# Correct water readings



## Tom (Jul 8, 2005)

Just a quick question ...
I recently set up a 55 gal fw tank. It has been running for about a month now. I have 2 mollys, what started out as 3 guppys (now I have 2 fry) I have a good amount of plants in the tank (about 10). My ultimated goal is to have a very nicly planted tank.

My question is what are the perfect paramaters for the water.

MY readings are
ph 7.8
ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite and 5 ppm
(sorry I might have mixed the last 2 names up)

I use a penguin filter (not sure of the size, it came with the tank as a kit so I assume it is the right size)
Also I added an undergravel filter.
My substrate is about 2" of gravel.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks!
Tom


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

It sounds like an (dare I say understocked) tank with good filtration. What are you wanting to know exactly about the tank?


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## Tom (Jul 8, 2005)

LOL,
I know its is understocked. It is a new tank and I am still trying to figure out what kind of tropical fish I will be adding. The current stock is my "test batch" 

What I wanted to know is what are the optimum conditions for growing the plants. I want to have the plants well established before I stock the tank furhter.

Also I have a break out of brown algea.

The next fish I will be getting will be some sort of algea eater.

I was looking for one that will not destroy my plants and will be able to co-exist with small fish (i.e. mollys, neons, ect)

I was thinking of picking up some pleaco's but I am worried about the size they will get to. I was also thinking of some otto's.

I just cant decide what will be better. I was gonna stop by the lfs after work today to do some window shopping


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Your water is hard. Brown algae isn't uncommon in newly cycled tanks. As for growing plants, you can make it as basic or as complicated as you want. You have 2 tank types. A low tech approach with easy to grow (but no less beautiful) plants. Myra can help you out there. Or a high tech approach which costs more, requires more matainence, but allows you to grow a larger variety of plants. Once you decide what you want to put into it, we can go from there.


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## Tom (Jul 8, 2005)

I was looking for a simple method. I am looking for many plants, the more basic the better. I have heard that long stemed plants are the best for new tanks. I am sorry but I cant quote the names of the plants I have. I would like plants that dont need CO2 injection.

As to the algea and the type of fish I want to keep, what would be the best algea eater and how many would be best.

In a few weeks I will hopefully be putting in a school of neons


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Stem plants usually are better nutrient sponges as next to mosses they are about as simple as plants get. Rather than list all of the low light low matainence plants I'll just post a link.
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=2&filter_by=3


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## Tom (Jul 8, 2005)

Just an update ...

I picked up some of the plants from the link. So far they are doing ok.

I also picked up some chinese algea eaters (4 of them to be exact) 

wow!!!! did they do a number on the algea. The tank looks spotless


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Take all but one back. They are not really community fish and grow to a foot long. They also stop eating algae as they mature and get agressive towards fish. They have been known to kill.


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## BlackArchFish (Apr 29, 2005)

Gold Chinese Algae Eaters get agressive? (Makes I Love Lucy Sound) EOOOOOWWW......


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/cae.xml


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Since you have hard water some good plants are hornwort, anacharis, and vallis. These will all grow well in plain gravel, in hard water. Many of the plants on the list Simpte referred you to are indeed easy, but will grow too slowly to help much with your algae problem (like the Anubias and African and Java Ferns). 

Oh, what are your lighting levels? I have anacharis and vallis growing in a tank with 1.5 WPG, so as long as you have hard water, they don't need all that much to grow.

A bristlenose pleco might be a better algae eater for your tank than the CAE, for the reasons Simpte mentioned.


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## Tom (Jul 8, 2005)

Wow, I am quite upset reading the above posts. The lfs recomended the 4 algea eaters they also said they grow to a max of 2-3 inches. They also had a sign infront of the tank with the same info. 

I can see the agressiveness starting. One of the larger ones has been chasing the other ones around.

On the plus side the tank and gravel are spotless. They managed to really put the algea problem into check.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

get oto catfish... they love brown diatom algae as well... but I would wait for your tank to culture some more


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## Tom (Jul 8, 2005)

I had a huge spike in my readings last night. My ammonia readings were close to 10 ppm I could not believe it. I did a quick water change and so far so good. I got my levels down to .25 ppm All the fish are doing fine.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

I thought with plants you couldnt have an underground filter?


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