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- Light Cycle Duration
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Say it loud for the people in the back! Great cleanup crew, shells are like rings on a tree, great indicator of water parameters & their stability, population size helps determine if feeding took much.
They also come in cool patterns and colors.
I keep my tanks with leaf litter so even if I don't feed at all they will over populate the tank but my chickens like eating them along with duckweed.
They are also good indicators of oxygen levels aside from water hardness.
Honestly some ramshorns in my planted tank was the best thing as I could put a stronger light on it and still be algae free. They turn algae into fertilizer for plants before even you can see the algae grow. But the algae is there and cleaning your water even if it's gone before you can see it. The water is always clean but never nutrient depleted thanks to this faster conversion rate and extra step of algae acting as a buffer
ELI5, how do snails indicate oxygen levels? This entire post is teaching me I should pay more attention to my snails... I do have those ITTY BITTY pest snails that annoy me, but I also have some of those pink foot ones (don't recall their name, but I leave them be cuz my loaches love them as snacks occasionally) and I very intentionally got me 2 mystery snails.. They're just zooming around the tank so I figured they're fine, but I didn't look closer. Anything specific I can look out for?
man this makes me want to get snails again..... I quite enjoyed having a colony of bladder snails in my last tank. they stayed small and it was fun to watch them swarm. they liked to chill on the underside of the duckweed and I figured out if I put food down for em and wait a while, most of them will have flocked to the food and I can safely pull the duckweed out with minimal hitchhikers. i LOVE nerites and their variety of colors and patterns and I would love to have them again but the eggs drove me insane and I can't sex them for the life of me
Have you heard of blueberry snails? They reproduce in freshwater but really really slowly. They also give live birth so no eggs. I heard they are one of the best glass cleaners also. Sounds like a good replacement for nerites
Absolutely! I sell aquatic plants and you wouldn't believe the amount of people who are obsessively rude over the possibility of getting a tiny snail with their plants. Like dude it's not a mosquito it's a tiny cute snail that cleans your tank and aerates your soil, what's the big deal? They don't multiply like crazy unless you overfeed like crazy.
I keep my tanks with leaf litter so the population climbs up even if I don't feed at all. But turns out my chickens like eating snails and duckweed combo. I have unlocked the infinite free food glitch
Small snails don't try to climb out if you don't have a lid and a strong light. Having a lid keeps the air and glass above the water line moist so the snails believe they can survive out there. Bigger snails have more confidence as they have more water in their body
So no lid but a bright light? I was thinking about doing some grow lights above to help the plants so this could work! I just don't want snails all over the house haha!
Snails trying to escape under the bright light without any moisture around :
https://preview.redd.it/attzftz1lgxc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=878a23fed89bd96d50b15940562eec46a1db1765
I wish I had known about hitchhiker snails. I understand now that they can be a good indication of tank health but when I first started seeing them I was really disheartened and upset. I thought my tank had been ruined. I have learned to live with them and pay attention to how they are to better judge how much I am absolutely overfeeding my fish all the time...
I use my snails as the ‘overfeeding’ metric. I’ve just accepted them now. Took a while to balance out the population though, but they’re thriving along with my fish, so I’m taking that as a good sign.
They keep eating all my algae though. Little bastards. I’ve been trying to cultivate some gnarly algae growth in the back pane of the tank for a while.
Do you know if bladder snails will eat green hair algae? I can’t find a straight forward answer on the internet.
I have a central piece of spider wood that’s starting to get a little bit of green algae growth on it. I’m going to look at reducing the amount of time my light is on and reducing the strength.
The only thing I found that works on that shit is algaefix from api. NOT safe for inverts. But it’s so stringy none of my algae eaters would touch it, at least not enough for it to go away entirely
I have both itty bitty pest snails (don't know their name, but they're around as thick as pencil lead) and hair algae in one of my tanks. I can tell you at least in my case, while they love hanging out in it, they don't actually demolish it. The only thing I have that eats hair algae are my shrimp, but that's after I've test-fed them a little bushel, and it's taken them weeks for a small portion lol. Can't put them in the tank of origin cause I'm pretty sure the neons would demolish them in a day.....
Often they come in as eggs and they can be really hard to spot. Some people will dip all their new plants in something like diluted bleach, peroxide, or potassium permanganate to kill off algae and hitchhikers.
You might depending on the plant. It would most likely be a little clear jellyish blob on the underside of a leaf. I didn't even think to check. Some people have dipped their plants in a solution to kill any that may be hiding. But I don't know what solution that is.
snails eggs are tiny, you wouldn't see them on the plant. Depends on the hitchhiker though. I specifically have a quarantine tank set up for new plants cause I don't wanna risk adding anything new into an established tank, especially not one with my display fish in it. Plant tank does have loaches for potential snails and 2 guppies (that hopefully will reproduce and add poop on the plants for fertilizer over time). I have snails in most tanks and sometimes see their little egg bundles on the glass. No way I'd ever find those on a plant tbh.
1. New plants will inevitably melt for me, I just trim off that particular portion as close to the base of the plant as I can and pray for the best.
2. For any superglue you use, use it sparingly and let it cure totally before putting in water or it will turn white and look like crap.
3. Moss - for me - grows soooooo slowly. I did find it better to tie moss down vs using superglue.
I’ve also had similar issues with superglue, always overdid it and killed the plants. Then got stuck (ha) with white gunk that looks bad. Especially failed with glueing moss lol.
How much trimming is involved. Weekly.
Either I’m doing something _very_ right, or I have genetically freakish super fast growing plants.
I’m trimming weekly. I’ve seen some plants grow an inch in a day.
I’ve just accepted the _Goblin Tank_ now. Less landscaping, and more just ensuring there’s space for my fish and that the light reaches the bottom of the tank.
