dead plants and cloudy water

[Tl52505]

First off, always give the test result numbers. None of us knows what "ok" or "high" means.

Given your situation, I agree that you should not get any fish until you are home permanently. Leave the tank running.

Im honestly kinda glad I get to start over with the tank because let me just say the black skirt tetras I had were a menace. They would kill/attack anything I put in the tank and not let any other fish have food. I now know for next time to not get them XD. Also I found out i can take online courses for my second year, so I am going to try to get my tank back up and running.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Im honestly kinda glad I get to start over with the tank because let me just say the black skirt tetras I had were a menace. They would kill/attack anything I put in the tank and not let any other fish have food. I now know for next time to not get them XD. Also I found out i can take online courses for my second year, so I am going to try to get my tank back up and running.

All of the "skirt" tetras are known to be aggressive & nippy, especially when kept in inadequate numbers (less than 10)

 

[Tl52505]

All of the "skirt" tetras are known to be aggressive & nippy, especially when kept in inadequate numbers (less than 10)

i had around 10 I believe and the funny part is that petsmart labels them as peaceful, which I laugh at everytime I go there

 

[Tl52505]

Also is there any ways to get nitrates back down quickly other than doing partial water changes? I have been doing some every day since I got back because of the mess that it was

 

[Byron]

Im honestly kinda glad I get to start over with the tank because let me just say the black skirt tetras I had were a menace. They would kill/attack anything I put in the tank and not let any other fish have food. I now know for next time to not get them XD. Also I found out i can take online courses for my second year, so I am going to try to get my tank back up and running.

Something that may be new to you, concerning shoaling/schooling fish. Scientific studies have confirmed without question that shoaling/schooling freshwater fish must have a decent-sized group, and 10 or more is the recommendation. Some species need more than this. When these fish are kept in smaller groups (one study used groups of three and groups of five) they have increased aggression. Normally-aggressive species became worse, while normally peaceful species became aggressive in various ways. The smaller groups also showed a latency to feed, and that alone tells us how important the group size is, when fish are hesitant to eat because of the group size.

Turning to the Black Skirt/Widow Tetra, this is a naturally aggressive species. "Aggressive" has a range of behaviours, from the odd fin nip to outright attacks. In a group of 12-15, this tetra species should be OK, but it must never be housed with sedate fish or fish with fins that will attract its nipping interest.

When you find a fish you like, it is a good idea to post a thread and see what others say about behaviours and suitability.

 

[Tl52505]

Something that may be new to you, concerning shoaling/schooling fish. Scientific studies have confirmed without question that shoaling/schooling freshwater fish must have a decent-sized group, and 10 or more is the recommendation. Some species need more than this. When these fish are kept in smaller groups (one study used groups of three and groups of five) they have increased aggression. Normally-aggressive species became worse, while normally peaceful species became aggressive in various ways. The smaller groups also showed a latency to feed, and that alone tells us how important the group size is, when fish are hesitant to eat because of the group size.

Turning to the Black Skirt/Widow Tetra, this is a naturally aggressive species. "Aggressive" has a range of behaviours, from the odd fin nip to outright attacks. In a group of 12-15, this tetra species should be OK, but it must never be housed with sedate fish or fish with fins that will attract its nipping interest.

When you find a fish you like, it is a good idea to post a thread and see what others say about behaviours and suitability.

after I get my water parameters back in good shape, would you suggest that I give it time to make sure they dont go all crazy again before restocking?

 

[Byron]

Also is there any ways to get nitrates back down quickly other than doing partial water changes? I have been doing some every day since I got back because of the mess that it was

Have you tested your tap water for nitrate? It is useful to determine whether or not some nitrate may be in the source water.

Assuming the nitrate level is due to the tank conditions, water changes and good cleaning will do the trick. Vacuum into all open areas of substrate, clean the filter, and do 75-80% water changes. Provided the parameters--these are GH, pH and temperature--of the tank water and tap water are reasonably the same, water changes will not hurt the fish or the biological system.

 

[Byron]

after I get my water parameters back in good shape, would you suggest that I give it time to make sure they dont go all crazy again before restocking?

Yes. Given the nitrate issue which I just responded on, I would not put fish in until things show signs of stability. That means over several days. You should test on day 1, and day 2, and if this looks OK (results are the same) then you can skip a day or two and test on the following day.

Do you have live plants that are still OJK to use? If yes, these help with the water.

 

[Tl52505]

Yes. Given the nitrate issue which I just responded on, I would not put fish in until things show signs of stability. That means over several days. You should test on day 1, and day 2, and if this looks OK (results are the same) then you can skip a day or two and test on the following day.

