I'll just start with my specs and go from there as far as my issues-
15 gallon tank
1 m/f pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides (x3 Red)
3 Red cherry shrimp (started with 12, my mistake, they don't mix with Apistos well, 9 became dinner)
Brazilian Pennywort, Java Moss, Fontanalis and Duckweed
Pool filter sand topped with about 4" of dried oak leaves and a large piece of driftwood
2 50w heaters running at 79-80f
1 Hydro-pro sponge filter (rated for 40g)
2 6" led light strips 7000k each, running for 9 hours a day (no algae in the 6 weeks it's been running)
33% water change weekly while adding a fresh gallon in between changes to replenish lost minerals/nutrients for the plants and replace the evaporated water (open top tank)
2ml of AquaVitro Propel Fe (iron additive) with weekly water change
Ammonia reads 0 and Nitrates at 2.5-5ppm
Issues I'm running into and I'm not sure are safe-
I've only ever run tanks with hob filters and I've always siphoned the bottoms intensely with every weekly water change. This tank being much different for me- my first Apistos, my first tank running sponge only filtration, my first planted tank, and the only time I've tried adding oak leaves as substrate. I'm finding it's near impossible to siphon the bottom with all the leaves, is it ok to not siphon up debris (leftover food, poop, fungus and detritus) as long as my water tests show the water is safe? The plants will absorb and use the nitrates and phosphates from poop and leftover food?
Also, the driftwood is growing a white fungus, which in turn spreads to some leaf substrate. I originally had a hob filter running while cycling the tank for 3 weeks and had very minimal fungus. I decided to take the hob filter off when adding the Apistos, as they prefer little to no current. Since then I've been scrubbing it off weekly. Now I cannot, as the Apisto pair has laid eggs on/in the driftwood near the surface (only allowing me to change 2 gallons at a time). Is the white fungus harmful to the fish in any way? It's getting onto the eggs, I assume that's bad. Is there some way I can remedy this without disturbing the eggs that haven't gotten the fungus growing on them now? Should I just scrap this (their first spawn) and pull the wood out and scrub it down assuming the eggs/spawn will be lost?
Should I go back to what I'm used to and add a hob filter or am I overreacting and everything will work? Again, the water tests show everything is fine, I'm mostly just not used to having all types of debris kicking up when adding fresh water. If having all that debris in there is ok, and going back to a hob filter is not the answer, I guess I should just start adding water back into the tank with a siphon, instead of pouring in a bunch at once from a bucket.
Any thoughts, insights or answers on this one is appreciated. I'm kinda outta my realm on this one and thought the research I did accounted for any problems I'd run into.
15 gallon tank
1 m/f pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides (x3 Red)
3 Red cherry shrimp (started with 12, my mistake, they don't mix with Apistos well, 9 became dinner)
Brazilian Pennywort, Java Moss, Fontanalis and Duckweed
Pool filter sand topped with about 4" of dried oak leaves and a large piece of driftwood
2 50w heaters running at 79-80f
1 Hydro-pro sponge filter (rated for 40g)
2 6" led light strips 7000k each, running for 9 hours a day (no algae in the 6 weeks it's been running)
33% water change weekly while adding a fresh gallon in between changes to replenish lost minerals/nutrients for the plants and replace the evaporated water (open top tank)
2ml of AquaVitro Propel Fe (iron additive) with weekly water change
Ammonia reads 0 and Nitrates at 2.5-5ppm
Issues I'm running into and I'm not sure are safe-
I've only ever run tanks with hob filters and I've always siphoned the bottoms intensely with every weekly water change. This tank being much different for me- my first Apistos, my first tank running sponge only filtration, my first planted tank, and the only time I've tried adding oak leaves as substrate. I'm finding it's near impossible to siphon the bottom with all the leaves, is it ok to not siphon up debris (leftover food, poop, fungus and detritus) as long as my water tests show the water is safe? The plants will absorb and use the nitrates and phosphates from poop and leftover food?
Also, the driftwood is growing a white fungus, which in turn spreads to some leaf substrate. I originally had a hob filter running while cycling the tank for 3 weeks and had very minimal fungus. I decided to take the hob filter off when adding the Apistos, as they prefer little to no current. Since then I've been scrubbing it off weekly. Now I cannot, as the Apisto pair has laid eggs on/in the driftwood near the surface (only allowing me to change 2 gallons at a time). Is the white fungus harmful to the fish in any way? It's getting onto the eggs, I assume that's bad. Is there some way I can remedy this without disturbing the eggs that haven't gotten the fungus growing on them now? Should I just scrap this (their first spawn) and pull the wood out and scrub it down assuming the eggs/spawn will be lost?
Should I go back to what I'm used to and add a hob filter or am I overreacting and everything will work? Again, the water tests show everything is fine, I'm mostly just not used to having all types of debris kicking up when adding fresh water. If having all that debris in there is ok, and going back to a hob filter is not the answer, I guess I should just start adding water back into the tank with a siphon, instead of pouring in a bunch at once from a bucket.
Any thoughts, insights or answers on this one is appreciated. I'm kinda outta my realm on this one and thought the research I did accounted for any problems I'd run into.
