Minerals for plants

[anteatergoanna]

Hi all, I have a few low light plants in my tank, I'm just wondering what could I put in there for minerals? I don't think they are getting enough from my tap water, I dose with flourish, and put in a root tab very so often ( not sure how often I should use them). I am waiting for a co2 system that's on order.
Thanks for any suggestions, I am new to a planted tank and would love to plant it heavily, but am having a lot of losses.

 

[Mebbid]

A lot of keeping a planted tank is finding the right plants for your light fixture.

For a low light tank the most common plants to keep are:
Cryptocoryne
Anubias
Bolbitis
Java Fern
Java moss

None of those plants should really need any special treatment such as pressurized CO2 or fertilizers minus the Crypts which need root tabs. Most commonly plant loss in low light tanks comes from buying plants that aren't suited to the light in the tank.

If you're going through the trouble of buying pressurized co2 you might want to look at increasing the light level as well

 

[anteatergoanna]

Thanks Mebbid, i will look into that, i have a co2 coming, and the lighting is what came with the light T5 i think

 

[fishenthusiast]

Hi all, I have a few low light plants in my tank, I'm just wondering what could I put in there for minerals? I don't think they are getting enough from my tap water, I dose with flourish, and put in a root tab very so often ( not sure how often I should use them). I am waiting for a co2 system that's on order.
Thanks for any suggestions, I am new to a planted tank and would love to plant it heavily, but am having a lot of losses.

Haha, I remember being in your boat a year. I was brand new to the planted tank, and I had no idea what I was doing practically. After a lot of research, I got some good substrate and got some name brand ferts, but after awhile, you really get into it. That's when I started to get advanced with it and I started to use dry ferts and what not. Soon enough your planted tank will look great.

 

[anteatergoanna]

Lol, thanks Fish, walking around blind here. My substrate is sand, so I think I have to put tab fertiliser near the roots. I will go and get stronger lighting next time I'm in town.....hopefully it won't be long and I will have a jungle !!

 

[fishenthusiast]

Lol, thanks Fish, walking around blind here. My substrate is sand, so I think I have to put tab fertiliser near the roots. I will go and get stronger lighting next time I'm in town.....hopefully it won't be long and I will have a jungle !!

T5 HO lighting is pretty good medium light for the planted tank. This is the light fixture that I use: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+23753&pcatid=23753

Also, I started out with Amazon Swords and they have flourished. Buying root tabs is a good idea, so it is a good thing that you'll be getting them. Peabody's Paradise sells root tabs for $5, and they have a wide plant selection.

 

[Caliban07]

Hi all, I have a few low light plants in my tank, I'm just wondering what could I put in there for minerals? I don't think they are getting enough from my tap water, I dose with flourish, and put in a root tab very so often ( not sure how often I should use them). I am waiting for a co2 system that's on order.
Thanks for any suggestions, I am new to a planted tank and would love to plant it heavily, but am having a lot of losses.

I have 2 x 25w t8 bulbs in my tank. Within a week off adding them they started to die.

I looked at my water report and found that my water was very soft and didn't contain many nutrients.

I added some crushed coral to my filter for calcium and magnesium and started doing weekly microferts feropol I think it's called.

Everything just took off. Granted they are beginner plants and mostly stems. Think these mostly take nutrients in from there leaves. Not a plant expert though.

 

[anteatergoanna]

Hey, thanks for your thoughts. Will definitely do the coral, my water is very soft too, so hopefully that will help.

 

[BBradbury]

Low Light Plants and CO2

Hi all, I have a few low light plants in my tank, I'm just wondering what could I put in there for minerals? I don't think they are getting enough from my tap water, I dose with flourish, and put in a root tab very so often ( not sure how often I should use them). I am waiting for a co2 system that's on order.
Thanks for any suggestions, I am new to a planted tank and would love to plant it heavily, but am having a lot of losses.

Hello ant...

The dark green aquatic plants generally require only low or subdued light and don't require high end fertilizing, like a CO2 system. The system is pricey and tricky to set up.

I keep low light plants in my tanks and a couple of bulbs from the hardware store are plenty of light and don't use commercial fertilizers, just the ferts the fish produce and large, frequent water changes.

I think if you returned the CO2 system and just fed your fish a balanced diet and changed a lot of tank water, your plants would be fine.

Attached is a pic of a tank with no special lighting or ferts and low light plants.

Pretty easy.

B

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[PatrickL]

Hello ant...

The dark green aquatic plants generally require only low or subdued light and don't require high end fertilizing, like a CO2 system. The system is pricey and tricky to set up.

I keep low light plants in my tanks and a couple of bulbs from the hardware store are plenty of light and don't use commercial fertilizers, just the ferts the fish produce and large, frequent water changes.

I think if you returned the CO2 system and just fed your fish a balanced diet and changed a lot of tank water, your plants would be fine.

Attached is a pic of a tank with no special lighting or ferts and low light plants.

Pretty easy.

B

[/URL][/IMG]

What kind of plants do you have along the bottom?

 

[Caliban07]

Hello ant...

The dark green aquatic plants generally require only low or subdued light and don't require high end fertilizing, like a CO2 system. The system is pricey and tricky to set up.

I keep low light plants in my tanks and a couple of bulbs from the hardware store are plenty of light and don't use commercial fertilizers, just the ferts the fish produce and large, frequent water changes.

I think if you returned the CO2 system and just fed your fish a balanced diet and changed a lot of tank water, your plants would be fine.

Attached is a pic of a tank with no special lighting or ferts and low light plants.

Pretty easy.

B

[/URL][/IMG]

I suppose it depends a little on the makeup of your source water and how often and how much you do water changes to replenish the trace elements.

I was really struggling to keep my low light plants alive until I added a small amount of fertilisers and a touch of crushed coral. Maybe they were just taking to the new water but they were turning yellow.


Once I stabilised the plants I cut back on ferts and the plants are doing fine. Too much ferts = algae

 

[BBradbury]

Low Light Plants

Hello Pat...

There's Anubias nana, Anubias nangi and some Java fern.

B

 

[anteatergoanna]

Wow, they look great!! I do 2 x 30% wc's a week, but for some reason I can't grow plants, I have a sand substrate and put fert tabs in, maybe I do it too often, I usually put them in monthly. I have java fern, that's about the only one that looks any good. I'm going to increase the lighting, I have T5, at the moment. I run the daylight tube for 8 hrs a day.

 

[Mebbid]

Wow, they look great!! I do 2 x 30% wc's a week, but for some reason I can't grow plants, I have a sand substrate and put fert tabs in, maybe I do it too often, I usually put them in monthly. I have java fern, that's about the only one that looks any good. I'm going to increase the lighting, I have T5, at the moment. I run the daylight tube for 8 hrs a day.

What plants have you tried so far?

 

[anteatergoanna]

To be honest I don't know a lot of the names now, old age has got me lol. I am starting to think that I just bought the wrong plants for my set up. Once the co2 and the stronger lights arrive I might have more luck. I have just bought some wisteria and fresh water seaweed, hopefully they will survive!

 

[anteatergoanna]

As you can see by the photos, they are not looking too good. In the background of number 2. There is a plant with one long leaf, that used to have heaps of leaves, it frays, like material, at first I thought the fish were pulling it apart, but they weren't going near it!
I dose with Excel 2 x weekly, plus have put fert tabs in the sand.

 

[Mr. Nowhere]

Excel should be dosed daily it breaks down in about 24 hours

Sent from my SGH-T599N using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[anteatergoanna]

Sorry meant Flourish, dose Excel every second day