new plants don't grow in an established tank

[mmohamma]

Hello all,

I have a slow plant growth issue in my tank. For a while, I've had crypts, and couple of melon swords in my tank. They are pretty established plants and keep growing regularly. But, recently, I've purchased some new plants for my tank, but they don't seem to be growing at all. I got some water sprite and wisteria over two month ago. I got them because I thought that they were a fast growing and low tech plants which don't require CO2. But unfortunately, they are not growing much, or I should say not at all. They are starting to deteriorate. Same thing happened to Bacopas, Money Worts, and Cabomba that I tried in the past.

I have a 65G tank which was established almost 2 years ago. I have finnex lights. I dose the tank with flourish, flourish excel, and potassium. The substrata is a mix of gravel and fluorite.

is there a reason why I can't grow any new plants? are they competing for nutrients with the crypts and the swords?

any tip is greatly appreciated.

-maz

 

[Funken_A]

https://www.aquariumcarebasics.com/aquarium-plants/water-sprite-plant/

Ordinary community tank lighting is acceptable. But growth rate is influenced by lighting intensity and exposure time. Other things being equal, Water Sprite plants grow slower under low lighting conditions and faster under moderate or high lighting setups. Along these lines, longer hours of light will encourage faster growth compared to less hours of light. And the growth rate of Water Sprite floating in aquarium water is faster than the growth rate of the plant rooted in substrate.

so maybe your lighting is not strong enough for these fast growing types of plants.. They would also require the necessary nutrients in the water column where crypts and swords can get them more so from the substrate


https://www.theaquariumguide.com/articles/water-wisteria-guide

It usually grows up to 20 inches high and 10 inches wide, but with lower lighting it will be considerably smaller.

The water wisteria is very easy to care for, as it thrives in many conditions even without CO2 supplementation. For the best look and sturdy leaves, make sure you provide a nutrient rich substrate or at least constant fertilizing with tabs.


Fertilizing is very important, as the plant needs nitrate, phosphate, and, most importantly, iron to have a healthy development. Iron deficiency can easily be noticed if the leaves turn pale and yellowish.

 

[Barliman]

One thing I would suggest is root tabs for the Wisteria; they're heavy root feeders.

 

[mmohamma]

Thank you all for the tips. The light is on approximately 10 hrs/day. So it seems I've providing good light. Perhaps root feeders is the next thing to try.

 

[ZxC]

What model light do you have?

My guess is you are starving your plants.

Flourish contains no NO3 or PO4, both are macro nutrients needed by plants in large quantities.

 

[mmohamma]

The light is Finnex LED. So do you suggest seachem root tabs? It has N, K2O, P2O5.

 

[ZxC]

The light is Finnex LED. So do you suggest seachem root tabs? It has N, K2O, P2O5.

What model light do you have?

I recommend DIY root tabs using gel capsules and granular fertilizer (if any at all, water column fertilizers are all any plant needs).

For an all-in-one fertilizer Thrive is really respected and works well.

 

[Caliban07]

Thank you all for the tips. The light is on approximately 10 hrs/day. So it seems I've providing good light. Perhaps root feeders is the next thing to try.

It’s the intensity that matters more than the photoperiod. I run a 12 hour photoperiod in my tank and the tank receives a lengthy dark period too. This is important for plant circadian rhythm.

Generally, if you have fish you won’t need to dose extra Nitrogen or Phosphate and these elements are naturally low in nature anyway. Especially nitrate-N.

Lack of light is also rarely an issue, especially for the plants you list although the aquarium is quite large. Too much light can cause issues unless there are a few fundamental practices already in place.

In my experience oxygen is KEY to a robust planted tank. Sometimes flow alone is not enough to provide good oxygen levels that help microbes carry out the necessary functions to keep your ecosystem stable.

What are you doing to provide good oxygen levels?

Here is a tank that doses and registers 0ppm No3, Po4 or K. Has good lighting levels and no pump or filtration system. Had no water changes and is only ever topped off using RO water. Substrate is eco complete with similar plants to you, minimal feeding and low stocking.

 

[mmohamma]

Thank you all. I made some changes to the aquarium. I'll post the results in several weeks if they are effective.