Why Are My Plants Going Brown Already?!

[paul_waldron]

can anyone tell me why my plants are going brown? i have had my tank set up for a few days, i live in quite a hard water area (dont know the parameters of hardness as havent got a test kit for it)

ammonia 0.0mg/l
Nitrite 0.1mg/l
ph 9.0
Nitrate 50mg/l

hope some one can help me!!! let me know if you need more information about the tank, there are no fish in it and i dont know what plants they are

 

[SuperColey1]

Tank details would be good:

Tank Size, Type of lighting (T5/T8 etc), wattage of lighting, reflectors?, % of substrate planted, types of plants, Co2 or not etc. Anything you can thing of would be useful.

No need forwater parameters as plants should adapt to any circumstances.

Personally I dont think there is anything to worry about if you set the tank up 'a few days ago' The plants may be just dieing back becuse they have been moved and if so will grow back again perfectly. If it is due to the light you have that is a different matter.

I would ignore all info you get on a certain plant 'needing' a certain Ph or a certain hardness as a number of us will prove every single of this wrong. In the UK the water is generally hard with a 7+Ph (yes there are some tat aren't before someone jumps on me)

If you read most guides for each plant they all seem to say neutral Ph + soft acidic water. temperatures are also something to ignore. Basically as long as the plant is a true aquatic then it will adapt to your water unless you are 1Ph or 20Ph.

Are you sure your Ph is 9? Is this the water boards reading or a test kit? If so are you planning to put fish in it?

Andy

 

[paul_waldron]

yeah the ph reading is from a test kit, i tested the tap water aswell which is the same...

the tank is 120litre (81 x 52 x 36cm) i have got 2x18watt t8 lights in there and have no reflectors. i have very small 2-4mm gravel in the bottom of the tank.

I hope your right in the fact thar they are just dying back!! will hold out and watch what happens.

thanks again andy

 

[SuperColey1]

the tank is 120litre (81 x 52 x 36cm) i have got 2x18watt t8 lights in there and have no reflectors.

The lights without reflectors = lack of light.

The WPG rule is calculated assuming that you have reflectors. With reflectors you have just over 1 WPG. Without relfectors you still have 1WPG BUT up to 70% will be going sideways and upward. A Reflector will redirect most of this light back to the tank.

Take a look at this tank which is similar in size and lighting to yours but does have refletors. CO2 is not necessary at this lighting level.

LINK TO 125LTR LOW LIGHT TANK

This should give you some ideas (and will probably wean you away from the Sera ferts. lol)

Tropica Plant Nutrition plus can be bought from aquaessentials.co.uk (If you are in the UK) and is highly regarded as about the best fert going. I use a vesion (not plus) along with dry powders. 500ml at 2ml per day will last you for 8 months which would work out at £2 per month

If you decide to go for it then make sure you buy the plus and not the normal. The plus has N and P added. The normal just has trace.

Reflectors can be bought from Pets at Home (again if you are in the UK) and for your size are £5.99 each.
If you haven't already replaced the lights since you bought the tank (i.e. still got the tank supplied ones) then I would also replace these while you buy reflectors.
Tropical Sunlight and Natural Daylight Lamps are also available from Pets at Home for £7.50 and £11.50 respectively.

Alternatively aquaessentials.co.uk also sell these same lights and reflectors (Arcadia) but the lights outside Pets at Home are called Original Tropical and Freshwater (they have been rebranded for Pets at Home for some strange reason)

Hope all this helps.
If you buy all the above you will be looking at an investment of £49 which should help you on your way to a tank as good as the one in the link.

Just a thought - I assume that the gravel is meant for freshwater tanks? One way you could bring the Ph down is to get a load of bogwood in there or even use a DIY yeast setup to bring it down a little (If you want to bring it down) See pinned threads on DIY/Nutrafin setups

Good Luck

Andy

 

[paul_waldron]

wow!!! thankyou andy, will certainly be thinking about this!! i have two pieces of bogwood in there at the moment, shall i stick another piece in there?

 

[SuperColey1]

If they are a reasonable size then they should be helping a little anyway. All these things are natural ways of lowering the Ph rather than some people who artificially alter it with chemicals which is a risky thing especially if they don't get it right.

You could also try Indian Almond Leaves too which are available from ebay or again AquaEssentials.co.uk

Andy

 

[paul_waldron]

i have looked and discovered i have a white reflector above my lights!!!

i work in a pet shop (only sell fish food btw) and the ferplast rep (the make of my tank) has got a Co2 kit that was used to show people what they looked like and she said i can have it!!!
is it worth using it as andy said it wasnt really necessary?

 

[paul_waldron]

seeing as im gonna have the use of Co2 am i worth using it??

 

[SuperColey1]

Those white reflectors are not suitable when we are talking planted tanks. You need real polished metal one. The white one will reflect some light back but not much.

I assume you are meaning but the ferplast CO2 kit that it is a yeast one. If its free then use it. additional CO2 cannot hurt.

I would defo sort the lights out first though.

Andy

 

[paul_waldron]

Those white reflectors are not suitable when we are talking planted tanks. You need real polished metal one. The white one will reflect some light back but not much.

I assume you are meaning but the ferplast CO2 kit that it is a yeast one. If its free then use it. additional CO2 cannot hurt.

I would defo sort the lights out first though.

Andy

when you say yeast one do you mean you add ingredients?? as there are two ferplast ones...... i thinnk its called professional which is different to the one where you have sachets. thanks for the info on the reflector, will get that changed.
I took your advice and got the plant food recommended!!

 

[SuperColey1]

You got the TPN+? The + is very important unless you intend to use dry powders as well.

Ferplast kits I have seen also on aquaessentials are these 2 videos, classic being a sachet version and professional being a simple pressurised setup:

CLASSIC

PROFESSIONAL

I don't know anyone who has experience with the Ferplast Range so can't really help you on that front but for free its always worth trying.

Andy

 

[paul_waldron]

yeah the plant nutrition plus. its the second one the professional

 

[paul_waldron]

yeah the plant nutrition plus. its the second one the professional

has anyone else used the ferplast range of Co2?