Need a little help!

[Keeper]

I am having a really tough time with my(the fiance's) roseafolia. She is running a 10 gal with bio-wheel(also having problems with) and 2x20 PC from coralife. She doses with Flourish, Flourish excel and Flourish iron as reccomended by the manufacturer. The bottom half of the plants are bare(probably lack of light) and the top leaves are starting to turn transparent while growing a green algae on them. The lights stay on about 10hrs a day and weekly water chages are done. Any ideas on cause or remedies. All help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Ryan

 

[Steve Hampton]

My first guess would be that her plants are nitrogen starved. Do you have a current nitrate test result? If so, could you post the NO3 level and what brand test kit was used? If the tank is nitrogen limited, Seachem makes a nitrogen fertilizer that's affordable to use for a 10G tank. Alternately you could buy and use potassium nitrate (KNO3) but for such a small tank I'd use a commercial product like either Seachem's Nitrogen or Kent Botanica Nitro+.

 

[Keeper]

ok...using aquarium pharm test kits

PH - 7.6

Nitrites - .25ppm(did immediate water change)

Nitrates - 0 - 0.50ppm

 

[krap101]

i think it might be needs some c02

 

[Keeper]

not sure if the CO2 is the problem. The Flourish is supposed to be the CO2 supplement. Do I need to my KH/GH to figure out my CO2 levels?

 

[Steve Hampton]

ok...using aquarium pharm test kits


Nitrates - 0 - 0.50ppm

Thanks for the followup information. You definitely have a nitrogen deficiency problem. This needs to be addressed soon or you are likely to have Blue Green Algae (cyanobacteria) develop too. Nitrate, the preferred form of nitrogen for planted tanks needs to be maintained at levels in the 5-20ppm range. Purchase one of the products I mentioned in my other post or if you want to try a DIY method you can buy some potassium nitrate. Either way adding nitrate (nitrogen) will quickly restore her plants health.

 

[Keeper]

Appreciate the help. I will pick up the Seachem Flourish Nitrogen tommorow. I'll update accordingly. Thanks again

 

[betowess]

If you have Seachem's Excell, that is their CO2 supplement. Flourish is their micro nutrient supplement, I believe.

 

[Keeper]

Mine says Organic carbon supplement on the front but it is just the "Flourish". Not the flourish excel.(wonder if it is the same)

 

[Keeper]

Nevermind my last post. I was at work and totally messed up. The flourish excel is the carbon supplement .

*bow's to Betowess*

 

[Keeper]

Update. I dosed with nitrogen yesterday. It says to do this twice a week...any suggestions. I just tested the parameters and they read as follows:

PH - 7.6
Ammonia - 0ppm

NitrIte - 0ppm

NitrAte - 0ppm(this concerns me beacause we were reading about 30ppm a couple weeks ago)

Any ideas on extra things to do to help out the tank? And the plants