Black Outs

[nry]

Can I ask a question as I'm suffering from the same problem and I'm convinced I need to up my plant levels drastically.

Should I go to 50-75% substrate cover in one go or is it important to introduce the new plants over a period of days/weeks? I have about a nine month old 180 litre tank thats now down to about a dozen assorted tetras, two sword tails, half a dozen assorted corys and a banjo.

Many Thanks,

FR

P.S. lighting 1.5 WPG and no added CO2 as yet.

Stick them all in at once, I did it cheaply, I bought a whacking great lump of cabomba for ~£5, and for my 54litre I had way too much. I'm gradually replacing this now with the plants I would like long term.

 

[fish-rookie]

What substrate do you have in there?

Andy

PS If I were you. I'd start a new thread...

Pea gravel about 2-3 inches deep. I wasn't sure if it was worth starting a new thread for this one small point?

FR

 

[Underwurlde]

No, fair point. I was only thinking that starting a new thread allows people to concentrate on individual problems, but whatever. I suggested a new thread because in my mind what is going to start as 'one small point' is going to blossom (pardon the pun ).

Anyway

Before chucking in a whole load of plants, can you do something about your substrate? Next to having no substrate at all, 2-3" of pea-gravel is useless for plants - and if anything is detremental because over time it will become toxic - been there, seen that, got the Blue Peter badge! How long have you had plants? With that substrate you must be either dosing the water column with something or not gravel vaccing....

Also be wary of putting in a massive amount of a new species of plant to those that you already have - the presence of some plants can be detremental to others - it's a bit like those oft seen fish stocking threads..