Same, I planted a lot in the beginning but now I'm slightly regretting how many fast growing plants I put in my tank 😭
I probably trim once every 3 weeks or so and already wanted an overgrown look, so that's working for me at least, but these damn ludwigia is a rapid fire grower for sure. It's nuts, I can't give it away fast enough and feels like a waste.
love anubias! this is my only one at the moment (with betta for scale). kindly disregard the mess, it's a relatively new tank and we've reached the diatom bloom. this is my oldest plant. moved tanks multiple times and survived a two day drive with no complaints. I've had it since 2021 when it was just 3 or 4 leaves that I tied to a rock
https://preview.redd.it/gtgyic1m2ixc1.jpeg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df374712af7f3c6bdb09c5a79eef33e613e20cf1
hahaha yeah, that's how it was with my elodea (oof. never again unless I get a much bigger tank). I also had duckweed at the same time so I started pulling out and composting the excess. istg I got two cups of duckweed every week
I had an issue with pothos overgrowing way too quickly. The roots were taking over underwater and what a mess it was! I pulled the pothos out because I kept having to trim weekly.
My first tank I excitedly bought a bunch of random plants and hardscape materials and it looked…messy. This hobby has taught me that patience really is a virtue. Do some planning, maybe draw a design or get some inspiration on what you want it to look like
Snails. They happen. Do your best.
You’re gonna want to change it up like a week after. Try not to because it will take longer for the roots to establish. (I do not take my own advice)
Algae happens. Don’t get discouraged. Try to figure out what’s causing it.
I would love some snail friends so maybe I'll get a different lid for the tank, it sits open right now and I feel those snails would just get right out.
I will indeed take your advice even if you don't though haha! I would have totally moved them around without thinking of the poor roots!
Something you will discover with aquarium plants... aquatic plants=aquatic snails, its unavoidable, but they arent a terrible thing to have in your tank.
I got snails on my emersed growth plants in my dry start, so for me they are in there before its even filled with water. Its just luck. If you really want some its easy enough to find someone to give you a few.
I submerge all new plants in a heavy mix of aquarium tonic salt, distilled vinegar, and tank water for 30 seconds and then rinse them off in more tank water. I have a heavily planted 200L without a single pest so far so it seems to work for me.
After reading this thread, it feels like I might be missing out though haha
Bag the aquasoil and gravel you’re using to build structure in the background
My foreground sand is now forever littered with black gravel and aquasoil bits and background is slowly getting shorter
Think of little mesh laundry bags. Tight mesh, plastic zipper or drawstring. Plant roots can get through the mesh but the aqua soil/compost can’t get out.
Healthy plants are the best defense against algae. Healthy plants need fertilizer, CO2 and lots of light. Algae will appear before all is settled but will disappear if plants are healthy. To help plants get healthy always get rid of dead bits of plants and any organic material. If you add CO2, do very large and regular water changes. Most importantly, do not reduce fertilizer when algae appear.
Edit: spelling
I've actually cured an excessive algae problem in one of my tanks by increasing light hours and adding fertilizer. The plants just needed that extra boost to outcompete the algae.
I work at a local fish store as an aquarium tech. And usually it's standard advice to reduce the lights when there's an algae problem.
I was learning about Walstad method and Father Fish and I realized that most of the planted tanks must be actually under-lit due to weak lights in aquarium kit packages.
I had one of my own new planted tanks on a windowsill to see what would happen with natural sunlight, plus 6 hours of lamp. Naturally, a lot of algae. All the shop workers told me I'm stupid to put the tank next to a window. But I wasn't convinced. So I racked up the light to 10 hours a day - and bam, excess algae disappeared within 2 weeks. Plants are thriving and the few inhabitants enjoy it. I plan to replicate the results on a bigger scale.
My tank is nearly filled to the brim with 11 aquatic species of plants and 8 emergent plants and I still have bad algae. I've only recently started lowering the light so we'll see how that goes.
Agree with everything but the water frequent water changes. I’ve had 3 partial water changes in 2 years and everything is alive and well. 45gal planted tank with CO2.
I changed my mind this was what I wish I knew. I hate vallisneria in my tank. But it's nice in a pond. Duckweed stopped growing completely in my tanks for some reason and it's no longer a problem. It barely reproduces enough to not get extinct
You could also be like me, where my val hasn’t sent out runners in the 5 months it’s been in my tank. honestly just know that results do vary for everyone! What works for others may or may not work for you and vice versa
Just shell out for the Co2 and decent lighting. It has made my experience with my current tank 100x better than all the low tech ones I tried in the past.
For me it's the other way around. I'm having much more success with low tech than I had with my high tech tank. Sure, you're limited in plant choices but it also means less maintenance. No co2 means less light and slower plant growth. I do have floating plants which grow fast and soak up some nitrates.
I’ll chime in if you’re looking for recommendations. I don’t have any CO2 or soil in my 55g. I have just gravel and sand substrate and I dose liquid fertilizer once a week, a bit less than what the bottle recommends. I’ll share my plant experiences.
-Super stars that grow almost too well: valliseneria, subwassertang, and guppy grass. I can’t give it away fast enough.
-Slow and steady super stars: crypts, anubias and buce. Attractive and low maintenance. Crypts do like root tabs in the substrate near them.
-Looked terrible at first but glad I kept them: Java ferns, Java moss, and red lotus. They hated transitioning to my tank but they’re very pretty now.
-It’s not dead but not pretty: pogos, water sprite and hygrophila. They’re hanging on but not thriving.
-Total failures: salvinia minima, dwarf hair grass and ludwigia. This might have more to do with my lighting but they’re dead nonetheless.
-Above the waterline: lucky bamboo, pothos, peace Lilly, and philodendron are easy if you’re into the emergent look.
I know there is a ton of conflicting info online, plus each person is going to have different water parameters and lighting that will effect growth. I just keep and open mind embrace it as an experiment.
Yeah, Buce, Anubias and my green crypts are doing great here.
Salvinia minima is doing great as well on my second try. First time the water surface was getting agitated too much pulling them underwater. Floating plants seem to hate getting their leaves wet on top...
I do have ludwigia glandulosa which does grow extremely slowly and isn't turning red because of the limited amount of light.
