How Can I Help My Plants?

[Chuka1212]

I have tried my hand at a planted aquarium and have only successfully grown a sword plant and some Aponogenton hybrids. But now, things are not going to well, they both have holes and my amazon has some serious issues (look at pics). What's weird is that the little offshoot plants from my Amazon that I planted elsewhere in the tank are doing just fine. My parameters are good and I have a 60watt bulb, and other than that I don't do anything for them. What should I do to help my plants out? I do have an undergravel filter and small sized gravel about an inch and a half thick.

Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[reggieschuey]

seems like you have some deficiency sword plants are major root feeder, good rich substrate and some Root tablets should adequate nutirients

 

[Chuka1212]

Thanks so much! If I can't replace the substrate at the moment, will the root tabs you talked about or a liquid fertilizer work?

 

[ICEEGRL]

Good root tabs should do fine.

 

[garuf]

just a long shot but could it be possible that its the under gravel filter that's causing the deficiencies? I've read that they shouldn't be used maybe this is why?

 

[DevUK]

just a long shot but could it be possible that its the under gravel filter that's causing the deficiencies? I've read that they shouldn't be used maybe this is why?

If anything, I'd of though it'd help, if just a little. By sucking all the waste into the gravel I'd of thought it'd provide some nutrients directly to the roots. I may be wrong

 

[reggieschuey]

just a long shot but could it be possible that its the under gravel filter that's causing the deficiencies? I've read that they shouldn't be used maybe this is why?

If anything, I'd of though it'd help, if just a little. By sucking all the waste into the gravel I'd of thought it'd provide some nutrients directly to the roots. I may be wrong

underground filters are usually attached to powerhead with no a very little filter material, underground filter uses your existing gravel/substrate as a form of filter material (like the noodles, wool etc, in you cannister filter) so all floating particles debris are sucked into the gravel/substrate. This in turn would create a place where bacteria will grow. However these bacteria although good for the aquarium stability, would eat up roots, causing root rots. It was considered a very commmon thing to underground filters but have many companies have scraped it as underground filters created what was known as 'dead spots' whereby parts of the gravel will be filtered well whilst other bits no water flow at all. The areas where there are no water flow can create bacteria harmful to fish (bits of the gravel can cause sudden ammonia spikes >leading to nitrite ,(so they say). underground filter also went out of production because the increase effectivness in cannister filter.

 

[ICEEGRL]

For something that they stopped making... they sure are everywhere. I see them in the stores and catalogs all the time! They are everywhere.