Plants Growing.

[Bigd5482]

What type of plants do well in gravel does java fern seem to do decent? Also for plants that are already in my tank I've been using Nutrafin - Plant Gro iron enriched. How often should I be adding this to my tank as it doesn't say on the bottle? Are there any plants I should avoid with having a gravel substrate? Thank you in advance I'm not very knowledgeable with the plants and such.

 

[Colin_T]

Java Fern and Bolbitis should be attached to a piece of rock or wood. If you bury their rhizome they don't do as well.

Most other true aquatic plants do well when planted in gravel. Try Ambulia, Hygrophilla polysperma, Elodia, Amazon Swordplant and Narrow Vallis.

Most plant foods recommend adding once a week. But the plants usually do better when it is added two or three times a week. This provides them with a more regular food source and they grow more evenly. If you only fertilise the tank once a week, the plants often use all the nutrients up within a day or two and then starve while they wait for more fertiliser.

The easiest way to tell how much iron the plants are using, and how often you should be adding the fertiliser, is to monitor the iron levels with a test kit. But if you don't have the money for one then just use a half dose a couple of times a week.