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Hello. I noticed deficiencies in my tank and would like help on determining the issue.
I have a 125 gallon tank with a finnex stringray, fluval fx4 and fluval 407. It has a layer of amazonia on the bottom, and a top layer of stratum and seachem Flourite.
C02 is injected through the 407 via a inline diffuser. PH is checked through a milwakie ph controller. degassed is about 7.8/8. Lights come on and ph is 6.6/6.5. I usually suspect co2 as the culprit but If I add anymore, the fish get stressed. I have flow in a circular pattern where the fx4 agitates the surface and pushes top water to the right. The righthand side has a skimmer and the 407 which injects the co2 near the bottom. The 407s nozzle is pointed to the left.
Lights are on for 12 hours 11-11. (now 6 hours with a two bulb t5 fixture)
I do about a 70% water change once a week.
My GH and KH before I augmented dosing was GH5 and KH5. This appeared to be all CA (35.5 ppm CA). I've since added 9ppm of MG per week to get a 1:4 ratio because I noticed chlorosis in the leaves. Chlorosis has since resolved.
I've increased dosing to EI levels to try and get these leaves to straighten out. EI levels have been dosed for a few weeks and new growth is still having issues.
Current Dosing 3x per week after water change:
KNO3 - 7.5ppm
KH2P04 = 1.3ppm
K2S04 = 2.5ppm (total is about 8ppm)
Mg = 9ppm
Micros from CSM+B = .2 iron edta
dtpa iron 11% @ .2
flourish iron (Ferrous Gluconate) @ .02
Deficiency Symptoms:
Ludwigia (exhibits twisted leaves as it gets closer to the light. Will stunt completely. Stems start to detach)
Anubias (Didnt notice any since I've added mg but once I raised to EI levels, it looks like new leaves have the cutout or pieces missing sometimes)
staurogyne repens (leaves are nonexistent. When they do form, they look like they've been clipped and have pieces missing)
Hygrophilia (Pieces missing)
mosses (just dont grow)
Java fern (No real deficiencies)
Crypts (No real deficiencies. Some seem to have wavy leaves)
I do have some form of siamese algae eater and two ottos but I dont believe they are eating things as the starogyne on the left side has fully formed new leaves where as the right side exhibits the deformity.
I would think the staryogyne would have enough nutrients through the roots with the amazonia/stratum/flourite?
This looks like 'toxicity' to me but I believe some have proved that is not a thing.
Entire Imgur album showing the deficiencies:
I've since changed the photo period to 8 hours for about a week and things continued. I now have a two bulb t5 fixture with a daylight and red bulb and am still having issues at 6 hours of light. Deficiencies have increased in the ludwigia. S. repens seem to be sprouting some tiny leaves but they are deformed.
Any help is appreciated!
I have a 125 gallon tank with a finnex stringray, fluval fx4 and fluval 407. It has a layer of amazonia on the bottom, and a top layer of stratum and seachem Flourite.
C02 is injected through the 407 via a inline diffuser. PH is checked through a milwakie ph controller. degassed is about 7.8/8. Lights come on and ph is 6.6/6.5. I usually suspect co2 as the culprit but If I add anymore, the fish get stressed. I have flow in a circular pattern where the fx4 agitates the surface and pushes top water to the right. The righthand side has a skimmer and the 407 which injects the co2 near the bottom. The 407s nozzle is pointed to the left.
Lights are on for 12 hours 11-11. (now 6 hours with a two bulb t5 fixture)
I do about a 70% water change once a week.
My GH and KH before I augmented dosing was GH5 and KH5. This appeared to be all CA (35.5 ppm CA). I've since added 9ppm of MG per week to get a 1:4 ratio because I noticed chlorosis in the leaves. Chlorosis has since resolved.
I've increased dosing to EI levels to try and get these leaves to straighten out. EI levels have been dosed for a few weeks and new growth is still having issues.
Current Dosing 3x per week after water change:
KNO3 - 7.5ppm
KH2P04 = 1.3ppm
K2S04 = 2.5ppm (total is about 8ppm)
Mg = 9ppm
Micros from CSM+B = .2 iron edta
dtpa iron 11% @ .2
flourish iron (Ferrous Gluconate) @ .02
Deficiency Symptoms:
Ludwigia (exhibits twisted leaves as it gets closer to the light. Will stunt completely. Stems start to detach)
Anubias (Didnt notice any since I've added mg but once I raised to EI levels, it looks like new leaves have the cutout or pieces missing sometimes)
staurogyne repens (leaves are nonexistent. When they do form, they look like they've been clipped and have pieces missing)
Hygrophilia (Pieces missing)
mosses (just dont grow)
Java fern (No real deficiencies)
Crypts (No real deficiencies. Some seem to have wavy leaves)
I do have some form of siamese algae eater and two ottos but I dont believe they are eating things as the starogyne on the left side has fully formed new leaves where as the right side exhibits the deformity.
I would think the staryogyne would have enough nutrients through the roots with the amazonia/stratum/flourite?
This looks like 'toxicity' to me but I believe some have proved that is not a thing.
