Plants don't grow

[nicolej]

Hi all, I have a 29 gallon that will not grow plants. The plants will survive generally but not thrive it grow much past the bottom 1/4 of the tank. I have low light plants, mostly crypts, the light in on for 9 hours a day ( used to be lo get but thought I might have too much light and that's the problem?)....the light is a power glo 24w t5. I dose the tank twice a week with tailored aquatics iron and amazon elements. Our water has very little in it.... it's city water and is pretty much useless for plants. They have flourite gravel also.
All the plants don't grow more that about 4 " tall, many get holes in their leaves and have very little color too them or some are even yellowing. The crypts were originally from a tank on well water and were huge and brilliantly colored. I've tried for over 2 years now to get them back to their previous splendor with zero luck. Even the java fern look crappy ! New plants pop up now and then but they barely grow!

Any help much appreciated!

 

[TMaier]

Add some root tabs. Are there fish in the tank? Their waste also feeds the plants.

 

[nirbhao]

Have you had the same light for two years? The fluorescent lights can fade in a way that we don't notice but the plants do.

 

[Funken_A]

24 w florescent on a 29 gallon might be too low of light especially if the light is 6 months to a year old. Florescents lose intensity quickly.

 

[gauravstone7]

Keep it in a place where it gets sunlight also, and you need a java moss along with some natural driftwood as have plenty of some natural aquatic soil or sand that helps in plant growth.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Keep it in a place where it gets sunlight also, and you need a java moss along with some natural driftwood as have plenty of some natural aquatic soil or sand that helps in plant growth.

That's a big no-no. Sunlight will enhance algae growth.

Hi all, I have a 29 gallon that will not grow plants. The plants will survive generally but not thrive it grow much past the bottom 1/4 of the tank. I have low light plants, mostly crypts, the light in on for 9 hours a day ( used to be lo get but thought I might have too much light and that's the problem?)....the light is a power glo 24w t5. I dose the tank twice a week with tailored aquatics iron and amazon elements. Our water has very little in it.... it's city water and is pretty much useless for plants. They have flourite gravel also.

All the plants don't grow more that about 4 " tall, many get holes in their leaves and have very little color too them or some are even yellowing. The crypts were originally from a tank on well water and were huge and brilliantly colored. I've tried for over 2 years now to get them back to their previous splendor with zero luck. Even the java fern look crappy ! New plants pop up now and then but they barely grow!



Any help much appreciated!

What is the bulb's kelvin rating? For planted tanks, we generally aim for 6,500 K bulbs. This bulb may not have the right spectrum for plant growth. As mentioned earlier, you may need to change your bulb out and get a new one. Also, as some others mentioned, add some root tabs for the Crypts. You will probably need to add some micro nutrients. Holes are a sign of a potassium (K) deficiency. Is your tank tall? If so, you may need to add one extra bulb if the PAR is too low. Generally, 15-30 PAR will be good enough for low light planted tanks.

 

[nicolej]

Yes there are fish, shrimp and snails. Mopani wood and some java moss ...although i had to get rid of mostbof it becayse of a hair algae problem i cant kick. I've had the exact same problem with multiple different lights in this tank. No matter what light I use they stay short and unremarkable. I was wondering about potassium...my friend who I got them from sides daily with potassium... not sure how much i would need for this tank to dose with.

I always thought if they weren't getting enough light plants grow tall and lanky trying to reach it?