Maintaining a planted tank

[Codefox]

Ok...I'm glad I can actually ask this question. Currently I have :

1 really nice looking water sprite
3 clusters of egeria densa
6 bunches of...not sure I'll get some pictures up when I get home for identification
5 wendtii crypts

The crypts have only been in a couple days so I can't really comment on them yet but I'm sure they'll do good. The water sprite is doing awesome. My question is about the others :

Ok...egeria densa should be really hard to kill. I managed to almost do just that I think (Not sure how...) But its coming back and I see new growths all over. All of the bunches though have a lot of dead material in them now. The new growth is coming off of this.

Same with the 6 I can't identify. Though in this case its just the lower leaves that seem to have died off.

With the egeria do I just let it be? It seems to be growing again so I don't know that I should bother it any

 

[JustOneMore20]

I'd just leave it alone. The only thing you should do is trim it when its gets too tall, but I'd let it grow in some first.

Don't touch the crypts because they could melt. If they haven't been in the tank long, they may still lose some leaves. They don't like to be messed with. When I get new crypts, they always melt a few leaves, but eventually they'll grow back. If you have regular gravel as substrate, I'd get some root tabs for the crypts.

I know egeria densa is one type of the plants known as Anacharis. I also know that sometimes dosing Excel can kill Anacharis...I'm not sure which or if both types are affected by it though. Have you been dosing alot of Excel?

Also, what is your light like? IME Anacharis does better in medium-high light. I have egeria najas, so I'm not sure how close it is to egeria densa on its needs and likes and such.....

 

[Codefox]

The crypts have been in for 48 hours. There has been some 'melting' but very little thus far. They're still in the rockwool and I was thinking of taking them out of that tonight when I got home. Shoud I leave it in since its already in the tank? I may just get some gravel and cover the rockwool instead.

I have been dosing daily with Excel...I don't know that that's an issue though. I have 2.0 WPG of CF lighting which I think was the reason for the initial struggle...I had an issue with the surface of the water being covered in a film. I took some steps that improved it and I think that's when the anacharis started to return.

I'll just leave it alone...I suspected that might be the case but I just wanted to make sure. Especially since its all started growing again.

 

[Jchillin]

I would remove the rockwool, the plant will do much better without it. Your dosing of excel isn't an issue, you are at the border of CO2 supplement, not over it.

 

[Codefox]

Well, I am trying out the Turbo CO2 Bio System from Red Sea. Its started to work full force I think now so we'll see how that helps as far as plant growth is concerned.

I'm about to do a water change to try and get that film once and for all...I'll take the rockwool off the crypts but I'm going to leave it on teh water sprite though...it has so many roots coming out of it now that I hate to disturb it after 2 weeks. What do you think?

 

[Jchillin]

Rockwool is basically used to keep the roots of plants nourished during shipping or transport. It is loaded with nutrients that can cause or promote algae. It does nothing for the plant after it has been submerged.

 

[Codefox]

So you saying I should take it off the water sprite? I'm just concerned I'll damage it...

 

[JustOneMore20]

I'd take it off everything. You don't need it now that the plants are in the tank.

 

[Codefox]

Ok...if my plants die I'm blaming you guys It does look better without it though...