Entire Imgur album showing the deficiencies:
I've since changed the photo period to 8 hours for about a week and things continued. I now have a two bulb t5 fixture with a daylight and red bulb and am still having issues at 6 hours of light. Deficiencies have increased in the ludwigia. S. repens seem to be sprouting some tiny leaves but they are deformed.
Any help is appreciated!
25 Replies
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4968 views
Hi guys,
I'm planning to do a switch, but I would like to know if it makes sense before buying anything.
My actual tank is a 110x50x60h, this is my first bigger tank and it's the tank where I started to truly love this hobby.
This tanks gave me joy, anxiety and satisfaction.
I bought it for relatively cheap (around 130€), but know I was thinking to buy a standard 120p.
I plan to reuse my old tropica aquasoil (I'll remove the First 1-2cm and topping It with apt feast).
What do you think? It's a waste of time/money or you'll think that is a change that make sense?
I always felt strange about this tanks proportion.
I plan to do it with 3 buckets (fish, plants and soil). The water is fully ro.
Any suggestions for doing it? Is worth it? Or it's just late and I'm overthinking?
I'm planning to do a switch, but I would like to know if it makes sense before buying anything.
My actual tank is a 110x50x60h, this is my first bigger tank and it's the tank where I started to truly love this hobby.
This tanks gave me joy, anxiety and satisfaction.
I bought it for relatively cheap (around 130€), but know I was thinking to buy a standard 120p.
I plan to reuse my old tropica aquasoil (I'll remove the First 1-2cm and topping It with apt feast).
What do you think? It's a waste of time/money or you'll think that is a change that make sense?
I always felt strange about this tanks proportion.
I plan to do it with 3 buckets (fish, plants and soil). The water is fully ro.
Any suggestions for doing it? Is worth it? Or it's just late and I'm overthinking?
1 Replies
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6 views
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Article Contributor
I've really been digging pearlweed in my low tech tank, and thinking of growing a shaped pearlweed bush in my high tech experiment tank.
But I came across this listing for a white/platinum variety of pearlweed. Can't find any info on it anywhere. So I ordered 5 stems, the most expensive pearlweed stems on earth!
Think it'll actually survive/be platinum or light colored?
We really need some lighter colored plants in this hobby. Myrio 'Golden' is one I've successfully used, but it grows too crazy and the trimmings drove me nuts so I ditched it. What other white/platinum plants are there?
14 Replies
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875 views
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I Donated 2026
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With all the talk on Amazonia pro, I wanted to get some basic understanding of rich aquasoil.
- everyone seems to agree that the richer the aquasoil is, the more the amount of water changes you would have to do initially. Basically meaning that aquasoil leaches its contents into the water and you replace the water. Now….. doesn’t that just mean that you are throwing away what you paid for ? Even if one does a dark start, and minimize the number of water changes one still has to do a water change after the dark start and still end up wasting the nitrate/phosphate?
—— trying to ask then does that mean the only person who benefits from a super rich aquasoil is someone like an insta or YouTube person who wants a quick burst of growth with the initial leaching of nutrition. For everyone else wanting a stable long term system, a not so rich aquasoil which might help the plants a little bit in the beginning but being used more for long term stability and buffering capacity?
- do the plants actually get the boost initially from the root zone or is it more from the leaching that happens and ultimately from the WC? The later makes sense since their roots have not yet developed.
- if one has the whole substrate inside a container with water, wouldn’t water touch all aspects of the substrate regardless of it being capped or not ? How does capping a aquasoil actually help? Green aqua stated that ada recommends capping the Amazonia pro with Amazonia 2.
Curious on people’s thoughts on this.
- everyone seems to agree that the richer the aquasoil is, the more the amount of water changes you would have to do initially. Basically meaning that aquasoil leaches its contents into the water and you replace the water. Now….. doesn’t that just mean that you are throwing away what you paid for ? Even if one does a dark start, and minimize the number of water changes one still has to do a water change after the dark start and still end up wasting the nitrate/phosphate?
—— trying to ask then does that mean the only person who benefits from a super rich aquasoil is someone like an insta or YouTube person who wants a quick burst of growth with the initial leaching of nutrition. For everyone else wanting a stable long term system, a not so rich aquasoil which might help the plants a little bit in the beginning but being used more for long term stability and buffering capacity?
- do the plants actually get the boost initially from the root zone or is it more from the leaching that happens and ultimately from the WC? The later makes sense since their roots have not yet developed.
- if one has the whole substrate inside a container with water, wouldn’t water touch all aspects of the substrate regardless of it being capped or not ? How does capping a aquasoil actually help? Green aqua stated that ada recommends capping the Amazonia pro with Amazonia 2.
Curious on people’s thoughts on this.
5 Replies
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66 views
Journal Farmer D. Singh's journal
Ive reorganized the order of my tanks so I can better keep track of them ie. Tank 2 moss tank is now tank 3. This helps in any confusion I had when tracking tanks they are in a sort of order now. Rather than taking time editing my old journal id rather create a new thread. Pics will be current (for the most part) as they are posted. I am not aquascaping. I am just farming.
