RE: [AGA Member] Planted Tank Setup Fish/Flourite

["Pedro Borges" <mrpcb@netcabo.pt>]

> My main questions are related to water clarity and fish load.  The
tank is not exactly clear when viewed through it lengthwise.  I put a
System One Diatom filter on it last night (kind of strong for a 32
gallon tank, wish you could dial it down somehow), and ran it for two
four hour cycles. Discard was a little brown but not too bad.  I would
say tank improved but is still not exactly clear when viewed through it
lengthwise.  I do kick up some fluorite dust as I thin the plants out
some, and figure the Cory's might be causing the water to never
completely clear as well.  I am wondering if I leave the plants alone if
the dust will settle down into the substrate, not just on top.  I have
no intention of pulling it all apart and washing it all again until
'clear'.  There are no heating cables to pull it down and no UGF.

I'd not worry about that at all by now, in a couple of weeks or so you
shall see no more of that, either by mechanical filtration on the EHEIM
and / or reduction / plant absorption. You are on to a common
(successful) start.

> Second question is to fish load.  I have 6 young SAE's, 7 or 8 Cory's,
1 old black neon, 1 old black skirt tetra, 6 young flag fish, and about
20 neon tetras.  I also have about 25 dime sized nerite snails, and
about a dozen Malaysian snails as well.  I still have the Whisper filter
on the tank, set on a timer that comes on when the lights and CO2 go
off.  Turned it off one night since the plants were bubbling profusely
at lights out, and fish were sucking air by morning with three neon and
three SAE fatalities.  I would like to potentially go down to the Eheim
2213, and remove the Whisper 30 completely, but fear doing so for the
sake of the fish.  Do I have too many, or do they just need time to
adjust to the reduced oxygen levels at night?

Your fish load seems adequate, if not even a little on the "safe" side.
It's the high CO2 concentration at lights out + fish & plant respiration
that bring the CO2 levels too high during the night, in paralell oxygen
levels shall drop at an equivalent rate. Keep the filter on at night, at
least until your aquarium has established. Then, in a month or two
carefully repeat the test of turning it off at night, but keep an eye on
fish behaviour before bed and first thing in the mornig. Since your
water isn't even clear yet, your fish are probably still suffering from
stress from multiple adaptation causes and not take the CO2 / O2 ratio
as well as they should.

Cheers,
Pedro Borges

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