My plants Keep Dying!!!

[Scott1980]

Ok, I've got to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've got a 10 gallon Freshwater with 4 neon tetras, 3 black skirt tetras, 1 Corey Dora, 1 African Dwarf Frog. Overstocked (I know). My gravel is cheapo Walmart Gravel but small. My bulb is a 15 Watt Zoo Med with a Full Spectrum 6500 K. I've had Giant Hydros's, Beaty Plants, and someting else I can't remember the name. Plus a Java Fern. I leave my light on for about 13 hours a day. Recently I started adding Algae fix to the tank because Aglae was growing on my plants. Then I added Leaf Zone Fertilizer. Then the Sea Chem tablets you plant in the gravel. I change 50% of my water every week. All my plants do is leaves fall off and the stem dies or the leaves just kind of roll up and the end starts decaying then it dies. My Java Fern which is supposed to be easy, doesn't die, but it doesn't flourish either. It just stays the way it is and doesn't grow. I really want to buy more plants but i can't afford it when they keep dying. Someone help please. Do I just need to break down and buy a Designed for plants substrate and start over.

Scott

 

[Electrobes]

I think its your lighting.. when you java fern doesn;t flourish, and your other plants die.. thats you light... you said you had a bulb.. that means its incandecent. for plants you need about 3 watts per gallon, you only have 15/10, and an incandecent light bulb isn't very good at providing the light that plants need, only heat that algae love.

 

[Scott1980]

The guy at lfs said that this was a special plant bulb. Stupid thing cost me $25. I was starting to wonder if it's just the cheapo Walmart Gravel

 

[Scott1980]

ok, I just got off the phone with supposedly the plant expert at lfs, a different one then what I bought the bulb from. He says that my lighting sounds like not enough wattage. This is making me mad. Before I started the whole plant thing I heard the light is fine, just leave it on for a long time. Then when I left it on for a long time I got a lot of algae. Then I had to get a algaie killer(before I just scraped it off the glass with a magnet). Then they say "oh buy this $25 special designed plant bulb". Then they say your plants still aren't doing well, "well add this plant fertilizer". Now this guy at another lfs says "your bulb isn't enough but we sell this special light fixture that any plant will grow in but it's $50"

I need someone to start thinking my wallet instead of thier own. If I need a better light I'll get it but I've gotta be sure before I scrape out more money for a useless product.

 

[ostrichkiller]

both from this websight and the local fish store have told you that it is your light than i would change my light too. i know exactlly what you mean i have gotten alot of shitty advice from alot of people, and especially from wally world (wal mart) if you think about it the people on here don't give to craps about money all they want is what is best for you and your fish and plants. the people at the local fish store want money so they can stay open but they also want you to be happy so that you are a repeat customer. all they do is fish so that is what they know. the idiots at walmart, sorry for anyone that works there and know a damn thing at all, but 90% of the people there a dumb. if you think about it the person that they usually have answering fish questions is the same person that work in the small kids clothing section and is only telling you what will make you happy and they money. they don't care about you, fish, plants, or anything becuase no matter how dumb they are people still shop there and when they have problems the go other places for answers. i think the entire damn chain should be shut down. mabey i am a little bitter because of the crap i put up with from people that i spend hours helping and answering questions just to find out that they went to walmart to buy there dvd player and were told that you have to buy a dvd rewinder to make it work. if there is anyone reading this that is nopw thinking aobut going out and buying a dvd rewinder i want you to do something, pick up your keyboard and smack yourself in the face with it because you are an idiot too.
-Jim

 

[Crow]

pick up your keyboard and smack yourself in the face with it because you are an idiot too.

Harsh! But I have to second you on the Walmart tip.

Scott1980, I have to agree that it's lighting. But you don't necessarily need to buy the $50 specialty light fixture. You just need to get 30W of light above your tank with something shiny pointing it downward. A trip to the hardware store, some creativity and improvisation might get the job done cheaper. You really only need the speciality bulbs and what not if you want the absolutely lushest jungle of an aquarium your side of the mississippi. If you just want nice looking plants, you just need enough light.

