New to REAL plants

[Vanilla Magilla]

First timer with real plants. I have put in an Amazon sword, and micro sword. The Amazon appears to be turning brown. Is there any books that will show me ALL the steps, pruning, care, what to look for in unhealthy and healthy plants? I have two Clown Loach's 4 neons and 1 Dwarf Gourami Ph was 7.2 no ammonia in this tank.

 

[Electrobes]

What lights do you have in your tank??? Plus do you have CO2 running, or whats in your substrate (gravel)? REAL plants require decent lighting for them to grow.. etc.. but yeah mention what you got and we can help from there

 

[BondStreet]

How's it goin bud? Glad you decided on using live plants.

Here's the thing. There is a great deal of care necessary in order to maintain a planted tank(tank with "real" plants). First and most important, is lighting. We need to know how many gallons your tank is, what lighting wattage you are currently running on your tank, and if you have CO2 fertilizer, or fertilizer of any sort thus far. The reason being, your plants will need sufficient light( at LEAST 2 watts per gallon) in order to just survive. Right now it sounds like you don't have sufficient wattage. Wanna know why? You mentioned the plants are turning brown. This is usually a direct result of "low" light. You will not be able to keep plants with insufficient light. They simply won't grow and will die.

You asked about a book. I think a great book is The Aquarium Plants Manual by Scheurmann. The reason I think this is a good starter book, is because it is CHEAP, and it explains planted tanks plain and simple - great for a beginner. It talks about fertilizer(most importantly CO2), necessary lighting, various plants and their maintenance - you get the picture. Try this for starters just to get your feet wet. I am sure others can give you more in-depth material further on down the line.

Anyways, I hope that helps. Don't feel overwhelmed, however, start to take things slowly if necessary. Don't add plants without taking care of the basic lighting first. I'm sure most everyone will agree...

Be well and keep us posted...
Bondstreet

 

[Vanilla Magilla]

Many thanks. To answer some questions, I have an 18 gallon tall with an eclipse hood. It has two flourencent bulbs that are called natural daylight f15t8 is the number on the bulbs, don't know the watt's and can't find the book. The substrate is some stuff that the LFS said would work well. It is already infused with fertilizer and will help with the plants. It came in a bag with water and the instructions said not to wash it. Can't remember the name of it. I have not fertilized the plants at all yet. They have been in the tank for 4 days. Also I read that I should take the plants out of the pot and remove the "foam" that the roots are planted it, any thoughts on that?

 

[Vanilla Magilla]

Many thanks. To answer some questions, I have an 18 gallon tall with an eclipse hood. It has two flourencent bulbs that are called natural daylight f15t8 is the number on the bulbs, don't know the watt's and can't find the book. The substrate is some stuff that the LFS said would work well. It is already infused with fertilizer and will help with the plants. It came in a bag with water and the instructions said not to wash it. Can't remember the name of it. I have not fertilized the plants at all yet. They have been in the tank for 4 days. Also I read that I should take the plants out of the pot and remove the "foam" that the roots are planted it, any thoughts on that?

 

[Vanilla Magilla]

Sorry for the double post, also no CO2

 

[pogo]

Lighting is important with a planted tank, but I have grown some plants with as low as 0.8 wpg, ph=7.8, and hard water. Your Amazon swords should be fine with your lighting (2x15=30W), but they would grow faster with more light. If your substrate contains laterite or flourite, you should be ok without fertilizing. Probably flourite if it said not to wash it. How long has your tank been set up? Sometimes it takes weeks for the plants to adjust to your tanks water quality and lighting and then the plant takes off. Also, I find that plants grow much better after the tank as been up and running for a couple of months. If you have hard water, you can try adding some driftwood. By looking at thefish you have in your tank, I am guessing that you are keeping the temp around 76-78. If your temp is set above 80, you may want to turn you temp down as most plants will not grow as well. The lights should be kept on 10-14 hours per day for optimum growth. The best thing to do is to leave the plant alone so it can get established. I am sure your plants will do fine once they get established. If you tank was recently set up and your Amazon dies, wait a couple of weeks and then try another one.

 

[Vanilla Magilla]

Thanks, I just recently read about the lighting. One book told me that light from the window or normal light was fine. I did some more reseach and with the live plants they need much more light. The tank has been up and running for only a few days. The LFS said there should be no problem with the plants. Thanks again to all who responded and helped.

 

[d9hp]

Dont trust the LFS, natural light means tons of algae, I would keep it away from any window..

 

[Vanilla Magilla]

Oh No it is not in a window. Should I prune or not prune the dying leaves?

 

[Electrobes]

Pruning dying l,eaves is a good idea. Especially if they are large.. but the smaller leaves that fall are okay because they release back into the water CO2 and the such. You said you have an 18 gallon tank? If you can try to achieve at least 2.5-3 watts per gallon (wpg). With that your plants will do just fine. CO2 is a nice option but remember it will speed your plant's growth by a lot (so long you have the lighting to support it). Lights should be on for no longer than 12 hours, any more than that and your plants will get stressed and fret. Its good to measure your water quality (hardness, etc) and conform to your plants needs.