Help refresh a tired planted tank!

So I've been out of the loop for a few years when it comes to planted tank tech and what not. I just heard of T5s lighting systems, and I'm still using a power compact!

Anyways, I've been neglecting my planted tank, and I want to restore it again. The first year it was lush jungle, and I remember having to take out grocery bags of plants to thin it out. Over time it just grew thinner and thinner, and now only the Cryptocoryne have survived through the years.

It's a 36G bowfront, took the glass top off, Current Orbit 30" PC light fixture with (2) 65W DualDaylight bulbs, lights on from 10a-9pm with both bulbs on together for about 4 hrs a day, EcoComplete for the substrate(2 bags worth, about 2" layer), Eheim professional filter, temperature about 80degrees.

I have never had much luck with dosing ferts or CO2, but have done the ferts for a while, and have done DIY CO2 for a while. I just don't keep up with the maintenance, and it's just not consistent CO2 output.

I've slowed down on the hobby because I've developed algae issues after my first year. I've always had the type of algae(green spot?) that develops on the glass, in spots and smears. They are also on the edges of the plant leaves as well, and would encrust the amazon swords' older leaves.

(long story) So now I'm wanting to revive it again, beat the algae issue, and get back into the hobby. Do I need to replace the substrate? Do PC bulbs need replacing? I'm starting with the basic things first before the pressurized CO2.

Thank in advance for all your suggestions!

I would keep the substrate for now. Eco is supposed to be pretty good. I just recently swapped out PFS for the Eco for Planted Aquariums so we'll see how good it does.

First thing I would change would definately be the PC light.

Once you do that, I would then move on to dry ferts. If you're not that accustomed to them, I would start with one of the pre-mix varieties (PMDD) to get the hang of it. You can stay with that actually or graduate on to EI dosing.

Then get your CO2 going.

The algae will be there till you add more plants. Skip the CO2, flourish excel is the lazy persons version, it is what I use
New bulbs will help for sure!

How long has that substrate been in there? You may need to add some new to refresh it.

The substrate has been there since day one, so about 3 years? I've noticed that it does break down to a fine silt as the larger pieces of eco complete aren't visible anymore and the the gravel cleaner sucks up a lot of the light/fine material, so I'm wondering if it compacts on the bottom, not good for roots? It may still be ok, since I've read some people use boiled topsoil and sand, which is much finer that what I have now. I probably need iron supplements.

Any ideas on what algae I may have? It's pretty tough stuff, I can't just scrub it off, I have to scrap it off the glass in several passes. It's green and schmeare/hazy looking, not spotty or hairy.

Oh and I did use Excel, that did help too!

Sounds like GSA to me. Check your phostphates.

Yes eco-complete will start to diminish after 18 months. I would do some root tabs about 1 every 6" to help revive the eco-complete. Bulbs need to be changed if they are over 12 months old. (they work but lose intensity. Also 130W in a 36 gal is quite a bit of light I would go more for 70 to 100 Watts. Green algae shows your tank has nutrients and light for plant growth. Once you balance your plants and lighting algae should stay in check. I agree with Excel.

You could pull some of the old eco-complete and add some fresh.

I use dirt and sand in my tanks.....

Yeah it was a bit over kill on lights. I have it to where each bulb is on for about 7-8 hours, with a 4 hour overlap midday.

One of the problems I kept having(when my plants were thriving) was that they always looked scraggly, stretching to the light. I never have had that full bushy look, just really long/stringy and the leaves were spread apart. In fact the plants I had lost their leaves on the bottom half, after being encrusted with a dark algae and being useless. I'm a believer in the light diminishing at depth notion, despite what some people may say against it. It's just physics, and I don't think enough light reaches the bottom.


I'm thinking about adding another bag, suck out some of the fine silty ecocomplete; starting to feel the substrate looks a little low...

Usually more nutrients fixes that problem. I believe we have a good write up on what does what for plants in the library.

When you get much algae in a planted tank that usually means you need more plants, algae uses the same stuff as plants. So if you have algae you either need to cut back on the nutrients or increase the plant load.

Stem plants do lose their leaves on the bottom I usually just pinch it midway and replant the top,

I bury some of the stems lenth ways and numerious new plants come up...

CajunGator wrote:

I bury some of the stems lenth ways and numerious new plants come up...

could you just get some shrimp or algae eating fish to help with that problem?

ah so I just need to cycle the bunch plants; instead of getting rid of the tops, i need get rid of the bottoms and replant the tops. I had it in my head that since they were rooting they were there to stay...

