Lighting help!

[Bgkf1996]

I have a problem with my plants the leaves on the amazon swords keep going brown if it's my nitrate levels how do I bring that down or what lighting is best for these plants thanks

 

[BBradbury]

Lighting Help

I have a problem with my plants the leaves on the amazon swords keep going brown if it's my nitrate levels how do I bring that down or what lighting is best for these plants thanks

Hello Bg...

Having a planted tank takes time. You need to do three things and keep doing them and then give the tank time to establish good water conditions and the plants time to get used to those conditions.

First, you must match the plant to the right lighting. Bulbs close to the 6500 K range are best for planted tanks, because they come closest to natural daylight at 5500 K. Most Amazon swords need moderate light, so you need to get the watts per gallon close to 2.

Next, you need to have a good source of fertilizer. For my tanks, I have a lot of fish, so fertilizer is no problem. If you don't have fish, then you need to dose a commercial fert, like dry, granules or liquid.

Last, you need to be flushing a lot of clean, treated water through your tank. By doing weekly water changes of at least half the tank's volume, you replace minerals in the tank that keep the plants healthy.

There's really no mystery to having a nice, planted tank. The problems start when you don't do one of the things I listed.

Just one waterkeeper's opinion.

B

 

[Bgkf1996]

Thanks alot for your help turns out it was my lighting plants are growing and looking well