Hi All,
i have had some mixed success with plants in my tank.
Tank is about 1 year old now and I would say settled or mature. Current stocking is 14 Platys (a lot I know but i knew they are hardy!), 3 mollys, 1 Bristlenose Pleco and 10 Neon Tetra's. Seems a lot but the water levels are all stable (0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite and 10-20 Nitrate) and have been for about 3 months (since the Neon's were put in). I also have an extra filter in a Fluval U2 as well as the one that came with the tank.
Anyway the one area I have struggled with is the plants. They go in okay and look great for about 1-2 months but then either get covered in algae (mainly hair algae, awful stuff!) or grow 'straggly' and I end up replacing them with some new ones. The only plants to do any good I have found are Java ferns which just seems to go on forever (I have had mine in now for 10 months) and recently I got some Hygrophila Corymbosa which has done really well.
I have tried and failed with Amazon Swords, Water wisteria, Canadian pond weed, and vulgaris spiralis.
Any ideas? I gues the sort of conditions are probably low to medium light, I dose Flousih Excel once a day and put a dose of trace elements once a week. The other fertilizers are natural and I used Aqua grit for my substrate along with some standard gravel.
Something that grows well, the mollies don't rip to shreds, is algae resistant (is this possible?) and doesnt need constant attention.
Any suggestions please?
Thanks
i have had some mixed success with plants in my tank.
Tank is about 1 year old now and I would say settled or mature. Current stocking is 14 Platys (a lot I know but i knew they are hardy!), 3 mollys, 1 Bristlenose Pleco and 10 Neon Tetra's. Seems a lot but the water levels are all stable (0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite and 10-20 Nitrate) and have been for about 3 months (since the Neon's were put in). I also have an extra filter in a Fluval U2 as well as the one that came with the tank.
Anyway the one area I have struggled with is the plants. They go in okay and look great for about 1-2 months but then either get covered in algae (mainly hair algae, awful stuff!) or grow 'straggly' and I end up replacing them with some new ones. The only plants to do any good I have found are Java ferns which just seems to go on forever (I have had mine in now for 10 months) and recently I got some Hygrophila Corymbosa which has done really well.
I have tried and failed with Amazon Swords, Water wisteria, Canadian pond weed, and vulgaris spiralis.
Any ideas? I gues the sort of conditions are probably low to medium light, I dose Flousih Excel once a day and put a dose of trace elements once a week. The other fertilizers are natural and I used Aqua grit for my substrate along with some standard gravel.
Something that grows well, the mollies don't rip to shreds, is algae resistant (is this possible?) and doesnt need constant attention.
Any suggestions please?
Thanks
