Plants

[sws]

Hi
I'm going to introduce some plants to my 65L tank - I've ordered these from greenline aquatics (the prepacked 24" selection - list of plants below). Any tips for someone starting out as there seems to be a lot of conflicting advice. Specifically regarding:
Light cycle
Fertiliser - yes or no
maintainence
water quality - I have pH 6.5-7, GH 60, Kh 30,
What do I need the nitrates at?
All help gratefully recieved
Shaun

10 X MICRO SAGITTARIA
3 X DWARF SWORDS
2 X SAGITTARIA NATANS
BUNCH (7) BABY TEARS BACOPA
5 X CRYPTOCORYNE WENDTII
BUNCH (10) MYACCA FLUVIATILIS
BUNCH (5) CREEPING JENNY
1 X MEDIUM AMAZON SWORD

 

[Majjie]

If you want to talk technical - you'd be better off asking this question in the Planted Tank Forum. You haven't said what level of light you have - that makes a big difference.

I have low tech tanks between 0.75 and 1.6 wpg (watts per US gallon).
I've never been able to grow the small Sagittarias or dwarf swords very well - I've never tried Creeping Jenny in a tank - and I'm not familiar with Myacca.
So not much help really

I do have six heavily planted tanks, though. I love all the green cryptocorynes - the brown leaved ones I've found to be temperamental in my tanks (although I do have one lovely one); C.wendtii can, I believe, be either. I also have a huge Amazon Sword which is trying to climb out of a 72 litre tank. Bacopa has sometimes thrived and sometimes not. I also use several species of Anubias and I have fast growing hornwort at the back of most of my tanks. I use small crypts for foreground plants.

I have hardish water at pH 7.5 - which doesn't grow water wisteria well - I also have other tanks with peat filtered water but for most plants there doesn't seem to be a great difference. I have yeast based CO2 on just one tank - the one with the Amazon sword in it - which may explain it's good growth (it's certainly never had any root fertiliser).

I add an all-in-one liquid fertiliser once a week, or once a fortnight, at the same time as I do my water changes and I trim the plants at the same time. I also use extra potassium - because I'm assuming my tanks have quite high nitrate levels - but it's a long time since I actually measured it

The lights are on a timer - on for 10 hours a day. I didn't get on very well with two five hour intervals - the plants didn't seem to thrive. It's all a bit hit and miss with me - I tolerate a bit of algal growth on the rocks and bog wood, without getting too bothered - and, since all the plants I have are doing well at the moment, (and the fish all look happy) I don't bother with any tests

It's another one of those questions where there will be as many different answers as people answering

 

[thegnu]

hi,

light cycle, 10-12 hours

fertilizer, experiment. I've just started using a liquid fert for a week now and to be honest i haven't seen any difference.

water quality,yours is good in general for most plants

nitrates, keep these as low as you can. under 30PPM for sure. its only if you go hi-tec, strong lighting special substrates, co2 that you need to worry about that even accounting for "luxurious uptake" who thinks these phrases up

your dwarf swords might struggle with low ordinary light. mine failed miserably, but my tank is 24" deep. the micro sagittaria? small? and creeping jenny for the same reason. the others especially the m sword could do well just keep up with water changes

 

[vinylman]

If you start using a liquid fertiliser, try just adding half the stated amount and see what happens. If you see an improvement, great. If not, just up the amount. I've found that some ferts can cause hair algae, so don't go straight in with the full stated dosage.