My plants are getting worse

[myrtle]

Your light is on for 12 hors but only the frogbit is benefitting as it's shading everything else out a bit . Ideally you don't want more than 2/3 of the surface covered as it reduces light and inhibits gas exchange. Do you have a glass cover as a lot of that looks like damage from condensation drips (floaters don't really like that).

 

[connorlindeman]

Your light is on for 12 hors but only the frogbit is benefitting as it's shading everything else out a bit . Ideally you don't want more than 2/3 of the surface covered as it reduces light and inhibits gas exchange. Do you have a glass cover as a lot of that looks like damage from condensation drips (floaters don't really like that).

I have a plexi glass cover. Would it be beneficial to remove that?

 

[connorlindeman]

I can also remove a bunch of the floaters.

 

[Byron]

I have a plexi glass cover. Would it be beneficial to remove that?

No. Covers are very beneficial in several ways, and they do not harm floating plants.

I can also remove a bunch of the floaters

Yes, this may be a good idea. From the photos, your Frogbit is reacting much the same as mine did for 10+ years. I removed all plants with browning leaves. This plant will reproduce rapidly.

 

[connorlindeman]

No. Covers are very beneficial in several ways, and they do not harm floating plants.



Yes, this may be a good idea. From the photos, your Frogbit is reacting much the same as mine did for 10+ years. I removed all plants with browning leaves. This plant will reproduce rapidly.

Ok. I will remove the dead/dying plants and stop all the ferts except the flourish comprehensive. This I will dose once per week.
Hopefully, it improves. Thank you so much for your help @Byron.

 

[myrtle]

As @Byron says, the benefits out weigh the drawbacks with covers, just remove any leaves that get damaged by the drips as opposed to removing the cover. I mentioned it so you don't panic about nutrients etc when you see that damage as it's inevitable for floaters.

 

[Nuttawet]

May i ask what is this wood called? And can i put in fresh water fish tank?

https://www.fishforums.net/attachments/img_2312-5-jpg.306792/

 

[connorlindeman]

May i ask what is this wood called? And can i put in fresh water fish tank?

https://www.fishforums.net/attachments/img_2312-5-jpg.306792/

It is Malaysian driftwood. Yes you can put it in a fresh water tank.

 

[davros]

As @Byron says, the benefits out weigh the drawbacks with covers, just remove any leaves that get damaged by the drips as opposed to removing the cover. I mentioned it so you don't panic about nutrients etc when you see that damage as it's inevitable for floaters.

I don't disbelieve you But I am grappling with a plant that lives in the water yet is hurt by water dripping on it, what about rain?

 

[Byron]

I don't disbelieve you But I am grappling with a plant that lives in the water yet is hurt by water dripping on it, what about rain?

I do not believe moisture or water drops harm floating plants. It is some other issue if floating plants do not thrive. Having said that, obviously a completely sealed air space might cause issues for more than just the floating plants, but a normal cover is not sealing the air space.

 

[myrtle]

I don't disbelieve you But I am grappling with a plant that lives in the water yet is hurt by water dripping on it, what about rain?

It's as much to do with the magnification of the light through the water droplets on the leaves burning them. The resulting damage can cause the leaf to die off. Most floating plants live on still water bodies and don't get splashed frequently. Add to that the temperature of the condensed water can be significantly lower than that of tropical rain, particularly in winter.
In nature, the plants only have a few hours of the strongest light every day, and that may be dappled or reduced by cloud cover much of the time. In an aquarium, the light is at a permanent intensity for many hours every day. The lensing effect of the water under those lights is going to be greater as they are so close to the leaf.

 

[StevenF]

The leaves are dying on the frog bit. The older larger leaves appear to show general yellowing. Eventually the leaves die. This is a good indication that you Likely have a nitrogen deficiency.

When I first set up my aquarium (low tech) using flourish comprehensive I had zero ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate but my plants were not growing. I saw a phosphate test kit in the store and purchased it in the hop it would help me figure out my problem. My phosphate levels were off the chart (very high) I was doing weekly water changes. So I did more water change That did bring it down but it would quickly go back up. Flourish didn't have enough phosphate for that to be the cause. So I thought a nitrogen deficiency was possibly killing my plants allowing and allowing phosphate from fish waist to build up. So I purchased Sachem nitroge and tried that. Phosphate levels started gradually dropped. I found that I had to maintain a small amount of nitrogen to keep my phosphate levels down.

Plants cannot live if just one of 14 nutrients are not present. Yes plant prefer ammonia and will consume that first. But your tsts are showing zero ammonia, nitrte,and nitrate. So were is the nitrate the plants need? If the plants were healthy then you could argue that the plants are consuming it as fast as it is being produced. But your plants are dying meaning they are not growing and are not consuming any nutrients. So try maintaining a nitrate level of 5ppm. following the instructions on the Seachem Nitrogen bottle.

If that doesn't help it means the problem is something else Or..
There is more than one deficiency pressent in your water.

 

[Nuttawet]

It is Malaysian driftwood. Yes you can put it in a fresh water tank.

How do you call Malaysian driftwood in Thailand?
What is the different between Malaysian driftwood and driftwood?

 

[connorlindeman]

How do you call Malaysian driftwood in Thailand?
What is the different between Malaysian driftwood and driftwood?

I really don't know. The listing that I bought said Malaysian driftwood

 

[connorlindeman]

I just found that my eheim heater wasn't calibrated properly, so the tank temp was 85 instead of 78. Could that have been the problem with the plants?