parameters right before adding in. Gratiola seems to be adapting well. HC starts to creep slowly . 

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## Jetxx

Hows your tank looking now?

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## RoyKoh

All rotala h'ra is melted can't saved. But nvm , will get test kit and conditioner when lfs reopen . 

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## Bieffe

> All rotala h'ra is melted can't saved. But nvm , will get test kit and conditioner when lfs reopen . 
> 
> Sent from my HD1903 using Tapatalk


Don't keep chasing the pH. Make sure u dose ferts and constant lighting and co2. No fert no planted tanks. Ferts can overdose don't worry the makers very conservative won't kill ur life stock. 

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## RoyKoh

Thank you going to plant another pot too see if it survive 

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## Jetxx

You can try half first

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## RoyKoh

Oh right. Ok ok will do that

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## RoyKoh

Updates : this is side view , on the left is the first half pot of rotala h'ra after 2days look like it manage well to the tank. Mid portion is the balance that I just planted today . After opening a pot for 2 days they looks like dying so I immediately planted them. Change of lighting as well. Chihiros Wrgb 2 is really good. 

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## RoyKoh

Starts melting again.......

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## Everlance

you can't expect things to change in just 1 day. leave it for about a week and monitor. make sure you get some things right.

1. lighting - chihiros wrgb is good. start with 6-7 hours max for start.
2. co2 - seems to be ok if lime green. but can turn up to yellow if got no fishes.
3. fert - what soil are you using? if ada amazonia, you dont have to dose specialized. just dose premium. make it 2 pumps.
4. water change - if using amazonia, first week 50% every day, 2nd week 50% every other day. 3rd week once in 3 days. after that twice a week. anti chlorine should always be used during water change. seachem prime is a good one.
5. filter - seems ok, should be no issue.

hope this helps.

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## RoyKoh

> you can't expect things to change in just 1 day. leave it for about a week and monitor. make sure you get some things right.
> 
> 1. lighting - chihiros wrgb is good. start with 6-7 hours max for start.
> 2. co2 - seems to be ok if lime green. but can turn up to yellow if got no fishes.
> 3. fert - what soil are you using? if ada amazonia, you dont have to dose specialized. just dose premium. make it 2 pumps.
> 4. water change - if using amazonia, first week 50% every day, 2nd week 50% every other day. 3rd week once in 3 days. after that twice a week. anti chlorine should always be used during water change. seachem prime is a good one.
> 5. filter - seems ok, should be no issue.
> 
> hope this helps.


Hi thanks for the advise, i shall see the result again in a week. Bought a test kit to see what is the parameters of my waters. If nothing seems wrong then I guess is better to plant other plants . 

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## RoyKoh

No3 25mgl
No2 0mgl
GH under ok range 
Kh also ok range
Ph think less than 6.4
Cl2 0.8 . Not ok. 

So either cl2 or ph is the cause for the melting ? 

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## Jetxx

Jealous of your Chihiros WRGB II.. Hahaha I'm saving up for that..

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## Jetxx

> No3 25mgl
> No2 0mgl
> GH under ok range 
> Kh also ok range
> Ph think less than 6.4
> Cl2 0.8 . Not ok. 
> 
> So either cl2 or ph is the cause for the melting ? 
> 
> Sent from my HD1903 using Tapatalk


Test strip not that accurate. I used that before. Cheap la but no ammonia reading. If chlorine shows up in the test strip, you might not be dosing the conditioner properly

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## RoyKoh

Bo bian liao. At least it should be around that range. Maybe not accurate to the decimal but no choice already buy liao. Haha

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## greenie

Can just buy Ammonia and Nitrate solution test, the rest if got budget. Kh and ph solution test to know CO2 concentration. Even that is an estimation.

I usually test ammonia (Nh3) only. If high eg. 1ppm, just test every few days instead of every day. Maybe I wait for at least a week b4 my 1st test.

When Nh3 starts to drop to let's say 0.25ppm, I will start testing for Nitrate (NO3). I will stop testing Nh3 and only test for NO3 at few days intervals. If 0ppm NO3, I wait a week before testing again as most likely the nitrogen cycle is in the nitrite (NO2) peak.

During this filter cycling, I just max out my CO2 diffuser injection by visual micro bubble mist.

No fert dosing, no adding of fish, no water changes unless using RO water.

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## RoyKoh

My pH is >6.4 . Is it ok? Or should I try to raise it to 7? If so, what can I do to increase it?

A little update, few stems of rotala hra manage to survive. 

Thanks to all the advise

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## Jetxx

Can see you whole tank? Are there any fast growers? Rotala h'ra is kinda sensitive, like rotala bonsai. So what i guess happened to me was, the ammonia leech from the soil melted most of my rotala bonsai away. So after about 2 weeks of cycling, the rotala rotundifolia took root and grew like weed, I floated the surviving rotala bonsai for these 2 weeks, I tried to plant the surviving rotala bonsai again and they took root. Slower growing plants might be more susceptible to the melt? I dunno I might be wrong

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## RoyKoh

Till now all are growing quite slow pace. Those that can't survive till be put out and change to other plants. 

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## greenie

My advice is to just maintain your tank parameters. If your rotala hra managed to pull through, then keep everything as is.
Any real reason to adjust pH?

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## greenie

Yes Jetxx, some plants are sensitive to Nh3.