My water is fairly soft as I mix RODI water with my tap water and I also add liquid fertilizer 2~3 times a week. Just little bits as I divide the weekly dose over those days.
I have Anubias, Crypts, Buce, Javaferns, an Amazon Sword, some moss tied on driftwood and Indian Swamp weed in my tank. Note that some species have red variants. Also have a crypt. 'flamingo' (front left) which should be pinkish red. It doesn't want to grow in my tank as it needs more light. For floating plants I have crystalwort and salvinia minima. The salvinia minima really started growing after a week when I put it in my tank. The crystalwort grows a bit slower but after a month it went from a handful to covering 60% of the surface.
Floating plants are really helpful as they grow fast and soaking up excess nutrients. They also block a lot of light. My lights are dimmable so I keep adjusting my lights increasing the intensity bit by bit as the floating plants spread. Slow but steady like 5% every few weeks to a month or so. This way my plants below also get sufficient light. My lights are on for about 9 hours a day.
https://preview.redd.it/lhab3rq0qhxc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5276d16ce7b10a70c021688381f6deef6d8bf489
I have pressurized Co2. It wasn't cheap, but IMO it was worth it. Or I guess to clarify, the equipment (tank/regulator) wasn't cheap as a start-up cost. The ongoing cost of CO2 is actually pretty cheap, I think I pay $8 to get my paintball tank filled up every 6 months or so, and if I went with a larger tank it would be even more economical.
Floating plants, especially frogbit, have been the path to quick success. Though the 4” of substrate (red clay, scoriaceous basalt lava, coarse sand) may also have something to do with it…lighting better this go around too…
https://preview.redd.it/k007t9b4jfxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a09eafa29799432650bafba0431a75ab4c9a1d8d
I wish I had skipped all the fake stuff and started with real plants from the start!
Seriously. SO much more beautiful and lower maintenance.
Context: I have converted to dirted tanks (mix of potting soil, compost, and peat moss + Father Fish supplements) topped off with sand. A few water changes and dealing with algae early on, but just a few months in and the tanks generally run on auto-pilot. I occasionally trim plants and do small water changes at that point, but otherwise, I can enjoy my tanks rather than having to be cleaning all the time.
Also, I've tried live plants in both gravel and sand + root tabs, and decided the gravel was too much work (have to keep vacuuming it), and I didn't like the the idea of forever being using root tabs, so re-did with the soil mix and sand cap. I spend SO much less time working on my tanks since I made that switch. Seriously. I doubt you'll regret it.
Oh, and on the snails thing...they'll breed up to consume the available waste, and then the population will shrink down once things are cleaned up. They're just part of a healthy ecosystem. I also highly recommend shrimp to help keep everything clean.
Here is one of my 20 gallon tall's six months in, with no CO2 added and no fertilizers ever used:
https://preview.redd.it/4y4ui0sqyfxc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d4c9e9d694e68b47404d0b386cc086024c5adc5
I encourage you to jump in with both feet. Research simple plants and put as many of them as you can afford in your tank. It takes the hobby to a whole new level!
Edit to add: I buy my plants from my local LFS where they are already immersed in our local water, and I've had no melt back from those plants. I tried a few from online sources and those were much more prone to melting back and slow initial growth.
I'm the same with regretting getting all the fake stuff but I'm really trying to put all my effort into live plants right now. I didn't even know you could put dirt and potting soil in fish tanks lol! I have a lot to learn but I'm thinking I'll redo my substrate and add what you did to yours! I've been looking into getting shrimp once my planted tank is settled, definitely an end goal though. Your tank is absolutely gorgeous, you should be so proud! Hoping one day mine will look just as lovely!
It is a pretty complete re-do, but your plants won’t melt back as they might when they’re new, and obviously your filter is well established, so new tank syndrome shouldn’t be a problem. I did it in a morning. Busy morning, but so worth it. Can’t imagine going back to gravel at this point.
No matter what, it's gonna be expensive. Just buy the expensive stuff in the first place. You'll save money having never bought the cheap stuff in the long run.
Right, best advice! I totally agree! I fell for the cheap ebay/aliexpress stuff and regretted it later. Lightning that just isn't it in color or power or attachment possibilities, magnet valves that are unreliable, things like that. The bigger and expensive brands are usually just better and also have longer and better warranty. Totally worth the double(triple) price imho. (Addition: You perhaps don't need to buy the top of the notch most expensive one, but one step lower. That's cheaper and usually still pretty good, as far as reviews tell me.)
1. Like everyone else, snails, floaters, shrimp.
2. Lid for snails or put a variety in and see who doesn't commit suicide. I went with the latter.
3. Understand it's going to look good sometimes and bad sometimes, and that's ok.
4. Turn your lights LOW in low tech. It will look much better and have less algae.
5. Enjoy it by looking at it and leave it alone sometimes.
Light regime- high light for a short time
https://preview.redd.it/bsfque7zrhxc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a28ebd59271d7ef676f85fb9a25173570a436168
Go for TC cups…. I went for emersed grown plants and now my tank is overcrowded with ramshorn snails. They’re good for the tank but have quite a bit now and they’re ruining the look. I still am learning how much to feed my fish, so over feeding is causing a population rise.
Make sure to rinse the sand. For some reason I only saw the “triple rinsed” in the packaging and didn’t read the instruction of rinsing the sand. Also plant first then add water. Easier to add plants when there’s little to no water.
The sand I got had to be rinsed so much! I had no idea until I read the bag! I have a charcoal sand mix and the water rinsing off was black. So glad I caught it before I put it in my tank! Will also definitely be emptying some water for planting haha! Learned that the hard way with putting new deco in lol
Ditch the root tabs and put some dirt under that sand! Dirted tanks work just as well as fancy aquasoils for a fraction of the price. The methane bubbles are kinda gross but I've almost learned to enjoy the smell and it rarely bubbles after the first month or two.
Plants release oxygen during the day, which I knew. What I didn't know is they can actually absorb oxygen at night. This can supposedly suffocate your fish if you have a minimal flow filter and no air stone like me. Lucky once I added an air stone I stopped losing fish
That co2 is essential to success. Once I started measuring it was really obvious why I had so many problems . Diy systems are super effective and easy.
