[Akaizhar]

First off, I have a little water issue, I've recently noticed that i have little white specs floating around in my water, I already checked the tank, it doesn't have ick, but its making my water appear not crystal but not cloudy, just a little... murky would be the word. Any idea? Either what it is or how to fix it?

Second, I recently aquired some plants, about a week ago. (tank specs listed under this) and they dont seem to be doing all that well... ends of leaves are turning brown, no algae growing what so ever. Any idea what I should do?

Tank Specs: 20g, 65w 10000k coralife lighting, water temp 77, DIY CO2, flourite substrate, 15% water change every other day, dosing flourish fertilizer (just plain flourish) once every 3 days. Rena 55 HOB filter.

thanks in advance

 

[bgzbgz]

The cloudyness could be a bacteria bloom or green water, some carbon or a UV sterilizer should help.

For the plants considering you have fairly high light and co2 you are missing fertilizers . Regular flourish is for trace elements (the elements that plants only need a trace of). Now you need a scource of nitrogen phosphate and potassium aka macro elements.

 

[hooha]

another consideration is if they plants you acquired were submersed grown - is the brown leaves in the new growth as well? Is there new growth?

 

[Bert H]

I'd bet $ that your white specks are yeast in the tank from the diy. I had diy for a year, and dealt with it constantly. It will get better after a water change then come back within a couple of days. If you install a trap on line for the diy, it will help it a lot. I did that on mine but it still didn't cure it completely. Another reason I love pressurized.

 

[Akaizhar]

I haven't seen any actual new growth, and i plan on amazoning some ferts.

also, whats a trap line?

 

[Bert H]

also, whats a trap line?

Check out here - it's what they call the 'gas separator'.

 

[MatPat]

A "trap line" would be another container, of appropriate size, that your DIY CO2 flows into. This can be a smaller bottle or container and the CO2 and any particulates go into this container and only the CO2 gas can escape. A picture would explain this much better but I don't have one

I would agree with the comment that you are under fertilizing. You have a good amount of light and you are using CO2 but you are adding very little Flourish. If you only have Flourish, try adding the recommended amount on the bottle every day especially since you are changing some water every other day. Seachem's recommendations for dosing Flourish are for lower light, non-CO2 tanks. When you have higher light and CO2 you will need to add more than recommended.

 

[Akaizhar]

Well, i went out today and for Flourish Nitrogen, Excel, Potassium, and Phosphorus, and dosed them all the reccomended amount.

Hopefully my plants start looking up. Any idea when that will be?

 

[Akaizhar]

Also, when do I do water changes and how much? Lately i've been doing 15% every other day.

 

[hoppycalif]

I believe the Flourish recommended dosages are for a low light tank, so they are very lean for a high light tank, which you have. Following that schedule shouldn't require much of any water changes. If you changed 50% of the water every other week you should be fine.

Better, in my opinion, would be to dose at twice the Flourish recommendations and change 50% of the water once a week. Be careful with dosing Excel at twice the recommended dosage. If you have shrimp or a some of a few sensitive plants that much may be a problem. Better to stick to the bottle recommended dosages for Excel.