My plants are not thriving

[jacpr233]

I guys I have a 72 gal bow and I'm a beginner with plants. I have everything needed for plants (lights, all fertilizers from seachem, driftwood) and my plants are not thriving. The lights are on for 9 hours, I turn on the air at night only, I don't overfeed my fish. The plants with stems only are the ones that are doing the worse. The rooted plant are ok but the have some algae and don't look good. The stems have roots over the water. I don't know if that is normal.

I don't know what to do... I go to the fish store and they tell me the water is fine and lighting is also fine..

I need help!! Thx for your time...

 

[Link119]

Which substrate? Lighting? Plants? How much and often do you dose ferts? CO2?

 

[TotallyCoral]

^True. We need to know those before we can help. Your tank actually looks pretty green from your profile picture though.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Planted Tank

I guys I have a 72 gal bow and I'm a beginner with plants. I have everything needed for plants (lights, all fertilizers from seachem, driftwood) and my plants are not thriving. The lights are on for 9 hours, I turn on the air at night only, I don't overfeed my fish. The plants with stems only are the ones that are doing the worse. The rooted plant are ok but the have some algae and don't look good. The stems have roots over the water. I don't know if that is normal.

I don't know what to do... I go to the fish store and they tell me the water is fine and lighting is also fine..

I need help!! Thx for your time...

Hello jac...

If your tank is new, the water needs time to reach stability. Plants can take weeks to get used to the new water environment. Check your plants light requirements and make sure you're giving it to them.

Most aquatic plants are tropical and used to long hours of daylight. I keep my tank lights on timers, set for 12 hours on and 12 off.

Your plants need nutrients. The bulk nutrients are provided by the fish and large, frequent water changes. So, you need a lot of fish in the tank and feed them a balanced diet.

You need to provide the plants with "trace elements". You can get these at the pet store in liquids, dry, granules or tablets. Just dose per the instructions on the container.

Look into meeting these requirements and your plants should improve.

B

 

[jacpr233]

This is how my stems look like. I was giving 12 hours of light but the algae was coming too fast even with my plecos and snails. Now im giving 9 hours. I have the fertilizers from seachem. Phosphorus, nitrogen, iron, potassium, excel and the comprehensive supplement. I'm dosing according to bottle and I don't see results on the stems.

 

[jacpr233]

This is the other ones

 

[Smcoyle87]

You're plants look pretty healthy to me. Try setting up a diy Co2 system. Maybe 2, you should see a vast improvement

 

[jacpr233]

The rooted plants look ok but not the stem plants

 

[Smcoyle87]

Maybe let them float for a couple of days and see if they grow roots?
If they do, then trim the bottom of the stem below the roots and plant them again. Hope that works!

 

[jacpr233]

Thx. I will do that and see

 

[BBradbury]

Your Plants

I guys I have a 72 gal bow and I'm a beginner with plants. I have everything needed for plants (lights, all fertilizers from seachem, driftwood) and my plants are not thriving. The lights are on for 9 hours, I turn on the air at night only, I don't overfeed my fish. The plants with stems only are the ones that are doing the worse. The rooted plant are ok but the have some algae and don't look good. The stems have roots over the water. I don't know if that is normal.

I don't know what to do... I go to the fish store and they tell me the water is fine and lighting is also fine..

I need help!! Thx for your time...

Hello j...

Plants take time to get used to specific water properties. They'll look poorly and even die back for weeks. I'd avoid getting too concerned if your tank hasn't been running long or you have newer plants.

Here's what I'd do. Keep the water high in minerals by removing and replacing half the tank water every week. For a large tank, it's a chore, but if you do this, you keep up the levels of nitrates, phosphates and sulfates. These are minerals the plants need.

Stock you tank well with fish. Long term, there's no better fert than the kind the fish produce. Just feed them a balanced diet daily.

Check your lighting. It needs to match the needs of your plants. T5s are good, strong light bulbs and 6500Ks are recommended for planted tanks. Two to three of these should be enough, but research your plants' needs.

If you want to add a little to the ferts, then dose a little of the trace elements from a commercial source. I like hydroponics liquids, but there are other in granule, dry or tablets. Just dose according to the instructions.

Just a couple of thoughts to get you started.

B

 

[jacpr233]

Thx for the info. I will wait then. I was concern because the rooted plants are ok. Is just the stems that are not doing good. I have two t5 a 10k and the pink one for lighting. And I'm using all the ferts from seachem. Iron potassium phosphorate, exel and the comprehensive. I do 20% water change every Sunday.