Why Do My Plants Keep Dying?!

[DeirdreHoyle]

I just bought two red amazon sword plants and within a day of being in my tank, they've already developed holes in the younger, red leaves. I have a flourish root tab in close to the roots of both plants, and I use flourish potassium and an iron rich fertilizer. They don't seem to be getting better...what am I doing wrong?
I also had a temple plant with the same issue.

 

[wildroseofky]

Holes or ragged areas in the leaves are usually a sign of phosphate deficiency. Swords are heavy root feeders so you may need more root tabs. What type of light do you have? They need pretty high light too. Flourish Complete is the fertilizer I started with. I used Jobe plant spikes that are meant for house plants as root tabs and my amazon sword outgrew my 29 gallon tank. It started to get holes in the leaves and I upped the Flourish. That fixed it. I then moved on to dry fertilizer. Hope some of this helps.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

Holes or ragged areas in the leaves are usually a sign of phosphate deficiency. Swords are heavy root feeders so you may need more root tabs. What type of light do you have? They need pretty high light too. Flourish Complete is the fertilizer I started with. I used Jobe plant spikes that are meant for house plants as root tabs and my amazon sword outgrew my 29 gallon tank. It started to get holes in the leaves and I upped the Flourish. That fixed it. I then moved on to dry fertilizer. Hope some of this helps.

Ok, I think I'm going to shove a root tab under each plant. I was going to get more gravel because the top of the roots are exposed, I dont know if that could be hurting the swords at all. As for lighting, I don't have any special lights. Just the standard 120 volt 19 watt, 24 inch aquarium light. I dont really know the measurements people use for light lol I got it at Fred Meyers. I'm totally open to buying new light or whatever I need. I have a 29 gallon tank too, and I would love my plants to start looking healthy and growing! Thanks.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Is the bulb you're using full spectrum? Not all bulbs are created equal and may lack the right spectrum to facilitate healthy plant growth.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

Is the bulb you're using full spectrum? Not all bulbs are created equal and may lack the right spectra to facilitate healthy plant growth.

I don't know if the bulb is full spectrum, probably not. I'm going to my lfs tomorrow to get some new good lighting. Hopefully that will solve the problem

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Sounds good... let us know if you need help in selecting lighting options. You should weigh the benefits from switching to LEDs versus florescents.

 

[wildroseofky]

If it is the standard hood lights that come with the tank, then it is not enough light. A 29 gallon tank needs pretty strong light to get to the substrate. I used three of those clamp on metal dome lights you get in the tool section of Walmart with Spiral CFL daylight bulbs and grew a lot of high light plants. Cheap to start out with and see how much you want to put into it. I moved on to T5 lights and CO2. I still use the clamp lights on my 10 and 5 gallon tanks and grow very high light plants. High light needs CO2 supplementation or you will get algae. With the CFL flourescent lights you can pick the wattage and get low, medium, or high light. You could also replace the hood lights with CFL bulbs in 6500k (daylight) spectrum and grow low light plants.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

I bought my tank from a guy off Craigslist and the light he had didn't work. I just went to Fred Meyers and bought a 24" aquarium light that sits on top of the tank, it's actually not even long enough to cover the whole length of the tank but until I had plants I never worried about it. From what I've read online, I want some kind of T5 lighting but I don't want to get algae (although I could get an algae eater). How do I get carbon into the water to combat excess algae?

I appreciate all the help guys

 

[wildroseofky]

There are three ways to get carbon into your tank. One is use a liquid supplement like Excel, API CO2 booster, or a Metricide 14 solution. Then you have our DIY CO2 which is cheap and easy to set up, and then you have your pressurized CO2 that requires the purchase of special equipment. You can find instructions for all of these here or on line. Just do a search. I use the first two because they are the cheapest. I like my T5 lighting. I have a dual T5 on my 29 gallon tank and grow high light plants in it with no algae.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

Ok, so I finally went out and bought a dual T5 light for my aquarium and some Flourish Excel. The tank looks so much brighter! I'm hoping my swords will start looking healthier, right now there are holes in a lot of the leaves. I'll keep you guys updated on their progress.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

There are three ways to get carbon into your tank. One is use a liquid supplement like Excel, API CO2 booster, or a Metricide 14 solution. Then you have our DIY CO2 which is cheap and easy to set up, and then you have your pressurized CO2 that requires the purchase of special equipment. You can find instructions for all of these here or on line. Just do a search. I use the first two because they are the cheapest. I like my T5 lighting. I have a dual T5 on my 29 gallon tank and grow high light plants in it with no algae.

Is yours an aqualife dual T5? If so, do you use the legs on yours or just sit it on the tank lid? Mine fits perfectly on top of my tank but if I use the legs with it it will be too big.

 

[wildroseofky]

I have the Oddysea dual T5. It came with metal legs that fit the sides of the tank. If you have a glass lid, you can put the light on top and just use a couple of small pieces of wood, Styrofoam block, or something to raise it up just a little to allow heat to escape. You could even use a thick pencil. Just something to allow a little room under the light. That will keep the glass from getting too hot. I have set the metal dome lights directly on a glass top with not problem and nothing to prop them up. Never had a problem.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

I have the Oddysea dual T5. It came with metal legs that fit the sides of the tank. If you have a glass lid, you can put the light on top and just use a couple of small pieces of wood, Styrofoam block, or something to raise it up just a little to allow heat to escape. You could even use a thick pencil. Just something to allow a little room under the light. That will keep the glass from getting too hot. I have set the metal dome lights directly on a glass top with not problem and nothing to prop them up. Never had a problem.

Yeah my lid is plastic with a glass opening where the light sits, I just set my light directly on top of it. I hope it doesn't get too hot!

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

So to update, my plants are doing 10 times better, the light really helped. Some of the leaves still have holes but they are healing well and some new leaves have started growing. Thanks for your help guys