Planted My Tank.

[Monte20]

55 gal tank. gh 80. 80 deg. put a couple of java ferns. thought i planted some hairgrass but ended up being brazilian microsword (woops). im reading that the microssword is a hard plant to take care of, but since they were planted already i just kept them in there. i have Co2 injection going. 30w of light. im worried about the microsword. i planted them into the gravel a bit. not too deep, just enough to keep them down. wasnt sure if that was the correct way or not. tips? the java fern has already brightened up. im just worried about the microsword, i dont want to kill it. i got some other plant fogot the name. the LFS guy just grabbed a little chuck of it. its a carpet plant. got it tied to a flat rock. air wands are off. if anyone sees that im doing something wrong, or something i can do better, pls let me know. thanks!

 

[Fish'InMN]

55 gal tank. gh 80. 80 deg. put a couple of java ferns. thought i planted some hairgrass but ended up being brazilian microsword (woops). im reading that the microssword is a hard plant to take care of, but since they were planted already i just kept them in there. i have Co2 injection going. 30w of light. im worried about the microsword. i planted them into the gravel a bit. not too deep, just enough to keep them down. wasnt sure if that was the correct way or not. tips? the java fern has already brightened up. im just worried about the microsword, i dont want to kill it. i got some other plant fogot the name. the LFS guy just grabbed a little chuck of it. its a carpet plant. got it tied to a flat rock. air wands are off. if anyone sees that im doing something wrong, or something i can do better, pls let me know. thanks!

The 30W of light is not nearly enough for any plants other than your java fern, which will probably just remain as it is with no new growth. As it is, your CO2 is doing nothing but probably contributing to some algae growth. I would suggest you upgrade your lighting as soon as possible, or at the very least turn off the CO2!

 

[Monte20]

thanks for teh quick reply. im getting more wattage in a couple days. and i leave the blinds open during the day. the tank is right next to the window, gets a lot of sun. i thought that maybe that would tide it over till i got better lighting. co2 is off till then. thanks.

 

[NAL]

Hi

Get some extra light on that. 30W over a 55 is not really a lot, particularly if you're using CO2. Also what kind of tubes are they-T8's ? Once you've got some more light, focus on also stabilising the CO2 at around 30 ppm. You'll then need to consider developing a dosing regime to give the plants what they need. Also think about adding many more plants-I'd think about getting plenty of fast growers in there, especially if it is a new tank. Go back to your LFS and ask him if he has any Hygrophila polysperma or some other Hygro. That is a good plant to start out with.

Nick