Do I Need To Add Anything To The Water To Help My Plants?

[matchstickman47]

all my plants die after about 3 weeks i keep them planted in gravel
and leaving them
i just made a real nice setup and want it to last
is there any plant fertilizer for aquariums or somthing
if there is anytin like than leave suggestions please

 

[jonnyf84]

it depends what plants you have and their requirements. Theres only a few plants that will do well with no nutrients such as quality lighting, co2, nutrient rich substrate and liquid nutrients - do you have any of these?

some basic help comes in the form of root tabs and a carbon source, if you cant afford pressurized CO2 then you can use a liquid carbon source such as easycarbo. Lighting is important, what do you use and for how long each day?

 

[Truck]

whats your lighting like? total wattage? T5's or T8's?

 

[matchstickman47]

t8 light with air pump and gravel thats about it

 

[Truck]

how many watts?

and tank size?

 

[three-fingers]

t8 light with air pump and gravel thats about it

Wait, no filter?

Need all the info .

Most likely it's a case of choosing the wrong plants from the LFS and/or planting them wrong.

 

[matchstickman47]

ther is a filter...... didnt think it need a filer for plants

 

[Truck]

yes you do, plants produce waste

 

[keenonfish]

If it is a UGF then that is possibly part of the problem. All my plants eventually die with UGF but I haven't bothered trying to find out why and not bothering to dose in such tanks.

 

[three-fingers]

Well it's not so much old leaves decomposing or anything, it's more to do with water movement that you need a filter .

Need all the tank info like wattage of light, size of tank, how old it is and how many fish.

It's probably just that you aren't choosing plants suited to your setup .

I will say that airpumps aren't brilliant for planted tank since the surface agitation drives of CO2.

 

[Paavn]

are you planning on keeping only plants?

even if you don't have co2 injected into your water, if you have a lot of plants and you don't add any fertilizers your plants are going to die.

plants also die pretty fast if they have to compete with algae while they are trying to adjust to new water.

if you get new plants do 50% water changes daily for the first week with the lights on for just 4 hrs a day and then the second week cut back water changes to every 2 days and increase lighting 1/2 an hour every day till you get to 8hrs or 10 hrs which ever you prefer (with lights on for longer hours you will need to start dosing fertilizers and if you have just gravel you will need root tabs) that way you woun't get algae and do not start dosing fertilizers till the 3rd week

just out of curiosity are you located in the states?
if you are take a look at pfertz.com they have really good and really simple to use fertilizers

 

[Truck]

you should dose ferts from day one

unless you want algae, and you do not need to use root tabs, plants will just as easily take nutrients through leaves

 

[Craster]

you do not need to use root tabs, plants will just as easily take nutrients through leaves

Depends on the plant, from my understanding. There are plants that are much happier taking nutrients in via their roots than from the water column.

 

[Truck]

in my opinion there is no need to add anything to the substrate if you dont want to change it, as i said above plants will just as easily take nutrients through their leaves

 

[aaronnorth]

you do not need to use root tabs, plants will just as easily take nutrients through leaves

Depends on the plant, from my understanding. There are plants that are much happier taking nutrients in via their roots than from the water column.

they do have preferences however if there is nothing in the substrate then they will take nutrients through the leaves, even the "heavy root feeders" such as crypts & echinodorous sp.