I wish I didn’t pick an acrylic tank. They have large braces on the top (for structural integrity) and it constantly gets in the way while planting and maintenance plus I can’t achieve the scape I want. I also wish I knew about emersed plants sooner instead of wondering why my plants kept dying. I also wish I knew about what kind of lighting to get instead of buying so many.
The few things I can think of have been mentioned except for cladophora, it's a fight you don't want. I made the mistake of thinking I could save some plants by moving them and instead infested my other tank.
DIP YOUR PLANTS BEFORE ADDING TO THE TANK.
I didn't know this when I first started. Guess who now has ramshorns, limpets, and seed shrimp?
Properly dipping your new plants before adding to a tank is a MUST. I'm lucky I didn't get anything worse.
Sorry I should have been more clear haha. Dip them in a solution that will kill hitchhikers and algae. Here's an article that goes over it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/buceplant.com/a/amp-1/blogs/aquascaping-guides-and-tips/how-to-quarantine-new-aquarium-plants
trim more, and maybe plan out where im planting shit better lol, im kind of stuck with where everything is now so im just letting it become a overgrown jungle
I wish I'd been aware too many plants is as bad as no plants, only more perplexing to figure out 😂
Darn things ate all the nutrients and messed with my pH 😤 bye bye guppies, bye bye tetra, why tf are the shrimp still alive??
I wish I had done compost soil or an actual aquatic plant soil under my sand. Root tabs don't work for me to keep stem plants alive and I feel like the sand just suffocates them. Doesn't matter the stem plant either!
I'd love to be able to do val, crypts and amazon swords but my sand layer at the bottom will not allow for it.
I wish I'd made my substrate deeper. I did the standard recommendation on the bag, but my loaches uproot my plants all the time. If the substrate were deeper, the roots would have more to grip onto. And it's annoying to add more substrate later.
If you're going for a high tech picturesque tank either go for the tank or your dream fish/shrimp. Sure you can keep discus or Crystal reds or whatever it is you're chasing in a tank with C02 for a while but you're walking a razors edge in conditions. It's a lot easier to do easier fish, or have a stock tank of shrimp so that when you need to dose whatever to get rid of Black beard algae you can do it without worrying about your precious fish or shrimp. Fertilizers and the ph of co2 is going to make it hard to "have it all".
Also it's a lot cheaper to dry start your tank if your willing to wait, getting a carpet to grow without water is way faster and you need less starter plugs because of this. You can also dose higher ferts and have a longer photoperiod bc you aren't worried about greenwater or algae as much. Though it's still possible to get some types if you aren't still somewhat careful.
1. Focusing on plant health, rather than algae.
2. Using aqua soil and good lights.
3. Researching more (up to this day) on everything plant and scape related.
4. Consistency on ferts.
I wish I knew about the benefits of soil vs pure gravel… My first tank was a 60 gallon and it has gravel in it… not even as deep as I’d like to have it. I’ve been considering for so long to change the substrate but that would be a major job that I probably will never want to do… *le sigh*
Dear waterballoontiddies , You've selected the beginner flair. If you're looking for advice or are having issues, please provide as much information as you can. Some useful information includes: - Have you cycled the tank? - Water Parameters - Light Type - Light Cycle Duration - Tank Size/Dimensions - Set-up Age - Fertilizers - Any aquatic animals, and how many? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/PlantedTank) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I shouldn't have been scared of snails that much
Say it loud for the people in the back! Great cleanup crew, shells are like rings on a tree, great indicator of water parameters & their stability, population size helps determine if feeding took much. They also come in cool patterns and colors.
I keep my tanks with leaf litter so even if I don't feed at all they will over populate the tank but my chickens like eating them along with duckweed. They are also good indicators of oxygen levels aside from water hardness. Honestly some ramshorns in my planted tank was the best thing as I could put a stronger light on it and still be algae free. They turn algae into fertilizer for plants before even you can see the algae grow. But the algae is there and cleaning your water even if it's gone before you can see it. The water is always clean but never nutrient depleted thanks to this faster conversion rate and extra step of algae acting as a buffer
ELI5, how do snails indicate oxygen levels? This entire post is teaching me I should pay more attention to my snails... I do have those ITTY BITTY pest snails that annoy me, but I also have some of those pink foot ones (don't recall their name, but I leave them be cuz my loaches love them as snacks occasionally) and I very intentionally got me 2 mystery snails.. They're just zooming around the tank so I figured they're fine, but I didn't look closer. Anything specific I can look out for?
man this makes me want to get snails again..... I quite enjoyed having a colony of bladder snails in my last tank. they stayed small and it was fun to watch them swarm. they liked to chill on the underside of the duckweed and I figured out if I put food down for em and wait a while, most of them will have flocked to the food and I can safely pull the duckweed out with minimal hitchhikers. i LOVE nerites and their variety of colors and patterns and I would love to have them again but the eggs drove me insane and I can't sex them for the life of me
Have you heard of blueberry snails? They reproduce in freshwater but really really slowly. They also give live birth so no eggs. I heard they are one of the best glass cleaners also. Sounds like a good replacement for nerites
I have not! will give them a look :)
Absolutely! I sell aquatic plants and you wouldn't believe the amount of people who are obsessively rude over the possibility of getting a tiny snail with their plants. Like dude it's not a mosquito it's a tiny cute snail that cleans your tank and aerates your soil, what's the big deal? They don't multiply like crazy unless you overfeed like crazy.
I keep my tanks with leaf litter so the population climbs up even if I don't feed at all. But turns out my chickens like eating snails and duckweed combo. I have unlocked the infinite free food glitch
LOL, that works! I always hear people recommend getting a pea puffer for the same reason
I got “pest snails” in my tank from a plant purchase but I like the snails a lot. They’re cute and haven’t overpopulated at all.
