Plants?

[AngelWings]

Hi all! I have a great 150g that has been running for about a year now. We've had awesome luck, no problems with such fish or anything. I feel like I should knock on wood.





Right now I have a couple live plants. The anubia nanas are doing great but everything else has just withered away. Since I've never had any plant experience, I'm not sure what the problem is. Could it be lighting? There are 2 40W broad spectrum aquarium florescent bulbs. Is that too little? Here's a pixie of what the leaves are doing. Is this a sword plant? I don't recall the name.




Plus there is some hairy black stuff growing on the edges of the leaves and on the rocks. Its that good or bad?

I'd like to plant much more thickly, but nothing seems to thrive. I'd like to stay as low tech as possible. What do you suggest?

~Dawn~

 

[Rivercats]

The black hairy algae sounds like BBA. You can spot treat it with Excel. Do you use root tab fertilizers and water column fertilizers. Swords are nutrient hogs and need fertilization in the substrate. Don't know what all plants you have but you have to fertilize. Using liquid carbon ( excel) will also help plant growth. As for lighting you can go get plant grow bulbs in the 6700K range. I'm not up on my T8 bulbs but there are plenty of plant bulbs you can choose from. Lowes, Home Depot, or any hardware store should have some.

 

[AngelWings]

I don't fertilize as much as I should so I'll definitely step that up.

I'm not sure what BBA is?

Are the two forty watt bulbs enough for a tank of this size (150gal)?

Thanks!

 

[Rivercats]

BBA is Black brush algae. Make sure your dosing micro and macro nutrients. I have a 220g and I use dry ferts which is really cheap. Here's a link: Aquarium Plant Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums
I buy the Green Fertilizer package which has both you micro and macro ferts.
I dose them using the PPS-Pro method: https://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro
It's very easy to do. Then all you need are some good root tabs for your swords and crypts if you have any.

As for light, that is pretty low lighting. If you could afford to upgrade to at least T5HO lighting your plants would do much better and you could grow a bigger variety. I have a big Coralife fixture with a combo of metal halides and T5HO lights, but I have a heavily planted tank. With your current lighting about all you could grow are java ferns, anubia, and crypts.

 

[AngelWings]

Wonderful! Thanks a million. I'll post again when its looking gorgeous.

 

[AngelWings]

Okay, making progress, got new lighting installed. T5 80 watt, 4 bulbs, 6500K each. That's just over 2 watts per gallon, and I figure with the extra depth of the 150gal tank, that should probably count as moderate lighting?



Plants and fertilizers, both macro and micro, are on order. Wish me luck!!

 

[clearancepuppy]

Stunning tank!

 

[AngelWings]

Thanks! As always, it's a work in progress.