General newbie plant questions.

[bostonbass]

I have a relatively new 20g high planted tank. I used CaribSea EcoComplete substrate. How do I know when the nutrients in the substrate are exhausted? Then what? Should dead leaves be left in the tank as fertilizer? Some of the leaves on my plants (mostly swords and anubia) look soggy, like the edge of lettuce a few days old. What's up with that? I dose a little API CO2 booster every few days. Is this a good/bad idea? Is a CO2 diffuser necessary? Lighting is pretty weak, 15 white LED's that came with the tank. Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Caliban07]

I have a relatively new 20g high planted tank. I used CaribSea EcoComplete substrate. How do I know when the nutrients in the substrate are exhausted? Then what? Should dead leaves be left in the tank as fertilizer? Some of the leaves on my plants (mostly swords and anubia) look soggy, like the edge of lettuce a few days old. What's up with that? I dose a little API CO2 booster every few days. Is this a good/bad idea? Is a CO2 diffuser necessary? Lighting is pretty weak, 15 white LED's that came with the tank. Thanks for the advice guys!

What is the new growth like? You don't 'need' a co2 diffuser but all plants will benefit from a little extra co2. Liquid is enough in smaller low light tanks but you may want to increase it to once a day. If you are dosing liquid co2 daily and have a fertile substrate and the plants still don't fare well then you can attribute light as the issue. Make sure you have a decent flow round the tank. Try to limit flow dead spots and obstructive hardscape. Good flow will maximise co2 distribution and uptake. Leaves melting are generally a sign of a change in carbon uptake, for example, plants grown emersed will drop there old leaves in favour of new leaves that are more suited to submersed growth. It could just be an adaptation the plant is going through.


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[bostonbass]

What is the new growth like? You don't 'need' a co2 diffuser but all plants will benefit from a little extra co2. Liquid is enough in smaller low light tanks but you may want to increase it to once a day. If you are dosing liquid co2 daily and have a fertile substrate and the plants still don't fare well then you can attribute light as the issue. Make sure you have a decent flow round the tank. Try to limit flow dead spots and obstructive hardscape. Good flow will maximise co2 distribution and uptake. Leaves melting are generally a sign of a change in carbon uptake, for example, plants grown emersed will drop there old leaves in favour of new leaves that are more suited to submersed growth. It could just be an adaptation the plant is going through.


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Hi, thanks for the response. New growth is there, but not very strong. Flow is good. Can I extend the lighted period in lieu of increasing the wattage? Should I clean the shed leaves or leave them?

 

[Caliban07]

8 hours a day should be enough lighting. Just start to dose the co2 daily and you will probably see a positive response. I would remove the leaves if you can but try to do so without uprooting the plants, especially the swords. You can pinch them off as close the the bottom as possible.


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