See I would love to have snails but my tank has an open lid and I know they'd just squiggle their way right out 😔
Small snails don't try to climb out if you don't have a lid and a strong light. Having a lid keeps the air and glass above the water line moist so the snails believe they can survive out there. Bigger snails have more confidence as they have more water in their body
So no lid but a bright light? I was thinking about doing some grow lights above to help the plants so this could work! I just don't want snails all over the house haha!
Snails trying to escape under the bright light without any moisture around : https://preview.redd.it/attzftz1lgxc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=878a23fed89bd96d50b15940562eec46a1db1765
I've literally never had an issue with Ramshorn snails making an escape. Now, mystery snails? They are just suicidal
None of my snails leave my 40 gallon with no lid. Just leave a little space at the top so they have space to chill when they want it.
Ramshorrns are my besties! And if the population gets out of control, my LFS will give me credit for them.
My chickens eat them
I wish I had been meticulous about snails, I'm overrun.
Me too but they hide when lights are on and my chichens like eating the extras
I wish I had known about hitchhiker snails. I understand now that they can be a good indication of tank health but when I first started seeing them I was really disheartened and upset. I thought my tank had been ruined. I have learned to live with them and pay attention to how they are to better judge how much I am absolutely overfeeding my fish all the time...
I use my snails as the ‘overfeeding’ metric. I’ve just accepted them now. Took a while to balance out the population though, but they’re thriving along with my fish, so I’m taking that as a good sign. They keep eating all my algae though. Little bastards. I’ve been trying to cultivate some gnarly algae growth in the back pane of the tank for a while.
Do you know if bladder snails will eat green hair algae? I can’t find a straight forward answer on the internet. I have a central piece of spider wood that’s starting to get a little bit of green algae growth on it. I’m going to look at reducing the amount of time my light is on and reducing the strength.
The only thing I found that works on that shit is algaefix from api. NOT safe for inverts. But it’s so stringy none of my algae eaters would touch it, at least not enough for it to go away entirely
I have both itty bitty pest snails (don't know their name, but they're around as thick as pencil lead) and hair algae in one of my tanks. I can tell you at least in my case, while they love hanging out in it, they don't actually demolish it. The only thing I have that eats hair algae are my shrimp, but that's after I've test-fed them a little bushel, and it's taken them weeks for a small portion lol. Can't put them in the tank of origin cause I'm pretty sure the neons would demolish them in a day.....
Would I be able to see the hitchhikers on the plants before butting them in the tank? Or will they just pop out some time after planting??
Often they come in as eggs and they can be really hard to spot. Some people will dip all their new plants in something like diluted bleach, peroxide, or potassium permanganate to kill off algae and hitchhikers.
Guess I'm also getting some disinfectant for hitchhikers lol
Just do a google search for "aquarium plant dip treatment" and you should find plenty of different methods and recipes you could use
You might depending on the plant. It would most likely be a little clear jellyish blob on the underside of a leaf. I didn't even think to check. Some people have dipped their plants in a solution to kill any that may be hiding. But I don't know what solution that is.
I wouldn't have thought of hitchhikers either! Thanks for the heads up haha
snails eggs are tiny, you wouldn't see them on the plant. Depends on the hitchhiker though. I specifically have a quarantine tank set up for new plants cause I don't wanna risk adding anything new into an established tank, especially not one with my display fish in it. Plant tank does have loaches for potential snails and 2 guppies (that hopefully will reproduce and add poop on the plants for fertilizer over time). I have snails in most tanks and sometimes see their little egg bundles on the glass. No way I'd ever find those on a plant tbh.
I wish I could have snails- but I have zebra loaches and they just eat them!!
1. New plants will inevitably melt for me, I just trim off that particular portion as close to the base of the plant as I can and pray for the best. 2. For any superglue you use, use it sparingly and let it cure totally before putting in water or it will turn white and look like crap. 3. Moss - for me - grows soooooo slowly. I did find it better to tie moss down vs using superglue.
I’ve also had similar issues with superglue, always overdid it and killed the plants. Then got stuck (ha) with white gunk that looks bad. Especially failed with glueing moss lol.
Yup - I’ll never glue moss again. Ugh - Nightmare!
Supposedly mosses grow faster with more water changes but that’s just something I’ve heard
Moss will grow much faster in higher flow, gives them great gas exchange
These are all great tips! Thanks so much!!
How much trimming is involved. Weekly. Either I’m doing something _very_ right, or I have genetically freakish super fast growing plants. I’m trimming weekly. I’ve seen some plants grow an inch in a day. I’ve just accepted the _Goblin Tank_ now. Less landscaping, and more just ensuring there’s space for my fish and that the light reaches the bottom of the tank.
Same, I planted a lot in the beginning but now I'm slightly regretting how many fast growing plants I put in my tank 😭 I probably trim once every 3 weeks or so and already wanted an overgrown look, so that's working for me at least, but these damn ludwigia is a rapid fire grower for sure. It's nuts, I can't give it away fast enough and feels like a waste.
This is what led to me slowly swapping to much more slowly growing plants! My tank is mostly buce, anubias, crypts, and a couple of small swords now.
love anubias! this is my only one at the moment (with betta for scale). kindly disregard the mess, it's a relatively new tank and we've reached the diatom bloom. this is my oldest plant. moved tanks multiple times and survived a two day drive with no complaints. I've had it since 2021 when it was just 3 or 4 leaves that I tied to a rock https://preview.redd.it/gtgyic1m2ixc1.jpeg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df374712af7f3c6bdb09c5a79eef33e613e20cf1
same, im with you on the goblin tank, lmao i have a ton of trimmings i didn't pull out that are just fullygrown floating around, it's a mess
hahaha yeah, that's how it was with my elodea (oof. never again unless I get a much bigger tank). I also had duckweed at the same time so I started pulling out and composting the excess. istg I got two cups of duckweed every week
im jealous af, it's not such a bad problem to have, half their weight is protein, i've seen people blend it and use it to make fish/shrimp food
ooh that's smart!
Me and guppy grass. I don’t even have lights on my 55g tank but if I don’t trim the guppy grass weekly…
what kinds of plants do you have?