Do you have live plants that are still OJK to use? If yes, these help with the water.

i had 2 annubias that survived and a tiny java fern, none in very good conditions but still alive, and I already started adding some more plants. I added another java fern and another plant that im not too sure of the name. Would driftwood have any affect on any of the parameters because I have a good size piece that I had soaked over a couple months before I left. If adding it would help with anything I have that nearby.

 

[Byron]

i had 2 annubias that survived and a tiny java fern, none in very good conditions but still alive, and I already started adding some more plants. I added another java fern and another plant that im not too sure of the name. Would driftwood have any affect on any of the parameters because I have a good size piece that I had soaked over a couple months before I left. If adding it would help with anything I have that nearby.

Plants sound fine, and a few days to make sure they are growing and not dying is good, so this fits in with the water change/stability issue. Do you have/use any fertilizer, and if yes, which?

Organics like wood can affect parameters, but there are some other factors that have more of an impact on parameters. What is the GH and KH (Alkalinity) and pH of your source (tap) water on its own? GH and KH will determine what the pH may do, since they act as buffers. If they are high, the organics w2ill have no effect on the pH, but if the GH and KH are quite low, then the organics can be more of an impact. CO2 enter the picture as well, and any other things like calcareous items, etc.

 

[Tl52505]

Plants sound fine, and a few days to make sure they are growing and not dying is good, so this fits in with the water change/stability issue. Do you have/use any fertilizer, and if yes, which?

Organics like wood can affect parameters, but there are some other factors that have more of an impact on parameters. What is the GH and KH (Alkalinity) and pH of your source (tap) water on its own? GH and KH will determine what the pH may do, since they act as buffers. If they are high, the organics w2ill have no effect on the pH, but if the GH and KH are quite low, then the organics can be more of an impact. CO2 enter the picture as well, and any other things like calcareous items, etc.

I dont use fertilizer but the substrate that I have is supposed to be good for plants and if I remember correctly it had fertilizer in it. I dont remember what the brand of it was but it was something with volcanic rock i believe

 

[Tl52505]

someone had said about the nitrates and how they were worried about the shrimp, is there anything specific to look for? they are all still alive but I am wondering if I should be on the lookout for anything specific. I never really had ghost shrimp before because my black skirt tetras always ate them within an hour so Im not sure how they normally look or behave

 

[Byron]

I dont use fertilizer but the substrate that I have is supposed to be good for plants and if I remember correctly it had fertilizer in it. I dont remember what the brand of it was but it was something with volcanic rock i believe

I am not a fan of plant substrates because they can impact fish, invertebrates, and water parameters. Some do one or more of these more than others. I would be skeptical if any of them really do provide nutrients for plants. Logically they would only feed plants rooted in the substrate (which eliminates anubias, ferns, moss and floating plants). Additionally, plants take up some nutrients exclusively through the leaves even if they are rooted in the substrate.

 

[Tl52505]

I am not a fan of plant substrates because they can impact fish, invertebrates, and water parameters. Some do one or more of these more than others. I would be skeptical if any of them really do provide nutrients for plants. Logically they would only feed plants rooted in the substrate (which eliminates anubias, ferns, moss and floating plants). Additionally, plants take up some nutrients exclusively through the leaves even if they are rooted in the substrate.

i figured out, it was fluval stratum which I have seen good reviews for. I mostly got it because I liked the look of it. Do you have any suggestions of a good fertilizer

 

[Byron]

i figured out, it was fluval stratum which I have seen good reviews for. I mostly got it because I liked the look of it. Do you have any suggestions of a good fertilizer

I'll be honest here, to help I hope. With this substrate, substrate level fish are not advisable because of the bacterial issues. This eliminates some nice fish, which you may or may not be interested in; cories, loaches, possibly cichlids which feed from the substrate. I asked about the GH, KH and pH of the source water previously, it would help to know these when discussing fish species as well. Are you open to changing the substrate, or is this going to stay?

A liquid fertilizer will benefit floating plants and non-substrate plants, but also substrate-rooted plants. Larger substrate-rooted plants like the swords will benefit from substrate tabs. I again would say that I am skeptical of the nutrient value of Fluval Stratum, so the tabs might be good. I have been using Seachem's Flourish Tabs and their Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium. The Brightwell Aquatics FlorinMulti is much the same (liquid). There are undoubtedly others on the market. What you want in this type of aquarium is a comprehensive supplement, not individual nutrients being dumped in. There will be nutrients from feeding the fish and water changes, which for some people are sufficient, but others may need the supplements. I've been using the two Seachem products for over 10 years with very good results.