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## RoyKoh

Tank seems to be stable for now . ok now to ask all the pros for tip and trick for water change . siphoning out the water is easy but how about filling up . whats your method of filling up a new planted tank or water change for relatively new planted tank without or minimal disturbance to the plant that yet to able to root to the substrate firmly . i doing scoop by scoop from a pail of water added with api tap water conditioner with a small Tupperware cover on the surface , direct hose is too strong and how to add tap water conditioner ? really noob question i know LOL

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## greenie

Simpler to use those coiled garden hose in the long term. After a while using pail will be a chore.
Added advantages of using hose is you could quickly empty or fill a tank in an emergency.

I diy a rigid u tube, one to hang on aquarium, the other u tube with the open end facing upwards inside the tank. I sawed away the open end up to lowest point of water level I want to draw out. I connect both with same hose type used for my canister filter.

And normally we do up to 20% WC only, not changing the whole tank as the water parameter will change too drastically, topping off would not cause substrate to be lifted, just controlled opening of tap water source.
shopping.png

My method is to roll out the hose, connect one end to my rigid diy tube to aquarium, other end connect to tap. Fill up hose until use water coming out at aquarium end. Close tap and disconnect hose to start drawing out water. To fill up just plug back hose to tap. During this topping up, I sprinkle Seachem Safe powder in for chloramine removal. Been doing it since like 15 years  :Laughing: . Once finished just remove hose at both end, drain excess water inside hose, disconnect rigid tube and roll back hose. And neatly store back everything. 

That simple, no more back pain.

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## greenie

Just to add, on days I want to siphon out debris from substrate, after the step where I filled up the hose with water, I switch the aquarium end from U tube to straight tube. Then switch back to U tube for filling up.

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## RoyKoh

You add directly into the tank ? For more than 20% change. How do you do ? Let's say 70% change. 

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## greenie

Draining.jpg

Hope this adhoc drawing helps (double click for bigger pic). You can adjust to your desired water level. You can see the upwards pointing end will prevent water from disturbing your substrate during top up.

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## RoyKoh

Ohhhhhhhhhhh.now I get it 

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## greenie

Image of my Hose reel. I use quick coupling for fast removal of connection (orange colour). FYI, my tank is about 7m away from my toilet area. The garden hose is 15m in length, more than enough.


Hose.jpg

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## Jetxx

So you top up with tap water then add the water conditioner?

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## greenie

Yes. Even 10 years ago when I bred discus in bare tanks, that's what I did. It's practical. Even with more sensitive fishes or shrimps should be ok. I believe we can acclimatise these sensitive animals up to a degree without harm. 

The main thing is to do it gradually. For example, do 10% WC frequently for a certain period b4 gradually going to 25% weekly.

I still remember doing 50% water change everyday with my breeding discus. It's because I fed them homemade beefheart mix daily. That was tough.

I did thought of going RO/DI water setup for water change but the amount of waste water is kind of a guilty waste for me. For every 1 litre of RO, 3 litres go down the drain.

I change about 50 litres every water change using some of the drained water for my potted plants. If use RO, 150 litres goes to waste each time.

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## RoyKoh

Uproot my surviving rotala hra replant in front Abit . HC starting to dense forget the name of the red plant. Added a pot of hygrophila and heteranthera. Hope all goes well until lockdown over. My Moss on the wood is a failure . I super glue it and think it died. 

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## greenie

The red plant in the centre is Alternanthera Reineckii. Your moss looks "burnt", either by the higher temperature change or high fertilizers dosage. Nevermind that, just maintain your routine and monitor.

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## RoyKoh

Thanks bro. I going to maintain . Once tank settled down and mature then I remove the wood to redo. For now just let the plants grow. 

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## RoyKoh

An final update. HC now carpet very well. First time I have such success in HC. The rest of the plants also look healthy. Thanks to all the advise. 


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## Jetxx

Looking good!

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## Everlance

congrats

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## tonysg68

What a journey! Congrats!

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## aktivate

> An final update. HC now carpet very well. First time I have such success in HC. The rest of the plants also look healthy. Thanks to all the advise. 
> 
> 
> Sent from my HD1903 using Tapatalk


Congratulations! Where do you think went wrong before and what were the steps taken to change ? Because I had similar problem with you in my previous setup and from my research it had to do with not enough co2 ( I was using diy)

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## RoyKoh

I believe co2 is the key factor. There is a moment where it kick start and it grow non stop from there

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## greenie

Yes, I too agree about CO2 is key. Due to my tank setup, CO2 injection alone is not enough because I chose a 2.5ft high tank that is 2ftx2ft by width and length. 

Took me a year to figure out without over dosing CO2. Tried all types of injection methods but seems the 2.5ft height was the issue. Place a couple of powerhead to provide enough circulation but to no effect.

Finally regularly timed CO2 fertilization via CO2 tank/diffuser method and Excel dosing did the trick. Able to grow the most challenging of plants with minimal to undetectable algae. The Excel dosing via dosing pump helps to supplement the CO2 while it's active ingredient kills most algae.

Poor growth and algae infestation is always due to the plants not able to uptake fert for "maximum" photosynthesis and growth because CO2 is the limiting factor causing algae to consume excess nutrient and at times excess light source.

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## aktivate

> Finally regularly timed CO2 fertilization via CO2 tank/diffuser method and Excel dosing did the trick. Able to grow the most challenging of plants with minimal to undetectable algae. The Excel dosing via dosing pump helps to supplement the CO2 while it's active ingredient kills most algae.


What is this dosing pump you speak about ? I have seachem flouris for my tank, ,how is it different from Excel?

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## greenie

Seachem flourish is nutrient. Seachem flourish excel is liquid "CO2".

Dosing pump I use is Jebao DP4.

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## LTWong

Thanks for sharing. I'm inspired to try something! Hope to achieve something this nice.

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## RoyKoh

Try plant as dense as you can. Water change discipline and select right plants. 

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