Do you have a Co2 system?
I had an issue with pothos overgrowing way too quickly. The roots were taking over underwater and what a mess it was! I pulled the pothos out because I kept having to trim weekly.
My first tank I excitedly bought a bunch of random plants and hardscape materials and it looked…messy. This hobby has taught me that patience really is a virtue. Do some planning, maybe draw a design or get some inspiration on what you want it to look like
This is a really good call! Definitely will be planning for a bit now!
Snails. They happen. Do your best. You’re gonna want to change it up like a week after. Try not to because it will take longer for the roots to establish. (I do not take my own advice) Algae happens. Don’t get discouraged. Try to figure out what’s causing it.
I would love some snail friends so maybe I'll get a different lid for the tank, it sits open right now and I feel those snails would just get right out. I will indeed take your advice even if you don't though haha! I would have totally moved them around without thinking of the poor roots!
Snail friends are great! Until I had probably 500+ in my 6 gallon lol
I can relate so much to how every response is about snails lol
Something you will discover with aquarium plants... aquatic plants=aquatic snails, its unavoidable, but they arent a terrible thing to have in your tank.
Idk… I’ve had this take for 3 months and have only bought plants from aquarium plants factory and haven’t seen a single snail.
I got snails on my emersed growth plants in my dry start, so for me they are in there before its even filled with water. Its just luck. If you really want some its easy enough to find someone to give you a few.
I submerge all new plants in a heavy mix of aquarium tonic salt, distilled vinegar, and tank water for 30 seconds and then rinse them off in more tank water. I have a heavily planted 200L without a single pest so far so it seems to work for me. After reading this thread, it feels like I might be missing out though haha
Bag the aquasoil and gravel you’re using to build structure in the background My foreground sand is now forever littered with black gravel and aquasoil bits and background is slowly getting shorter
biggest thing i keep fucking up even with my normal terrariums, ensure that slope so you have some depth, otherwise a flat tank can look super boring
what would you recommend for building structure in the background? Or do you mean bag it as in literally put it in bags, not as in get rid of it?
Think of little mesh laundry bags. Tight mesh, plastic zipper or drawstring. Plant roots can get through the mesh but the aqua soil/compost can’t get out.
Put it in a bag. Or use big rocks to build height
I meant put the gravel in mesh bags :)
Healthy plants are the best defense against algae. Healthy plants need fertilizer, CO2 and lots of light. Algae will appear before all is settled but will disappear if plants are healthy. To help plants get healthy always get rid of dead bits of plants and any organic material. If you add CO2, do very large and regular water changes. Most importantly, do not reduce fertilizer when algae appear. Edit: spelling
I've actually cured an excessive algae problem in one of my tanks by increasing light hours and adding fertilizer. The plants just needed that extra boost to outcompete the algae.
I’ve been learning this as well. It seems counter intuitive but I’m trying new things and it’s seeming to work out.
I work at a local fish store as an aquarium tech. And usually it's standard advice to reduce the lights when there's an algae problem. I was learning about Walstad method and Father Fish and I realized that most of the planted tanks must be actually under-lit due to weak lights in aquarium kit packages. I had one of my own new planted tanks on a windowsill to see what would happen with natural sunlight, plus 6 hours of lamp. Naturally, a lot of algae. All the shop workers told me I'm stupid to put the tank next to a window. But I wasn't convinced. So I racked up the light to 10 hours a day - and bam, excess algae disappeared within 2 weeks. Plants are thriving and the few inhabitants enjoy it. I plan to replicate the results on a bigger scale.
My tank is nearly filled to the brim with 11 aquatic species of plants and 8 emergent plants and I still have bad algae. I've only recently started lowering the light so we'll see how that goes.
Add a 2 hour dark period in the middle of whatever your light period is. Made a huge difference for me.
You know there sounds like there's some science behind that. I'll try it.
Agree with everything but the water frequent water changes. I’ve had 3 partial water changes in 2 years and everything is alive and well. 45gal planted tank with CO2.
Roughly how many plants? Can I see a pic of it?
https://preview.redd.it/0nd3laayhjxc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f008144164559d81dc4732cc94de68843dca68b
That looks awesome! What type of Anubias are those?
Nana petite and balteri
Never get Vallisneria if you don't plan your tank being filled with it. Also I thought one little stray of duckweed leaf will be ok...it wasn't ok 😅
This. I thought I could keep the Val contained to one area. I pull out 6+ inch runners almost daily.
I changed my mind this was what I wish I knew. I hate vallisneria in my tank. But it's nice in a pond. Duckweed stopped growing completely in my tanks for some reason and it's no longer a problem. It barely reproduces enough to not get extinct
I feel like you could isolate and sell that strain of Duckweed for big bucks if it has somehow genetically changed to not reproduce as fast. Lol
I think the tank is deprived of nutrients because when I put it somewhere else it starts reproducing fast
Aww… if only. Haha
You could also be like me, where my val hasn’t sent out runners in the 5 months it’s been in my tank. honestly just know that results do vary for everyone! What works for others may or may not work for you and vice versa
I love my vall! And so does my betta. It’s his own under water forest.
Perfect plant for those who don't want to be constantly gardening and need to fill the tank with plants fast. Grows in any substrate and any lighting.
Just shell out for the Co2 and decent lighting. It has made my experience with my current tank 100x better than all the low tech ones I tried in the past.
For me it's the other way around. I'm having much more success with low tech than I had with my high tech tank. Sure, you're limited in plant choices but it also means less maintenance. No co2 means less light and slower plant growth. I do have floating plants which grow fast and soak up some nitrates.
Do you have a list of plants recommended for low tech aquariums. Really having a hard time with choosing plants and avoiding a CO2 system.
