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disaster !!!

DarrenMT10

Member
Joined
16 Jan 2020
Messages
33
Location
Nuneaton Midlands
ok so the tropica plants i ordered arrived today so great i thought all set to get my tank started so planted my plants etc filled tank added new media to my filter fitted the new aquarium heater etc all going great....
untill i primed the filter and started it working great at first ....
untill i noticed its leaking from one of the sides i think it must be a stress fracture or something in the caseing so now ive got a planted tank filled with water and no filter !!!!!
so due to this virus buisness ive been forced to order a replacement filter from the internet that may not turn up till thursday 16th
how long are my plants going to survive without the filter (have i just wasted the best part of 70 quid on plants )
also do i leave the heater running i cant see it doing much good as there is no water movement !!!
HELP ...
 
Hi Darren
Your probably best keeping them in the emersed state if possible?
Drain the aquarium...to a few inches and enclose the top of the aquarium with clingfilm.
This is to keep the moisture in!
hoggie
 
ok will do that right now thank matey usually id pop over to shirley aquatics and buy one straight away but due to this virus it way too far away to travel i phoned every pet supply shop for miles but none can supply me one before the 25th lucky Amazon saved the day and said they can get one to me thursday !!! maybe sooner fingers crossed ..
should i turn the heater off too
 
I would keep it on,as you have already planted the plants....if you have a air pump with a air stone that would help distributing the heat of the heater!
 
Lots of details missing

CO2?
Tank dimensions?
Plant species? - some will be happier with a “dry start” (but some will also demand virtually no standing water), others with water (depth to be determined - usually sans filter, a higher surface are to volume ratio is “better”)


Depending upon details, I’d choose
- Dry start
- 100% daily water change with cooler water (more dissolved gases), no heater, 5-6h light
 
I'd definitely go with one of @hogan53 suggestions: either keep them emersed and moisturized or (my preferred option) use air pump with couple of air stones moving the water plus very limited ferts, probably only potassium and lower amount of light for the time being.
 
As Darren has only just planted the Tropica plants....hopefully he will save most of them!
Basically its a mid transition to fully submersed...which might work out well.
Depends on the plants....needing a quick fix, that would save his plants!
I thought this would be his best course of action.
Some stems may lose their leaves, hopefully they can bounce back with some TLC!
Cheers
hoggie
 
thanks guys i have drained my Tank to a few inches above the plants left heater on and i found an old power head from another tank and have set that up to move the water around a bit.

ok tank is a fluval Roma 200ltr
i choose all easy plants from the tropica range as im going for a low tec set up no co2 etc
i have some tropica premium plant care but the instructions on the tropica app said not to use for the first couple of days as the plants came with their own food ? im guessing they mean the jelly stuff they were in.
as for the lighting i have 2 t8 tubes 30w one powerglo and one aquaglo i have it set on a time to turn them on for 6hrs a day for now as adviced in the tropica app should i stick to that or should i lessen the amount of time the lights are on ?

Thanks for your help peeps i hope that is enough details ?

darren
 
How bad is the leak on the filter? How much water is it losing?
a lot its leaking from two corners i also suspect the o ring is buggered too. enought that i needed to run upstairs and grab a Bath towel to soak it up as it was quite a large puddle i also made sure to grab the dogs bath towel so as not to to face the wraith of my wife lol tbh i thinkthe filter is fubar .. if i lose plants and have to buy more i guess thats what i will have to do..
lesson learned allways double check equipment when using old used stuff in future..
 
Hi all,
ooops forgot plant species
lilaeopsis brasiliensis
cryptocoryne wendii
nymphoides spec.taiwan
hydrophylla taiwan
thanks guys i have drained my Tank to a few inches above the plants left heater on and i found an old power head from another tank and have set that up to move the water around a bit.
I think you should be fine.

cheers Darrel
 
...some will be happier with a “dry start”...

For my benefit, can anyone explain what is meant by a 'dry start'? Does it simply mean that the plant roots are kept moist but the plant is not submerged in water?

Thanks.

JPC
 
Yes.....nearly all aquarium plants are grown hydroponically!
They are probably misted every so often...also.
That's why you must be vigilant when starting a new set - up, for leaf melt!
As those leaves that are melting or shedding....will foul the aquarium water.
Cryptocoryne are a classic example....although most plants do it eventually...when transforming to underwater life!
Cheers
hoggie
 
Hi all,
Does it simply mean that the plant roots are kept moist but the plant is not submerged in water?
Yes. Because the majority of aquarium plants are produced emersed, they can be <"rooted and will grow in a moist atmosphere">.

A <"lot of "aquarium" plants"> are a lot happier out of the water. There are some obligate aquatic plants that can't be dry started, Vallisneria, Blyxa & Cabomba spp. are ones that come to mind, but there will be others.

Java Fern technically can but needs very humid conditions.

cheers Darrel
 
Many thanks, @hogan53 and @dw1305 but, just to complete my school lesson for today, exactly what is an obligate aquatic plant?

JPC
“Obligate” simply means that something is required. So an obligate aquatic plant is one that must grow in water.

Occasionally you also see the word used in relation to animal diets. Cats, for example, are obligate carnivores - they must eat meat, because there are certain important substances that they can’t synthesise so they have to ingest it in meat. But dogs are not; they can make do without meat.
 
Yes!
The plants Darrel stated cannot be grown emersed!
Vallisneria, Blyxa & Cabomba spp. are ones that come to mind, but there will be others.
These are true aquatic plants therefore will not survive without being underwater!
hoggie
 
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