Best way to keeps Plants in alive

[NeilRUFC]

Hi

I have just added a load of Amazon Plants to my Rio 180 Tank. In the past, my plants have all ended up dying off within a few weeks. Ive been told that these plants grow really well but there never grow good for me

Any ideas

thanks

 

[Lateral Line]

Swords are quite tough as plants go, but like most things in life, they do have certain demands.

What are your water parameters, and more importantly, how much and what kind of light do you have over the tank.

 

[NeilRUFC]

Hi

I did get my water tested today and everything came back good. My PH level is 6.5. I have 2 big light bulbs in my tank

Thanks

 

[cutechic]

Did the lfs give you an exact amount for your water parameters, or just say they were all "good"? You may want to invest in a testing kit so you can find out the exact values of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, GH, KH, etc. You can often find complete test kits for under $30.

What kind of bulbs are they- incandescent or fluorescent? Incandecent bulbs are inefficient, so if you are serious about keeping plants you may want to consider getting fluorescent bulbs. Do you know how many watts your current bulbs are? It should say on the metal part of the bulb. Lastly, how long do you keep them on for?