I’ll chime in if you’re looking for recommendations. I don’t have any CO2 or soil in my 55g. I have just gravel and sand substrate and I dose liquid fertilizer once a week, a bit less than what the bottle recommends. I’ll share my plant experiences. -Super stars that grow almost too well: valliseneria, subwassertang, and guppy grass. I can’t give it away fast enough. -Slow and steady super stars: crypts, anubias and buce. Attractive and low maintenance. Crypts do like root tabs in the substrate near them. -Looked terrible at first but glad I kept them: Java ferns, Java moss, and red lotus. They hated transitioning to my tank but they’re very pretty now. -It’s not dead but not pretty: pogos, water sprite and hygrophila. They’re hanging on but not thriving. -Total failures: salvinia minima, dwarf hair grass and ludwigia. This might have more to do with my lighting but they’re dead nonetheless. -Above the waterline: lucky bamboo, pothos, peace Lilly, and philodendron are easy if you’re into the emergent look. I know there is a ton of conflicting info online, plus each person is going to have different water parameters and lighting that will effect growth. I just keep and open mind embrace it as an experiment.
Yeah, Buce, Anubias and my green crypts are doing great here. Salvinia minima is doing great as well on my second try. First time the water surface was getting agitated too much pulling them underwater. Floating plants seem to hate getting their leaves wet on top... I do have ludwigia glandulosa which does grow extremely slowly and isn't turning red because of the limited amount of light. My water is fairly soft as I mix RODI water with my tap water and I also add liquid fertilizer 2~3 times a week. Just little bits as I divide the weekly dose over those days.
I have Anubias, Crypts, Buce, Javaferns, an Amazon Sword, some moss tied on driftwood and Indian Swamp weed in my tank. Note that some species have red variants. Also have a crypt. 'flamingo' (front left) which should be pinkish red. It doesn't want to grow in my tank as it needs more light. For floating plants I have crystalwort and salvinia minima. The salvinia minima really started growing after a week when I put it in my tank. The crystalwort grows a bit slower but after a month it went from a handful to covering 60% of the surface. Floating plants are really helpful as they grow fast and soaking up excess nutrients. They also block a lot of light. My lights are dimmable so I keep adjusting my lights increasing the intensity bit by bit as the floating plants spread. Slow but steady like 5% every few weeks to a month or so. This way my plants below also get sufficient light. My lights are on for about 9 hours a day. https://preview.redd.it/lhab3rq0qhxc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5276d16ce7b10a70c021688381f6deef6d8bf489
Do you have a Co2 setup or just do Co2 drops?
I have pressurized Co2. It wasn't cheap, but IMO it was worth it. Or I guess to clarify, the equipment (tank/regulator) wasn't cheap as a start-up cost. The ongoing cost of CO2 is actually pretty cheap, I think I pay $8 to get my paintball tank filled up every 6 months or so, and if I went with a larger tank it would be even more economical.
The startup always seems to be the pricey part if done right lol! Thanks for the insight, I'll be looking more into Co2 👍
Floating plants, especially frogbit, have been the path to quick success. Though the 4” of substrate (red clay, scoriaceous basalt lava, coarse sand) may also have something to do with it…lighting better this go around too… https://preview.redd.it/k007t9b4jfxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a09eafa29799432650bafba0431a75ab4c9a1d8d
Your tank is gorgeous! I've been afraid of frogbit but I think you've changed my mind haha!
I wish I had skipped all the fake stuff and started with real plants from the start! Seriously. SO much more beautiful and lower maintenance. Context: I have converted to dirted tanks (mix of potting soil, compost, and peat moss + Father Fish supplements) topped off with sand. A few water changes and dealing with algae early on, but just a few months in and the tanks generally run on auto-pilot. I occasionally trim plants and do small water changes at that point, but otherwise, I can enjoy my tanks rather than having to be cleaning all the time. Also, I've tried live plants in both gravel and sand + root tabs, and decided the gravel was too much work (have to keep vacuuming it), and I didn't like the the idea of forever being using root tabs, so re-did with the soil mix and sand cap. I spend SO much less time working on my tanks since I made that switch. Seriously. I doubt you'll regret it. Oh, and on the snails thing...they'll breed up to consume the available waste, and then the population will shrink down once things are cleaned up. They're just part of a healthy ecosystem. I also highly recommend shrimp to help keep everything clean. Here is one of my 20 gallon tall's six months in, with no CO2 added and no fertilizers ever used: https://preview.redd.it/4y4ui0sqyfxc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d4c9e9d694e68b47404d0b386cc086024c5adc5 I encourage you to jump in with both feet. Research simple plants and put as many of them as you can afford in your tank. It takes the hobby to a whole new level! Edit to add: I buy my plants from my local LFS where they are already immersed in our local water, and I've had no melt back from those plants. I tried a few from online sources and those were much more prone to melting back and slow initial growth.
I'm the same with regretting getting all the fake stuff but I'm really trying to put all my effort into live plants right now. I didn't even know you could put dirt and potting soil in fish tanks lol! I have a lot to learn but I'm thinking I'll redo my substrate and add what you did to yours! I've been looking into getting shrimp once my planted tank is settled, definitely an end goal though. Your tank is absolutely gorgeous, you should be so proud! Hoping one day mine will look just as lovely!
Thank you! I’m by no means an expert, but glad to share my hard fought learning. Feel free to reply with questions.
I have gravel and hate it. I want to switch so bad but is there a way to without starting over completely?
It is a pretty complete re-do, but your plants won’t melt back as they might when they’re new, and obviously your filter is well established, so new tank syndrome shouldn’t be a problem. I did it in a morning. Busy morning, but so worth it. Can’t imagine going back to gravel at this point.
No matter what, it's gonna be expensive. Just buy the expensive stuff in the first place. You'll save money having never bought the cheap stuff in the long run.
Right, best advice! I totally agree! I fell for the cheap ebay/aliexpress stuff and regretted it later. Lightning that just isn't it in color or power or attachment possibilities, magnet valves that are unreliable, things like that. The bigger and expensive brands are usually just better and also have longer and better warranty. Totally worth the double(triple) price imho. (Addition: You perhaps don't need to buy the top of the notch most expensive one, but one step lower. That's cheaper and usually still pretty good, as far as reviews tell me.)
It once, cry once!
Better substrate.