87 Replies
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5389 views
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Journal Kwyet’s 60G Hillstream Tank
Sometime in Nov 2024, I bought a 60G Aqueon tank at the 50% off sale. I already had a 75 gallon stand and tank, but I wanted a shorter tank so I could look in over the top. The 75 gallon was relegated to the garage in case I want it again, and I painted the stand black. I also put black vinyl on the back.
My goal was to make a hillstream environment, based on the long-running tank of Rachel O’Leary. I had looked at other options like the river manifolds, but I liked Rachel’s better. I set it up with an fx6 filter, a horizontal spray bar on the left side, and 2nd modified spray bar situated vertically behind a corner Matten filter on the back right side. Glass strips were attached with silicone to hold it. I cut the Matten filter horizontally a few inches from the tank floor so the top part could be easily removed for cleaning. I also cut a small vertical groove from the inside so it wouldn’t constrict the holes so much on the curve.
This was how it looked on Dec 20, 2024:
My goal was to make a hillstream environment, based on the long-running tank of Rachel O’Leary. I had looked at other options like the river manifolds, but I liked Rachel’s better. I set it up with an fx6 filter, a horizontal spray bar on the left side, and 2nd modified spray bar situated vertically behind a corner Matten filter on the back right side. Glass strips were attached with silicone to hold it. I cut the Matten filter horizontally a few inches from the tank floor so the top part could be easily removed for cleaning. I also cut a small vertical groove from the inside so it wouldn’t constrict the holes so much on the curve.
This was how it looked on Dec 20, 2024:
50 Replies
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6047 views
Hey all,
Just wondering what your thoughts or experiences are with running some form of moon or dusk lighting.
With my tank only running 8hrs of light per day, I have recently added a 2-3% setting on my Chihiros WRGB II from 18:00 - 21:00.
It's running quite a blue light and is just so that I can still get some enjoyment from my fish when I am at home in the evening.
Does anyone else do this in planted tanks? Do you think it will create algae issues?
Cheers
Chimera
Just wondering what your thoughts or experiences are with running some form of moon or dusk lighting.
With my tank only running 8hrs of light per day, I have recently added a 2-3% setting on my Chihiros WRGB II from 18:00 - 21:00.
It's running quite a blue light and is just so that I can still get some enjoyment from my fish when I am at home in the evening.
Does anyone else do this in planted tanks? Do you think it will create algae issues?
Cheers
Chimera
2 Replies
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Hello Welcome, c.guzman91
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @c.guzman91!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
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Staff member
I Donated 2026
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Hello Welcome, X-Aquatixs
Welcome to ScapeCrunch, @X-Aquatixs!
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
We would love to get to know you. Please tell us about yourself. What tank do you have?
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Hey guys, needing some expert insight on my 90P build regarding the Yugang reactor. I’d like a sanity check on sizing.
System
What I measured
View attachment y2.mp4
System
- Display: 90 × 45 cm outside, 10 mm glass, so ~88 × 43 cm inside (~3,780 cm²), rimless, lidless.
- Sump: 20-gallon long (76 × 30 cm, ~2,280 cm²), 3 chambers, loose lid.
- About 220 L total water.
- Return enters below the surface; no deliberate surface agitation.
- BeanAnimal overflow, with the main draining underwater (no cascade).
- Currently cycling on tap water: KH 13, GH 12. The plan is RO remineralised to KH 3–4.
- Horizontal Yugang, 3" Sch40 PVC (ID 77.9 mm), 46 cm long.
- Outlet rotated to near the limit of what my plumbing allows, so the pocket is much smaller than half-full.
- CO₂ flow meter at about 9 mL/min. That’s slightly over what it dissolves, so it gives small occasional burps.
What I measured
- Plateau: pH 6.80 at KH 13 ~ 60 ppm (pH/KH estimate). Degassed baseline pH at 8.2.
- Overnight decay after CO₂ off: k ≈ 0.12/h (half-life ~5.7 h). That implies a CO₂ exchange rate of ~4–7 cm/h, i.e. a calm surface.
- Working the 1/17.7 rule backwards from my reactor area (~180–358 cm² depending on rotation), my effective loss area is ~1,100–2,200 cm², against ~6,060 cm² of real water surface (display + sump).
View attachment y2.mp4
22 Replies
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428 views
Staff member
I Donated 2026
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Well, as this thread exists in a few places, I figured why not have it here also. Perhaps we can take up the baton and keep it active and bring some value to hobbyists.
For those of you that don't know, I got into thinking much more about my micros when I read this thread on another forum. It was started by our very own @GreggZ. It was spurred into existence because of our own @Burr740 and his work with micro fertilizers. Some really good discussion followed and a lot was learned.
I don't want to steal Gregg's thunder with this so I hope he posts his current thoughts on the subject and we can all take it from there.
All the best,
Art
For those of you that don't know, I got into thinking much more about my micros when I read this thread on another forum. It was started by our very own @GreggZ. It was spurred into existence because of our own @Burr740 and his work with micro fertilizers. Some really good discussion followed and a lot was learned.
I don't want to steal Gregg's thunder with this so I hope he posts his current thoughts on the subject and we can all take it from there.
All the best,
Art
100 Replies
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16788 views