New To Plants

[haunted-havoc]

ive had my tank for roughly a month and a half now and had it stocked for about a month (i used some old filter media)

its a second hand 40gal and ive got a few plants in there

i got the whole lot from the guy i bought it off and the plants were taken from another tank of his

i know its a pretty new tank and i have got a diatom issue (not to major but noticeable due to the fact i have white gravel)

one of the type of plants (ive got 5 types) is doing quite well i think it is Elodea Densa but not 100% sure

but the other 4 (i think they are Echinodorus Rosea, Rotala Rotundifolia, Bolbitus Heudelotii, and Aponogeton Boivinianus Bulb. but i am not an expert and just matched them to pics of the net) arnt doing that well some more than others. the Bolbitus Heudelotii isnt doing too bad, but the others are starting to go brownish

i dont does with ferts (probably the cause) i dont have any other substrate apart from the gravel, and i dont use Co2.

they guy i bought it off didnt say anything about these and im starting to think that a whole new tank (interior wise) might be a good idea

i will post pics up tomorrow for a better ID of the plants but am looking for help with the matter

also i use 2 36" 30 watt bulbs, so that gives me 1.5w per gallon

i really like planted tanks and would greatly appreciate some help with this all, as i dont have a clue on where to begin with plants

 

[stangs]

When you say "brownish" do you mean a brown coating on the plants? This is brown algae.

If you mean leaves dying and going brown, this is common with plants changing environments. Perhaps the person you bought from had their ferts(fertalizer) under control, different lighting, and/or c02.

Read about the "estimative index" this is a great way to do ferts.

Ive found co2 is not required but really helps. Ive also found that lights on for 10 hrs a day works best for me, I do have co2. I use 1.5 wpg for 10hrs a day and in the middle of the day other lights come on for 3 hrs to have 4.5 wpg. My plants grow great.

The old plants and mature media can help cycle your tank a bit, however you filter is likely not "mature" yet after the move, and building up ammonia can contribute to algae (if you do have brown algae)...Your mature media could have become "unmature" during the two weeks you didnt have fish in the tank.

I would not add more fish until you get your plants under control, if you are serious about a planted tank.

Post how many and size of you fish as well as your type of filter (canister or HOB "waterfall type") for more help.

I would seriously consider do it yourself co2 for a 40g tank. A 2 liter pop bottle a tube and some "goop" (type of flexible gule) can work great, I used that for years before buying a co2 system.

 

[haunted-havoc]

i have 7 mollies 4 corys and a plec

mollies are between 1.5-2 inch
corys are between 1-1.5 inch
plec is about 10 inches

these are the plants btw, they are the greatest of pics and it does make them look abit more green than what they actually are

these are doing pretty well i can see alot of new growth

this isnt too bad, keeping alot of its colour, cant see alot of growth but looks kinda healthy

these two arnt doing great, the broad leaf one is also been nibbled on alot

and this one looks like its doing badly
its underneath the broad leaf one, and above the rubber duck/fishie

im not really happy with the overall look of the tank as it is really some one elses setup. i would rather have a planted tank.

im tempted to start again with the tank, but i want the filter to mature abit more yet.
so some easy to care for plants would be ideal

im not sure whether it is brown algae, dying plants or diatoms affecting the plants

 

[RadaR]

Brown algae and diatoms are there because of the dieing plants. Dieing plants=ammonia. Ammonia+light=algae.
Looking at the pics, the plants just scream nutrient deficiency. Only the Elodea looks fine. There may be some CO2 deficiencies there too.

Plan of action:
Make sure circulation of water is complete around the whole tank. We aim to have 10x the volume of the tank turned over every hour. So, you're looking for a total of 1800litres of flow an hour. You've then got to make sure it's used efficiently to create all round circulation to eliminate deadspots. Flow and circulation are very important in planted tanks because the water delivers the nutrients and CO2 to the plants.
Then I'd be dosing Tropica Plant Nutrition+ and Easylife Easycarbo daily. For now, perform 2x50% water changes a week to greatly dilute ammonia and organic waste which algae thrive on. Make sure the filter floss doesn't get clogged up either.

Edit: Also, plant up heavily. More healthy growing plants = less algae.
Lights should be on no longer than 8hours a day. Neither do I reccomend DIY CO2 on a tank this large. Liquid carbon (the Easylife Easycarbo) will be much better.

 

[haunted-havoc]

looks like i need a new filter then, as i have a fluval 205 which i think has like a 200 gph

so would dosing Tropica Plant Nutrition+ and Easylife Easycarbo. be alot easier than replacing the substrate?

also recommendations for filters?

 

[PDSimon]

You don't really need a good substrate for low tech tanks, most plants take most of their nutrients through their leaves.

I use playsand, TPN+ and easycarbo and my plants are doing well. Although I do have tropica substrate under my sand and have root tabs too. You can overdose on TPN+ easily and it should help. If you want to add another substrate i'm sure RadaR will have some good ideas..

 

[RadaR]

looks like i need a new filter then, as i have a fluval 205 which i think has like a 200 gph

so would dosing Tropica Plant Nutrition+ and Easylife Easycarbo. be alot easier than replacing the substrate?

also recommendations for filters?

Yes it would be easier.
Simon is correct. You dont NEED a nutrient substrate but it does help oif you forget to dose or if you dont dose enough. Incase you were wondering, plant substrates dont contain anything like Easycarbo. That's purely in liquid form.
Filters, see here.
Or grab an EFX at a Maidenhead aquatics. See here.

Edit: dont replace your whole filter. Just buy another one and run two non your tank. Or failing that, you can bring up your circulation by adding powerheads like Hydro Koralias. They are good because they move "bodies" of water instead of creating single jets of current.