Alternanthera looking a lil dodgy

My Alternanthera is not looking great. My tank has more light on this side yet that Alternanthera (1st 4 pics) looks worse than the one on the other side (last 3 pics).

I wanted the red on the tank but not sure this was a great choice

I use Seachem Flourish Comp, (0.5ml dose twice a week in 58L tank).

My water pH is 8.1, GH 17, KH 23.
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates 0.

Lights on about 12 hours a day with 1 LED lighting system CLA60 Ciano® (8W – 18VDC).

AilyNC said:

My Alternanthera is not looking great. My tank has more light on this side yet that Alternanthera (1st 4 pics) looks worse than the one on the other side (last 3 pics).

I wanted the red on the tank but not sure this was a great choice

I use Seachem Flourish Comp, (0.5ml dose twice a week in 58L tank).

My water pH is 8.1, GH 17, KH 23.
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates 0.

Lights on about 12 hours a day with 1 LED lighting system CLA60 Ciano® (8W – 18VDC).

Click to expand...

Red plants in particular need more red light (of the spectrum) to grow well, so perhaps this light isnt providing enough

mbsqw1d said:

Red plants in particular need more red light (of the spectrum) to grow well, so perhaps this light isnt providing enough

Click to expand...

Maybe that's it. I'd say it'll die the driftwood I got will add some different colour to the tank I suppose and breakup all the green. Pity as it is a lovely plant.

You might have better luck with some crypts, such as wendtii - you can get darker bronze coloured leaved ones that prefer lower levels of light

Cool, I'll have a look for some. I've an Amazon Sword & more Moss to add with my driftwood so some reshuffling to do. That'll give me an idea of space

I like this site for helping with aquascaping ideas
Although at the same time after looking at some I just think whats the point and am close to selling up haha

I just wish I'd the knowledge I have know weeks back. Changing things around is easier in an empty tank you could just have all plant only tanks

mbsqw1d said:

I like this site for helping with aquascaping ideas

Inspiration for aquascapes and planted tanks - Tropica Aquarium Plants

inspirational layouts and aquascapes, ideas for planted tanks

tropica.com

Although at the same time after looking at some I just think whats the point and am close to selling up haha

Click to expand...

Omg, this tank!

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Omg, this tank!

Layout 108 - George Farmer and Jurijs Jutjajevs - Tropica Aquarium Plants

Inspiration and ideas for your planted aquarium.

tropica.com

Click to expand...

He's a damn show off haha

AilyNC said:

My Alternanthera is not looking great. My tank has more light on this side yet that Alternanthera (1st 4 pics) looks worse than the one on the other side (last 3 pics).

I wanted the red on the tank but not sure this was a great choice

I use Seachem Flourish Comp, (0.5ml dose twice a week in 58L tank).

My water pH is 8.1, GH 17, KH 23.
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates 0.

Lights on about 12 hours a day with 1 LED lighting system CLA60 Ciano® (8W – 18VDC).

Click to expand...

Alternanthera with not enough light will grow green instead of red your plant though is showing signs of nutrient deficiency. From the black spots on leaves magnesium deficiency and from your water readings of 0 nitrates nitrogen deficiency. Planted tanks should have nitrates of at least 5ppm for growth.
Heres some graphics of what different nutrient deficiency looks like in plants
Once one identifies the deficiency one need only add that nutrient to help plant.
Plants feed two ways from leaves and roots. If one us already using a liquid fert make sure its a comprehensive one that has all 17 nutrients in it that plants need. Seachem flourish is comprehensive. If one doesnt have root tabs for rooted and stem plants add a comprehensive root tab. Good luck!

utahfish said:

Alternanthera with not enough light will grow green instead of red your plant though is showing signs of nutrient deficiency. From the black spots on leaves magnesium deficiency and from your water readings of 0 nitrates nitrogen deficiency. Planted tanks should have nitrates of at least 5ppm for growth.
Heres some graphics of what different nutrient deficiency looks like in plants

Redirect Notice

images.app.goo.gl

Once one identifies the deficiency one need only add that nutrient to help plant.
Plants feed two ways from leaves and roots. If one us already using a liquid fert make sure its a comprehensive one that has all 17 nutrients in it that plants need. Seachem flourish is comprehensive. If one doesnt have root tabs for rooted and stem plants add a comprehensive root tab. Good luck!

Click to expand...

The tap water has nitrate reading of 20 so I find it really hard to tell if my tank is zero or additional 10. But there are nitrates in the water.

I've been using the Seachem Flourish Comp but no root tabs. I'll go find some online now. Thank you

I didn't really have much luck with alternanthera either. I had a few stems of it, and most of it survived for a while, but it got algae all over it, the colour wasn't very intense since my lighting isn't the best, and I gradually pulled all of it I think, at least I don't think I have any left in there, and it didn't die off all at once or anything, just gradually got weeded out.

I second @mbsqw1d 's recommendation of cyptocorynes. Very hardly plants, grow in several different shades, and some are more red and the redness can vary depending on the light and ferts, but even when they're not red, they're a nice rich rust colour or green/brown, which I think is nicer than it sounds. I'll snap some photos of my crypts later, one that I grew from some old roots is one of the best growing plants I have.

They're also heavy root feeders, so stick some root tabs in every few months and they're good. Not demanding in terms of ferts or time.

Also consider something like a dwarf lily.


Mine isn't as red as this variety, but I love it still.
Looks like it would be a hard plant, but it isn't at all! It grows very fast, provides some surface cover if you let the lily pads grow, and you can also trim the lily pads back to the bulb and encourage it just to have the big reddish underwater leaves. Beautiful, easy plant.

AilyNC said:

The tap water has nitrate reading of 20 so I find it really hard to tell if my tank is zero or additional 10. But there are nitrates in the water.

I've been using the Seachem Flourish Comp but no root tabs. I'll go find some online now. Thank you

Click to expand...

Cool. Root tabs should help!

Have just seen the photo that includes the alternanthera in your pleco post, has it actually breached the surface yet? Try cutting the stem at a joint maybe half to three quarters of the way down, and replant the tops.

"Under water the plant stems grow perpendicularly and quickly reach the water surface; in small tanks (up to 10 inches high) the plant grows above the water and develops its leaves there.

In this case leaves that are under water are no longer needed and the plant sheds them. That’s why the top of the stem should be timely cut off, when it reaches the water surface.

This will allow not only to preserve the underwater leaves, but also this will make the stem branchy and it will form bushes that change their coloring depending on the environmental conditions. Alternanthera reineckii growth rate is quite high in a tank, about 10-15 cm in a month."

So perhaps it's shedding underwater leaves because it's reached the surface.

Will try that and order tabs too. Thank you