Planted tank tips and tricks

[blueramboy87]

Ok guys so I just got a few new live plants for the first time and would just like to know what tips you people have for a newbie to plants. And also how do you know if a plant is healthy?
thanks in advance

 

[fort384]

It starts with providing the proper lighting, and then balancing macro nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and micro nutrients or trace elements.

Then, you have to look towards Carbon supplementation either through a glutaraldehyde product like flourish excel or injecting CO2.

Once things are in balance, plants will out compete algae and thrive. If any of the above is out of balance, algae will grow wonderfully, but plants, perhaps not so much.

 

[blueramboy87]

Thanks for replying but how do I know if my plants are thriving

 

[Scottyhorse]

Could you post pictures of them? It depends on how they are growing and looking.

 

[blueramboy87]

Here is a pic of the two I got
The first was labeled a narrow leaf java fern and the second was labeled Anubis congensis they were from those containers at petsmart by top fin

 

[Coursair]

Here is a pic of the two I got
The first was labeled a narrow leaf java fern and the second was labeled Anubis congensis they were from those containers at petsmart by top fin

You need to make sure the Rhizome ( the thick horizontal root) is ABOVE the gravel. You can plant the thin roots or tie the plants to rocks or wood.

I think that is regular Java Fern. Hard to tell from pic, but mine is very narrow from base to tip of leaf.

Both are easy plants.

 

[Zimmanski]

You need to make sure the Rhizome ( the thick horizontal root) is ABOVE the gravel. You can plant the thin roots or tie the plants to rocks or wood.

I think that is regular Java Fern. Hard to tell from pic, but mine is very narrow from base to tip of leaf.

Both are easy plants.

+1 except for the ID, looks like a narrow leaf to me, at least it looks exactly like my narrow leaf anyway. Care is still the same though, definitely pull the rhizome out, if you don't the plant will rot after a couple weeks or less. Easy way to tell if it has rotted pull it out and smell it, sounds weird but I had a fern that the rhizome got buried and when I pulled it out it smelled absolutely awful.

 

[blueramboy87]

ok do both need their rhizome exposed? And sorry about the bad pics all I have is my ipod

 

[Zimmanski]

The second one I'm unsure about the ID but looks as though it has a rhizome as well so it should be pulled out.

 

[blueramboy87]

Ok I have made sure the rhizome is out on both but on the java fern, the bottoms roots were all like brown and dirt like is this normal? The other one was not like that.

 

[Zimmanski]

Ok I have made sure the rhizome is out on both but on the java fern, the bottoms roots were all like brown and dirt like is this normal? The other one was not like that.

My java ferns roots are brown, the rhizome is bright green though.

 

[blueramboy87]

Ok so I guess it's normal