Forever Failing To Grow Plants

[mattb22]

Hey,

Can someone please work out the gallons (uk) of my tank please. My tank is 48"x18"x12".

I want to know this as I am forever failing to grow plants I have two 38 watt 44" flourescent tubes, one an arcadia blue and another an arcadia white not quite sure of the name exactley. Therefore I have 76 watts all together in the tank and have failed to grow all sorts of plants, even lower required ones such as java moss and fern. Please help me out....

Thanks Mattb22

 

[wendywc]

48X18X12 = 10,368 cubic inches / 231 = 44.9 gallons

With your two 38 watt bulbs, you have about 1.7 WPG


I'm still struggling with my plants too, so no suggestions from me on what to do.

 

[riverman444]

45 gallon tank.

What kind of plants are you trying to grow? You lighting may not be enough for some plants to grow to their full potential. If you are having problems keeping Java Moss alive you have a more serious issue than lighting.

What do you use as subrstrate? Do you use CO2? Do you use ferts?

Some info about your tank will help.

 

[mattb22]

Erm i have sand and some coral sand mixed underneath for substrate and no fertilisers or CO2 just wanted to try and grow some mild plants first like java moss, ferns and anubias, But it isnt really working....

 

[riverman444]

How long has your tank been setup? Do you have a lot of fish or just a few?

 

[mattb22]

Tank has been set-up for months almost a year maybe. I have realised one of the reasons they wont grow i have convict cichlids in there. Another reason could be I bought the plants from ebay, therefore could be a bad batch. The ferns seemed to not be so bad but the moss just floated then broke everywhere and just disapeared.

Thx for the help Mattb22

 

[riverman444]

Yeah, Cichlids will wreak havoc on plants.

The best way I've found to keep Java Moss alive is to float it around on some cork wood like a little Island. Second, is to anchor it to wood or rocks via thread or fishing line until it takes root. Some LFS say they have Java Moss but it's really just a knock-off (forget the name).

If you buy a plant off Ebay or from a LFS, you WILL lose some leaves in the beginning while your plant adjusts to your tank. Just trim off the old and the new growth should be hardier.

 

[dazcoops]

you need about 2 wpg to grow plants quite well, and also use a fert. you will also need a nitrate reading of no less than about 10. also good to use co2 injection but depends on how well you want to grow them, but dont over do co2 as it will resault in a ph crash!

but plants are like fish in the sence that some need soft water and some hard, different ph and temp. so best to do a bit of research to which plants will suit your water best.

maybe also get a bulb that is just for plants. like a flora-glo.

 

[nmonks]

Matt --

You'd probably get the best advice from the Plants forum. But here's some tips, in no particular order:

Maximise lighting. Choose a high-output tube like a Triton, and stick metal reflectors behind them. These almost double the "watts per gallon" because they reflect wasted light back into the tank. Replace the tubesn around 9-12 months after installing them. Use at least two tubes the full length of your tank. Don't waste your time with Flora Glo or anything like those -- they work well in very shallow tanks, but lack the "punch" to get light down deep in any but the smallest tank.

Chuck out the coral sand. Use a chemically neutral substrate. Most plants want a pH around 7.0. Mix some coarse gravel with either laterite or pond soil, and then top off with some sand if you want a prettier look.

Use low light plants. Java fern, Cryptocorynes, Anubias, Java moss, hornwort, Vallisneria spiralis, Cabomba caroliniana are all species I've found work well in moderate lighting.

Worry about the rest later. CO2, fertilisers, in-gravel heaters, etc., are all nice but if your plants don't take generally, then the fancy stuff won't help.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[smmetz]

Quick question - if I added a phosphate remover product to my filter media to get rid of an algae problem, will plants have a hard time in that tank? Do plants need phosphates also? I can remove the "phosphate sponge" gravel now that the tank has cleared up, just wasn't sure if I needed to for the plants. (10 gallon tank, just has a few pieces of anarcharis, or something like that, forgot how to spell it)

 

[nmonks]

Quick answer. Yes, plants need phosphate. No, they don't need any more above the low levels in a healthy aquarium. The vast bulk of phosphate won't be used by plants but by algae.

Incidentally, neither phosphate nor nitrate are inherently bad, and you can have high levels of both without algae problems. I have nitrates of over 100 mg/l sometimes, and yet minimal algae. A bit of hair algae on old Java fern leaves, but that's about it. Why? Because I have lots of plants, and plants surpress algae, irrespective of the water chemistry. Lots of plants = no algae. Simple really.

Cheers,

Neale