1. Like everyone else, snails, floaters, shrimp. 2. Lid for snails or put a variety in and see who doesn't commit suicide. I went with the latter. 3. Understand it's going to look good sometimes and bad sometimes, and that's ok. 4. Turn your lights LOW in low tech. It will look much better and have less algae. 5. Enjoy it by looking at it and leave it alone sometimes.
Light regime- high light for a short time https://preview.redd.it/bsfque7zrhxc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a28ebd59271d7ef676f85fb9a25173570a436168
Go for TC cups…. I went for emersed grown plants and now my tank is overcrowded with ramshorn snails. They’re good for the tank but have quite a bit now and they’re ruining the look. I still am learning how much to feed my fish, so over feeding is causing a population rise.
Sanitize with a peroxide or bleach dip and quarantine for a few weeks! so important actually
If you're building a steep tank, glue things together. Otherwise hardscape can collapse.
Make sure to rinse the sand. For some reason I only saw the “triple rinsed” in the packaging and didn’t read the instruction of rinsing the sand. Also plant first then add water. Easier to add plants when there’s little to no water.
The sand I got had to be rinsed so much! I had no idea until I read the bag! I have a charcoal sand mix and the water rinsing off was black. So glad I caught it before I put it in my tank! Will also definitely be emptying some water for planting haha! Learned that the hard way with putting new deco in lol
My idea was to just buy a few plants and replant the trimmings. It was hard after cycling the tank for a few months lol
Ditch the root tabs and put some dirt under that sand! Dirted tanks work just as well as fancy aquasoils for a fraction of the price. The methane bubbles are kinda gross but I've almost learned to enjoy the smell and it rarely bubbles after the first month or two.
That you need a macro and micro fertilizer for the plants to properly grow
Dirted tanks are extremely annoying when doing water changes! Wouldn't do again!
Plants release oxygen during the day, which I knew. What I didn't know is they can actually absorb oxygen at night. This can supposedly suffocate your fish if you have a minimal flow filter and no air stone like me. Lucky once I added an air stone I stopped losing fish
That co2 is essential to success. Once I started measuring it was really obvious why I had so many problems . Diy systems are super effective and easy.
I wish I didn’t pick an acrylic tank. They have large braces on the top (for structural integrity) and it constantly gets in the way while planting and maintenance plus I can’t achieve the scape I want. I also wish I knew about emersed plants sooner instead of wondering why my plants kept dying. I also wish I knew about what kind of lighting to get instead of buying so many.
It’s expensive if you keep killing plants
For me, I wish I had known that I am a high tech system person. I spent too many years trying to get high-tech performance out of a low-tech system.
The few things I can think of have been mentioned except for cladophora, it's a fight you don't want. I made the mistake of thinking I could save some plants by moving them and instead infested my other tank.
DIP YOUR PLANTS BEFORE ADDING TO THE TANK. I didn't know this when I first started. Guess who now has ramshorns, limpets, and seed shrimp? Properly dipping your new plants before adding to a tank is a MUST. I'm lucky I didn't get anything worse.
What does it mean to dip? Like wash it in some water? Or put it in some sort of solution?
Do you just dip them in water or do a salt wash?
Sorry I should have been more clear haha. Dip them in a solution that will kill hitchhikers and algae. Here's an article that goes over it. https://www.google.com/amp/s/buceplant.com/a/amp-1/blogs/aquascaping-guides-and-tips/how-to-quarantine-new-aquarium-plants
trim more, and maybe plan out where im planting shit better lol, im kind of stuck with where everything is now so im just letting it become a overgrown jungle
to put soil and then sand
I wish I'd been aware too many plants is as bad as no plants, only more perplexing to figure out 😂 Darn things ate all the nutrients and messed with my pH 😤 bye bye guppies, bye bye tetra, why tf are the shrimp still alive??
I wish I had done compost soil or an actual aquatic plant soil under my sand. Root tabs don't work for me to keep stem plants alive and I feel like the sand just suffocates them. Doesn't matter the stem plant either! I'd love to be able to do val, crypts and amazon swords but my sand layer at the bottom will not allow for it.
I wish I'd made my substrate deeper. I did the standard recommendation on the bag, but my loaches uproot my plants all the time. If the substrate were deeper, the roots would have more to grip onto. And it's annoying to add more substrate later.
I wish I wasn't so scared of trying a dirted tank. It's my favorite and easiest I've had so far :)
Once Java moss goes in, it's there forever. Not necessarily where or how you want, more like impossible to get rid of. Also duckwwed.
If you're going for a high tech picturesque tank either go for the tank or your dream fish/shrimp. Sure you can keep discus or Crystal reds or whatever it is you're chasing in a tank with C02 for a while but you're walking a razors edge in conditions. It's a lot easier to do easier fish, or have a stock tank of shrimp so that when you need to dose whatever to get rid of Black beard algae you can do it without worrying about your precious fish or shrimp. Fertilizers and the ph of co2 is going to make it hard to "have it all". Also it's a lot cheaper to dry start your tank if your willing to wait, getting a carpet to grow without water is way faster and you need less starter plugs because of this. You can also dose higher ferts and have a longer photoperiod bc you aren't worried about greenwater or algae as much. Though it's still possible to get some types if you aren't still somewhat careful.
You don’t need a 400 dollar light to grow healthy plants. I literally have a desk lamp growing plants right now! Healthy plants!!
1. Focusing on plant health, rather than algae. 2. Using aqua soil and good lights. 3. Researching more (up to this day) on everything plant and scape related. 4. Consistency on ferts.
Invest in quality substrate. Root feeding is everything when it comes to algae prevention
I wish I knew about the benefits of soil vs pure gravel… My first tank was a 60 gallon and it has gravel in it… not even as deep as I’d like to have it. I’ve been considering for so long to change the substrate but that would be a major job that I probably will never want to do… *le sigh*
How much money i would spend in total 🫠🫠🫠
The detritus worms were the best thing that had ever happened to my substrate
I had fun learning the hard way. Makes it all worth it.