New to planted aquarium advice needed

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Cander12

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 12, 2020
Messages
10
So I’ve recently bought aquarium plants and it doesn’t like they are doing well. In the tank I’ve ludwigia bacopa and cabomba. I’ve added fertilizer to the tank and I’ve root tabs. However most of the plants were cuttings and they didn’t have any formed roots. I was wondering then If my light is good enough then. It’s a nicrew and I’ll ad pictures. It’s the 20-27”. IMG_4633.jpgIMG_4632.jpgIMG_4626.jpgIMG_4625.jpg
 
Hi, couple of thoughts would be:


Algae - looks like you have none or little so good there.


Light - reads more for viewing then plants but may be ok on shallow tanks. One with more reds will help plants. If you had a spare light could try it and just take out if start getting algae. Having said that - extra light with not enough ferts / CO2 can trigger algae. So need to find balance. I tend to buy mid-range planted tank lights and decrease intensity to where algae is low.


Good water flow around substrate will improve CO2 recharge. A split photo-period is also suggested for CO2 recharge. Liquid carbon (glut) may help a little.


Plants I often find can take a bit to adjust to tank and take off. Sometimes plants just don't work out. Would keep up the ferts dosing and root tabs (clay based). Is the cabomba getting any sideways shoots at all? This would suggest it's getting enough light to grow sideways rather then growing up for the light. Do you have test kits or can shop do this? You want nitrates around 20ppm for plants.


Substrate - along with water flow imo this is important. Plants will pull ferts from the water column but they will benefit from clay-based root tabs.


The bacopa looks to be rotting out which may mean it doesn't like your tank or stems were crushed. It also has leaves lost at base which either means not enough light and/or CO2 / ferts (eg potassium) not high enough (so plant puts energy into leaves near surface).


I would suggest making sure flow rate has leaves, etc moving slightly at substrate. That way you know CO2 is making it's way down from surface. CO2 will only be around several ppm (CO2 injected tanks are more like 30pmm) so plant growth will be slow and it's probably going to be limiting factor. Regular ferts dosing so you know ferts are in abundance. Clay-based tabs to improve gravel substrate. Then try increasing lighting. Change one thing at a time and see if it makes a difference.
 
Hi, couple of thoughts would be:


Algae - looks like you have none or little so good there.


Light - reads more for viewing then plants but may be ok on shallow tanks. One with more reds will help plants. If you had a spare light could try it and just take out if start getting algae. Having said that - extra light with not enough ferts / CO2 can trigger algae. So need to find balance. I tend to buy mid-range planted tank lights and decrease intensity to where algae is low.


Good water flow around substrate will improve CO2 recharge. A split photo-period is also suggested for CO2 recharge. Liquid carbon (glut) may help a little.


Plants I often find can take a bit to adjust to tank and take off. Sometimes plants just don't work out. Would keep up the ferts dosing and root tabs (clay based). Is the cabomba getting any sideways shoots at all? This would suggest it's getting enough light to grow sideways rather then growing up for the light. Do you have test kits or can shop do this? You want nitrates around 20ppm for plants.


Substrate - along with water flow imo this is important. Plants will pull ferts from the water column but they will benefit from clay-based root tabs.


The bacopa looks to be rotting out which may mean it doesn't like your tank or stems were crushed. It also has leaves lost at base which either means not enough light and/or CO2 / ferts (eg potassium) not high enough (so plant puts energy into leaves near surface).


I would suggest making sure flow rate has leaves, etc moving slightly at substrate. That way you know CO2 is making it's way down from surface. CO2 will only be around several ppm (CO2 injected tanks are more like 30pmm) so plant growth will be slow and it's probably going to be limiting factor. Regular ferts dosing so you know ferts are in abundance. Clay-based tabs to improve gravel substrate. Then try increasing lighting. Change one thing at a time and see if it makes a difference.



Ok thanks for all of those advice I’ll starting doing these things to hopefully help
 
Good luck. Java fern, val, needle leaf plants, etc I find do quite well here. Just worked my way through trying plants until found good ones.
 
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