New Tank...semi-healthy Plants

[Andypalf]

My tank is now a couple months old. It has had plants in for about 4 weeks, and fish in for about 2 weeks. Most of the plants are semi-healthy. By that I mean that about 80% of each plants leaves are green and healthy. But the remaining are brown and dieing.

The tank gets the light on from 12pm to 11pm everyday. Is there something I can do to help my plants thrive a little better? And something that is safe for my fish.

Thanks, Andy

 

[Bufo Bill]

I think you need to tell us a little more about your set up.

How powerful are your lights (what make are they/ what wattage/ how many do you have on the tank)?

What sort of covering do you have on the floor of the tank (sand/ gravel/ one of the special plant substrates)?

Are you using any fertilisers?

What sorts of plants do you have in the tank?

There are things you can do if any one or all of these things are unsatisfactory, so don't worry.
Here are some things that I did wrong with my first planted tank.

My tank came with a compact 11Watt bulb in the hood - fine for easy plants but I wanted to grow things like Glossostigma at the time. You can always customise your tank either simply with more lighting or making an entirely new light rig (not as difficult as it sounds).

I used plain sand as a substrate. Most plant lovers now use special substrates with everything plant roots need to grow. I still have that same sand substrate but now I add Aquarium fertiliser Tablets to the sand every few months. (in times past people used to use Guinea Pig poo)!

There are lots of fertilisers on the market; some you add to your tank water, some for plain sand substrates, some for when you are setting up your tank. There's a massive range; we can help you find one thats right for you.

Some plants are really tricky to grow without special set ups, not all plants are for first timer plant enthusiasts, as I discovered with that Glossostigma plant I mentioned.

Hope this helps.
All the best from Bill.

 

[Andypalf]

Thanks for the tips Bill.

My tank is approx 125L (90cmx50cmx30cm). I have a medium gravel subsrate with a 30W bulb (about 50cm long) along with a 12 inch airstone (this also is on a timer with the light). I'm not adding anything to the water apart from API Stress Coat when I do water changes.

At the moment I think there are about 10 plants in the tank. 5 amazon swords, 2 Vallis and a couple smaller plants. I think they're all "easy growers". I bought them off eBay you see.

I was hoping that there is an easy remedy to this problem, such as something that I can add to the water. But I dont' want to put my fish at risk.

Cheers for the advice.

 

[Christine1014]

I see a couple of things; first, you're running about 1 watt per gallon. That's really low. I'm not sure about the specific light requirements for the plants you mentioned, but you want want to aim for more like 2W/gallon or stick with things like java fern that need very little light.

Also, sand, soil, or a nutrient rich plant-specific fine gravel substrate are usually best. (If you're not using something with nutrients included, you need to add root tabs for fertization). For more demanding plants, you might want to add some more fertilizers. If you want to stick with easy-care, low tech, the best method might be a starter kit made by SeaChem. It includes liquid carbon, iron, and trace elements. (Excel, Iron, and Flourish)

But speaking of carbon... you definitely DON'T want an airstone/wand. That will depleat your water of carbon dioxide, which your plants definitely need.

Hope that helps!

 

[Andypalf]

It does help, thank you Christine. I think I'm building up a picture of what I need. Just the thought of replacing my substrate terrifies me. And I quite like the gravel I have in there so I think I'll stick with it. And like most of us I'm on a budget so I'll hold off for now on upgrading the light wattage. But I'll definately do so as and when I need a new light.

I think I'll ask for the root tabs and see how they go. I know that the airstone isn't great for the plants, but the fish are my priority and it provides them with a little extra oxygen and some stimulus.

Thanks again guys, feel free to give me more tips

 

[doubledee]

I'm running a low tech, low light setup with aroun 1wpg and no CO2. The plants are growing fine, although some could be better. I have only lost a couple of plants though, which were either unsuitable for my setup or just didn't get enough light where they were planted. I've been told that swords and crypts need root tabs and more or less everything else gets the nutrients from the water column. Don't quote me on that as I'm no expert! I've started to dose flourish on a daily basis using 1/7th of the weekly dose and it seems to be working. I've got terralit (supposedly a nutrient rich substrate) under my silver sand and I have had problems with it but nothing major (touch wood) so far. I'm sure if you stick with swords, crypts, vallis (does need light though as I've found), sagitaria, hairgrass, hygrophila sp., java fern/moss and rotala sp. and you could get a nice looking scape. Mine looks ok but nowhere near as good as some of the setups on here but I couldn't be bothered with CO2 etc. Some people even call some of the plants (that I like by the way!) weeds and ditch them once their tank is set up for some of the harder to grow species. As my tank is primarily for fish and the plants are there for their benefit and not mine, I couldn't care less if they are considered weeds! If your filter outlet moves the water around, you shouldn't need the airstone. The water absorbs the oxygen from the water movement, so as long as there is some, your fishes will get plenty (and some from your plants).

 

[Biulu]

While most plants can take up nutrients by adding a liquid fertilizer to the water, amazon swords like to get their nutrients through their roots. So, I would be looking for some root fertilizer tablets that you could bury close to your swords in your substrate.

 

[Andypalf]

Quick question: are root tabs and Flourish going to effect my fish in anyway?

 

[Bufo Bill]

Quick question: are root tabs and Flourish going to effect my fish in anyway?

Hi again. No, these plant foods are fine as long as you stick to the guidelines stated on the Packets. They are made to be acceptable to fish, and while overdosing is no good for your fish if you stick to the proper amounts you can rely on everything to be fine.