30W and something shiney pointing it downward will grow just about any plant that doesn't require especially intense lighting. Or only purchase plants that don't require much light.

 

[Madame_X]

The guy at lfs said that this was a special plant bulb. Stupid thing cost me $25. I was starting to wonder if it's just the cheapo Walmart Gravel

I think its BOTH.

It might be a special plant bulb, but 15W is too low even for a 10 gallon tank. Java fern will be just fine with this light, but little else will. Even the java fern will grow very slowly with this amount of light.

I also think your gravel is a problem. If its actually Walmart aquarium gravel, its probably coated. You're wasting your money putting the Seachem substrate tabs in coated gravel--there's nothing for the nutrients to absorb into.

I think you need to address both of these problems and discontinue the water column fertilizers you're adding until you do (or at least, cut way back). All you're doing is feeding the algae.

 

[Guest]

Read the very top sticky in this forum. It's your light. You are at 1.5 watts per gallon. That's not enough. On smaller tanks and 10 gallons is a smaller tank you need more watts that even the old rule of thumb would indicate. The reason for this is the tanks are so short that the light doesn't have time to spread across the whole tank. On my running 10 gallon tank right now I have 45 watts of light and it's still just a medium light tank instead of the high light tank one would think it is with 4.5 watts per gallon.

Stop using the Algae fix. It is not good for the plants. Your algae is caused by plants dying and adding a bunch of nutrients to your water. Have you checked your nitrate levels?

 

[Scott1980]

ok, so now that I've determined I don't have enough lighting. I did some shopping. I haven't found any thing more then 15 watts at the lfs. I looked at my light fixture, turns out it says no more then 15 aloud. I've never checked my nitrate levels, I'll have to buy a tester. Explains why there so hard to find. So, suggestions on how
#1 to get more watts
#2 to get plants that just need 15 (not my favorite idea)
#3 could I mix some plant gravel in with my other gravel without killing my fish.

I would like to get a 20-30 gallon. But I live in an apartment and my space is extremely limited. Althought I think I can fit in a 20, but that's months down the road. Thanks for everyones help.

Scott

 

[Guest]

Head over to www.ahsupply.com and check out what they offer. For my next 10 gallon I'm going to get their pre-built enclosure since my carpentry skills are severely lacking and a 36 watt kit. I think the extra height of the enclosure will help the light spread a lot.

 

[tomfleet]

Aside from the lighting I'd definitely lay off the algae killer, like Rex G said too. I'm just a beginner and so my advice isn't worth much. But the story is, all my plants had been doing terribly (I've had problems with lighting, CO2 and minerals), except my microsorium. Then I added a C02 feed and MasterGro fertilizer.....the microsorium seemed OK as usual, the other plants continued to drop like flies(...ugh, what a ghastly way to put it...), but the algae exploded .... so I added a powder-form algae killer.... result: all the dying plants disintegrated in a matter of a week and the microsorium are fading fast too. (Oh, and the algae didn't go away.) Among aquarists in Korea, where I am, it's basic wisdom that you never put any kind of algae killer in a planted tank--you got algae, you just scrub it-- though it's possible that's due to lack of safe algaecides here....maybe there are "safe" ones in the US, but if in doubt why insert what's essentially a herbicide among your plants.

 

[Scott1980]

I was talking to a friend of mine who's got a 20 gallon. He's got several low light plants all doing fine with only .75 wpg. But he has the Eco-Complete for his substrate. I had put a flourish tab by SeaChem under one of the plants and it had sprouted leaves within a week. So I'm thinking more and more it's my cheapo gravel. From reading around on this site to, so many people have positive things to say about Eco-Complete, just an interesting observation. If I were to change that gravel outto Eco Complete, any suggestions on how to do it without killing my fish.