Hello, friends. I was hoping maybe someone around here could help me figure out a situation in my 10 gallon freshwater aquarium.

For years now, I have kept a handful of fish and plants in my tank without much problem. Right now I have a killie, a glassfish, 2 golden barbs, a red-eye tetra, a chinese algae eater, and a dogo loach. About 10 years ago I set up my tank with a granular fertilizer beneath the gravel. I assume it was a type of laterite, but I'm not sure. I had really good results with that, and my java ferns have flourished. But now, things have changed. Over the past two months or so, my ferns have literally disappeared. So I tried to boost them by adding some new laterite, and also liquid fertilizer. Instead, my plants seemed to deteriorate faster. There are a few small leaves left. Here's more of the story:

Also throughout the past few years, my water quality has always been lacking. My ph has neared 5.0 at times. For that issue, I have been using ph UP when I can. Also my alkalinity has been low, and nitrates on the higher end. Surprisingly, my fish have tolerated it well, and have always stayed strong. I imagine they are very hardy fish to have survived. My readings have not always been so bad. Sometimes I can get them pretty regular, and move the pH to 6.5-6.9 range.

But the other night, my whisper filter broke. It just dribbles water and no matter how many times I take it apart and clean it, it still won't work. It was a friend's filter. I thought that my water chemistry and my java fern disappearances were a result of this inefficient filter. I went out last night to get an AquaClear, since my family has used them for close to two decades now! Instead of replacing the old filter entirely (since I know that is terrible to lose all the bacteria at once) I kept the old one running too, and I guess I'll do that for a few weeks until bacteria build up in the new AquaClear.

Additionally, last night I did some siphoning since I hadn't done that it a couple years (I know, how terrible!). To my dismay, I lost a dwarf gourami, probably due to the stress and the fact that he wasn't doing so well anyway.

My question is, how can I stabilize my water chemistry? Does anyone know why my java ferns disappeared? Why can't I get my pH higher even when I do water changes frequently and use pH UP?

Sorry for the extremely long post. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

You must have very soft water where you live.
The problem with using Ph up is that you are quickly raising the Ph and without anything to buff your water, it will quickly drop.
This rise and fall is not good for fish or plants and could be an adding factor
To the other changes - new filter, gravel cleaning, etc all at the same time.
I'll throw a few suggestions and thoughts out here and you can get back to me if you have any questions:)

I would suggest to use crushed coral or even sea shells to help buff your water naturally. It will raise the alkalinity, hardness, and stabilize the Ph.
You'll have to start adding it very slowly.
A few shells or a table spoon of crushed coral every 24 hours until you've reached an ideal range is best.

Good call on leaving the old filter running.
You could even put the old cartridges in the new filter for quicker results.

I almost never clean my gravel, lots of great bacteria live in there, so don't feel bad about that. I stir it up every once in a while before I make a water change and that's about it.

Java fern also thrive on nitrates and absorb a lot of them for nutrients.
Even though the nitrates are good for plants, they are not so good for the fish, over time high amounts of nitrates will even kill the hardiest of fish.
But best leave a moderate amount in there for your plants.

Have you checked your water for ammonia?
With the old filter not doing so well, you could have had an ammonia spike which could have caused problems...

It sounds like you've done good with this tank for some time.
It could have been to many changes in a close time frame
That disturbed the plants.

Happy fish keeping!

Kae, thank you so much for posting. I was hoping you would. I've read some of your posts.

Funny... actually a while ago I added shells. I always have some on hand. Hopefully they are making a difference.

Wow, so I've heard a long time ago that gravel cleaning isn't always a good idea. Thank you for affirming that. Seems like every one I talk to lately says that I should do it regularly. I will keep that in mind.

My ammonia is fine. Often my strip tests show a very very faded pink, which is "Safe."

The plants are still a mystery. See, I only just did all this change last night. The java ferns have looked horrible for a matter of months, and this past week have dwindled to almost nothing. Any other ideas about how to save them and get them growing again?

Did you change the lighting in the tank or change how long you keep the lights on, or does it get too much natural sunlight shining in?
Too much light is the only other thing I can think of that would cause Java Fern to die.

No, I hadn't changed the lighting. It has always been receiving moderate indirect light. Sometimes my blinds are closed, and in that case they get less light. I did just buy a new bulb as someone on another forum suggested, but I know that java ferns are a low-light plant. That's why this whole thing is so perplexing. I installed the bulb yesterday. Maybe I should take it out? I'll do anything to get them to bounce back!

I wish I could offer more help with your java ferns.
Are they buried under the gravel, or attached to any other décor?
I know they do good if allowed to attach to décor.
This is truly baffling because it is such a hardy plant.
I know you must be very disappointed to see it all dying.

That's okay... you have been very helpful! I am continuing to research and see if I can find some answers. Through all of this, I have learned how to care for them better. I thought that their roots should be buried... now I have them above ground. Thanks again for your suggestions and taking your time to help! If any more thoughts come to your mind, let me know.