I have a 5' common pleco and an oto that cannot die LOL
They take a lickin and keep on...sucking on glass.

Hey guys, I just found the lighting chart, my tank isn't even registering on the chart! That would explain why the plants were scraggly and stretching up towards the surface, and how the bottom half of the tank would loose leaves and was never lush growth. Any ideas how I can get around this? Maybe I could elevate plants closer toward the surface by 8-12"? My tank is about 20" tall at least.

You could do wine glass planters in there for the high light plants.


When I trim my plants I keep both top and bottom, leave the bottom half be and just stuff the top half in somewhere.

Would you think I'd have to have drill any holes in the glass? I was even thinking about PVC columns. I guess any small openings for water flow wouldn't hurt.

I just remember my tank with the lighting, having a "grove" effect. Imagine seeing trunks of trees down below and above an explosion of leafy growth. I would suppose replanting and cycling new/old growth would help with that, but the fact the bottom leaves die off, I get a lot of mulm. Maintenance is so fun!

Hey guys, here's an update to reviving my tired tank. I finally got some motivation to get back into the hobby again. IT'S ALIVE!!! Thank for all your suggestions!

What I did was use the jello recipe for the DIY CO2(it works, one recipe lasts me about 3 weeks, and I am able to change out the yeast water and keep the jello for another round). I have not been able to order new lights yet, but what I did was cover the 10,000K part of the bulbs with foil so that I only get 6700K on each 65W bulb. I add Fe every other day, 30% weekly water changes. The swords have come back to life from 2" transparent stubs, and the crypts sent out long leaves. Before, I had slow stunted growth that gets covered in a brown dusty like algae on the edges, and GSA. The crypts have never grown straight leaves since i bought them; they've always curled up like curly ribbons on balloons.

I think the swords are still pale (N deficiency?). However, when I dose any KNO3 solution, the algae spikes. Right now a few sword leaves are edged in brown, as are some crypt leaves. If I add more KNO3, the brown edges grow fuzzy about 3-4mm (not sure if it's beard algae or brush algae, what do you think it can be from pic #5?). I have an oto, pleco, and I've recently added few ghost shrimp so something is keeping it mowed down I think. Ghost shrimp don't last long do they? I thought the cherry barbs and rummies would leave them alone, but I guess not!

Yesterday I reconfigured the filter outflow to direct some current to the surface for a little bit of agitation, and today I bought some Hygrophila which I'm hoping will grow fast to shade the swords, keeping the leaves from algae bloom.



Here are some photos!

1) overall tank:

2) DIY CO2 Reactor:

3) see the curly Crypt leaves I've always had?

4) Transparent and light green leaves?:

5) More curly leaves, but also brown colored algae, NOT diatoms (this is a 3yr old tank):

6) Brownish algae on the edges of the crypt leaf:

7) and on the swords:

8) Lastly, my rummies and cherries:



I'm hoping it'll fill in soon, I'm just sooooo impatient!

bump:) I'm hoping someone can help with the algae ID..

Try putting liquid c02 in the tank for the plants and dont leave your light on tooooo much.... I use to turn my light on around 430 when i was getting ready for work then turn it off around 10 or 11 pm... I had it all over my plants. I asked at my LFS and thats what they told me what to do and it worked.

right now it's on for about 10 hours a day, and so far it's not getting worse(fingers crossed!)

Looks like your swords could use a bit of iron (light green leaves fading at the edges) And I do not know if someone already answered, but yes PC bulbs should be replaced every 6-8 months...this is why some pleople switch to T-5 it cost less for bulb replacement.

Also if you start to get hair algae on your plants carefully remove the plant from the tank pour some sea-chem flourish excell on the leaves and wipe the algae off repeat as neccesary. I also use timers with my lights have them on for about 3-4 hours twice a day. Before work and after work. I do get some algae (slime type) on the glass, but this is usually when I get lax and go 2 weeks without a water change on some tanks.

Best of luck and good looking tank

al the advise above sounds good. 2 bulbs will do plenty for your tank with DIY co2.
root tabs are better to revive old substrate imo. plus its cheaper. there are a bunch of ideas for root tabs, plant jobes,oscomite, seachem tabs, even homemade tabs.

if you run 4 bulbs at once, the pressurized co2 is a must for me.

once you change out the bulbs, reduce lighting to 6-8 hrs.
the swords and crypts are root hogs so root tabs are a must. once you get new growth on the plants, cut off the leaves with the deficencys.

this what i would do, it helps work for me.