[APD] Most plants dying; thick layer of goo and Oscillatoria at bottom

[the_thompsons at earthlink_net]

Hi folks,

A while back I started a tank with the following species: Elodea, Sagittaria, Vallisneria, and Ludwigia. I got them from Ward's Scientific, and they thrived for a while. Then, because I wanted to grow some for a Microbiology prof where I work, I tossed in a little Oscillatoria. Well, the prof was pleased as punch but I soon had pea soup in my tank. I then added a handful of Daphnia, and they did a superb job of clearing most of the algae. The tank is doing pretty well now, but all the Elodea are dead- well, I am unsure what each of the originals were which, but I believe the only one left doing well is the Sagittaria.  There's also an inch-thick layer of goo and Oscillatoria on the sand substrate.  Oh, and I have no idea how the duckweed got in there, but it's been there a while and not covered the surface, so I am not too concerned. I did toss a handfull of snails in there, and they lasted a few weeks but all seem to be deceased.  But the Daphnia are there in their hundreds.

I would like to get rid of the goo and the Oscillatoria, and replace the snails.. I have no idea what killed them.  I would prefer to maintain a vertebrate-free tank, but if I need something with a backbone I'll do it to clear things up.

Thanks for the help!

Chris

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