# Plant questions for my 5.5 gallon



## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

I recently set up a 5.5 gallon divided tank for two males. They are doing well, but I have a few questions about the plants I put in the tank for them...

I put in two java ferns (one on each side of the tank) and two Amazon Swords that I had laying around. I asked at Petsmart if it was alright to put the swords in after they had been sitting in their little container unused for a month at my house and I was told that was fine and they could be put in no problem.

Well... my water is having major issues with cloudiness and a disgusting film has developed over the top of the water. I have never had this issue with any of my other tanks, and I am using the same water/conditioner as I use in all my tanks, so I am assuming this has to do with my plants? Could the swords have been bad after all? Should I take them out?

Also... if I shouldn't, is it alright to bury them as long as I don't bury the rhizome? I don't have a lot of ornaments in this tank that I could tie them to since I already tied the java fern to ornaments, so my only option would really be to bury them in the gravel. Right now, one is buried (not the rhizome) and the other WAS buried, but ended up floating to the top and has been floating for the past week.

Lots of questions, but I'm still learning about live plants...


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Ugh yuck! Alright, a water change sent all sorts of the thick film particles around in the water! I cleaned up everything as best as I could, and the slime was gross and brown when I wiped it off the glass. What is this stuff? Algae? Mold? I'm concerned for my bettas' health... do I need to pull them from the tank and QT them? Or do I just need to get a couple snails?


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Probably diatoms also known as brown algae, appears a lot of newly planted tanks, takes about a few months to fully disappear when the tank stabilizes or so I've heard.

As for the Java Fern, yes do not bury the rhizome. You can leave it floating if you want to, but if the Java Fern gets too much light the leaves will start to turn black, it's kinda like getting burned.


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Micho said:


> Probably diatoms also known as brown algae, appears a lot of newly planted tanks, takes about a few months to fully disappear when the tank stabilizes or so I've heard.
> 
> As for the Java Fern, yes do not bury the rhizome. You can leave it floating if you want to, but if the Java Fern gets too much light the leaves will start to turn black, it's kinda like getting burned.


Oh sorry, I meant the amazon sword was floating. The java fern is tied to ornaments. But I have the amazon sword buried on both sides now (not the rhizome).

Is there any way to clean up this algae? A couple snails, maybe?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Is the tank cycled? Does this stuff look clear or milky in the tank but when you get it out it's brown? If so, it is what I had. It was gone overnight with no help from me..


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Seki said:


> Oh sorry, I meant the amazon sword was floating. The java fern is tied to ornaments. But I have the amazon sword buried on both sides now (not the rhizome).
> 
> Is there any way to clean up this algae? A couple snails, maybe?


Amazon swords should be rooted, and they don't have rhizomes. . ? They should be bury completely all the roots should be under the substrate.

Not really, manual cleaning seems to be the best. Do a water test, maybe there's too much nutrients in the water like ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. What kind of lighting you have, how long is it on?


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Russell - yep, sounds like what is in my tank. Definitely NOT gone overnight, though haha. It's been there for a few days.

Micho - LOL see how bad I am at plants? I was all "Okay, never bury rhizomes!" so I sorta just buried the roots a little and assumed I was all in the clear. Seriously, it's a wonder any plants at all are still alive in my tanks...
Okay, but you say they should be rooted completely, so... will they take root in the gravel? Could the fact that one was floating for a number of days have caused this?

ETA: I just did a water change, so my numbers are back down at 0 across the board. The tank is not cycled, it's brand new and has no filter. I was planning on just doing regular water changes and leaving it unfiltered, maybe, so as not to upset my HMDT into biting.
Lighting is a ten watt fluorescent bulb and it's on approx. 8-10 hours a day.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Yeah, try to keep that ammonia down, probably the reason for the algae. Also new tanks usually get this type of brown algae tbh. The film is a protein film, no filter = no water movement = a protein filmed being formed.

If you wanna get rid of it, get that filter in. Also you'll need a filter for cycling I believe since that is where most of the beneficial bacteria live. 

As for the floating sword, probably not the cause of your troubles to be honest, should bury that little bugger though. Swords heavily depend on getting nutrients from the ground rather than the water column.


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Both swords are buried now, thanks!  My fish don't seem to have been affected, so I'm assuming the protein film isn't really dangerous?

Also, do you think snails would be beneficial if I went ahead and added the filter? Or should I not do that?

ETA: Liquid ferts... should I get them?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

What I meant was it didn't gradually go away....it just went. 

BTW did you not try the filter on the platk's side? IMO, two fish in a five gallon definitely need a filter and a cycled tank.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Protein film is harmless, it just looks bad. 

Most snails don't touch algae, like the most commonly sold snail which is the Apple/Mystery snail, some snails grave on certain types of algae but not all types. I'm not sure if Nerites eat diatoms/brown algae but you can check. 

I would suggest to just add a filter, get that cycle going and establish it before adding any other tankmates. It's a divided 5.5g so I don't think you could add anything too heavy. Maybe just one snail? 

Liquid fertilizers are not that beneficial for your plants, Java Fern is a low maintenance plant that requires little to no care, it'll do fine without it. Like I said swords get their nutrients from their roots and not the water column, they would benefit more from root tabs when it comes to the type of fertilizer you want to get.


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## Mashiro (Dec 2, 2012)

Another note on the commonly bought snail called Mystery/Apple Snails is that they will eat your plants down to stumps.

My Water Wisteria didn't stand a chance. 

I would not recommend a snail at all actually because there are already two fish in a 5 gallon with no filter. The bioload would be pretty heavy as snails poop a lot, lol. For future reference though, instead of Mystery/Apple Snails try Nerite Snails. They eat only algae, don't touch plants, but they will lay hard white eggs on decorations. They only hatch in brackish water though, so no infestation of snails!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I can't remember, is your divider Plexiglas with .25" holes? It if is, I can vouch that Pygmy Cories and Panda Guppies can take advantage of the entire five gallon footprint.


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## Seki (Jul 10, 2012)

Micho - I will get some root tabs and see if that helps. And I'll skip the liquid ferts, thanks for the advice! Goodness, getting root tabs means another trip to the pet store... here's hoping I don't get another betta for that empty 2.5! >.< Self control, self control...

Russell - No, I didn't try the filter yet. Actually, my life's been a bit hectic the past couple of days and I honestly forgot about the wonderful filter you pointed me to! I will look into that again now that I have a couple of days off of work. And no, my divider is a mesh screen. But I am always open to making a new one of plexiglass if it's simple to do! I'm not super crafty, but I could probably make it work.

Mashiro - I keep up with twice weekly water changes of 50% and never let ammonia get past .25 ppm if it even gets that high. But yes, I have heard snails poop a LOT. I probably won't get one, then, if the algae and film are harmless. I am probably going to get a filter going in there, though, and see about cycling it as quickly as possible. I have Seachem Stability, which I have heard good things about, so I could always use that.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I was just thinking if you had a Plexiglas divider with holes you would have more options if you wanted tank mates. 

BTW, my filters are working great. Spray bar is pointed to tank wall. I swap the boys around so everyone gets time in the larger section of the tank and none of them seem bothered.

Hope the pet store spares you from having to get another tank and another Betta (or two). Of course you could just surrender and get a 20 long and be prepared.


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