When In Doubt....add More Plants!

[twin54]

So a couple weeks back I had this problem...my water was cloudy and many people tried to help me out with it and much thanks to all of them. Some mentioned that it was probably the sand, some said it was probably bacterial bloom due to moving substrate etc. However I have found the true culprit!!!!

The one thing every aquarium owners hates and tries to never have

As you can see it was an extreem cloud!

However its obvious what made it cloudy here

After much reading I have added more plants, I have added substrate tab ferts and liquid ferts, a DYI CO2, changed my light from a hagen power glow (18000 K) to a coralife flora Sun (5000 K) and added a Light timer that has the lights go on for 5 hours off for 2 hours then back on for 4 hours then shuts off for the night.

So far I'm extreemly happy with the result and cant wait for the plants to all grow out!

Plant list from left to right:
Compleete left on glass: Vallisneria Americana
Front left:Java moss
Back left : Hygro rosa
Center: Amazon Sword
back right: Ceratopteris Thalictroides (water sprite)
Right: Cryp Wendii

Over view:

Left side:

Up closer:

and to end it my GBR enjoying a nice blood worm while chilling on "HIS JAVA MOSS"

 

[mdwheeler]

"However its obvious what made it cloudy here"

???What do you mean it made it cloudy?


I love my Hygro rosa. Its been growing like a beast in my tank, and best thing is if it breaks off I can simply bury it and more comes back!!! I like my Vallisneria but I did have a bit of trouble when I first tried to grow it. I got a couple of stocks and I honestly thought they were going to die, but luckily they jumped to life (after experimenting with diy co2 systems) and are growing like mad as well. I've got two blades that are about 7-8 inches long. I have two loaches that lie on it all the time.

 

[twin54]

"However its obvious what made it cloudy here"

???What do you mean it made it cloudy?

The cloudyness was due to algea free floating in the water. If you look at the water bottle you can see how green and how much algae was in the water. When in the aquarium it just looked clike cloudy water but in a bottle you were able to clearly see it was not cloudy water but algae infested water

 

[mdwheeler]

"However its obvious what made it cloudy here"

???What do you mean it made it cloudy?

The cloudyness was due to algea free floating in the water. If you look at the water bottle you can see how green and how much algae was in the water. When in the aquarium it just looked clike cloudy water but in a bottle you were able to clearly see it was not cloudy water but algae infested water

Ahh....now i get it !!!

 

[lljdma06]

Don't bother with the siesta. It have been disproven and it doesn't work. Believe me, I tried in my early days with Planted tanks. Better instead to opt for a lower total photo period, like about 6 hours for a few weeks, especially if the tank is new or has been rescaped, which yours has. Then you can think about upping in increments to between 8-10 hours. It doesn't seem like a lot but you will not get more plant growth by running 14 hour photoperiods. Plants need the darkness too.

You would also do well to increase your plant mass. Lots more plants.

 

[mdwheeler]

Don't bother with the siesta. It have been disproven and it doesn't work. Believe me, I tried in my early days with Planted tanks. Better instead to opt for a lower total photo period, like about 6 hours for a few weeks, especially if the tank is new or has been rescaped, which yours has. Then you can think about upping in increments to between 8-10 hours. It doesn't seem like a lot but you will not get more plant growth by running 14 hour photoperiods. Plants need the darkness too.

You would also do well to increase your plant mass. Lots more plants.

I have my lights on for 14 hours a day....they're doing fine. Will they do better to lower the lighting to ten hours instead? They're kinda matched to the daytime light but delayed that way I can enjoy my tank at night.