Plants For Freshwater Fish Aquarium

[Bekahsa]

Hi guys,
 
Just wanted to know if anyone can tell me why are all my plants are dying?  
 
The only plant I have been able to keep alive in my aquarium is the Amazon sward which I got from the pet store.  All other plants I have bought, has perished.  I need these plants to keep my fish and snail happy, but I can't seam to keep them alive if it's not floating around.
 
Any suggestions?

 

[BaylorPerez]

do you use any fertilizers or do you add the macro/micro nutrients needed for the plants to the tank

 

[Bekahsa]

Well, I have been adding Seachem to the aquarium, but still died.  

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, the top factor is the light.  
 
What light do you have?  
How long is the light on?
What type of plants are you trying?  

 

[BaylorPerez]

aquatic plants need micro and macro nutrients to live in a tank, as well as light(tank light or sunlight) to create O2 within the tank, i use aqueon plant food and my plants seem to be doing ok for now, as well as this doesnt add copper which could kill your snails

 

[Bekahsa]

I have a Hornwort plant and Italian Val.  My lighting I have to admit is not the best at all, but it's on about 12 hours a day.
 
I know I need better lighting, so maybe that's the problem.

 

[BaylorPerez]

it could be, but also you need to watch for your nutrient level in the tank as well

 

[Bekahsa]

So maybe I was adding to much of the Seachem?  I thought that with 3 plants it would take as much as a 40 gallon would take, but maybe with only 3 plants I was giving a bit to much, and probably also why the aquarium water become green as well so I had to get that cleared for the sake of my fish and snails.  I'll get it right one day.  Thanks for your help.
 
What do you use for your plants that a fish can live with?

 

[BaylorPerez]

aqueon plant food, i have 3 plants as well so i use 3-4Ml per day rather than the 10Mls added per week

 

[StevenF]

 
 
Well, I have been adding Seachem to the aquarium, but still died.  

 
 
What seachem product? They sell multiple fertilizer products. Perhaps you are not using the appropriate one.   Also what is the GH, KH values for your water.  if those are high you probably don't need fertilizer.  Also how long has the tank been setup?  How often do you cycle water and how much and how big is your aquarium? If 
 

 
 
I have a Hornwort plant and Italian Val.  My lighting I have to admit is not the best at all, but it's on about 12 hours a day.

There are multiple recommendations for lighting.  many older ones go by watts per gallon.  This worked OK as long as everyone had incandescent bulbs.  But today with Fluorescent and LED lamps it doesn't work well.  The best way to determine if you have enough lighting is to determine how many lumens your lights are putting out and then dividing that by the surface area of your aquarium.  Some bulbs will list the lumen output right on the bulb but for others you might have to do a search on google of an equivalent bulb to find the lumen output.  
 
http/fotohobbist.com/blog/aquarium-lighting-for-planted-aquariums/#more-136

 

[Lateral Line]

50 years ago, when I started planting my first tank, fertilizers, micro nutrients, pH, hardness, even light levels were never mentioned, let alone measured or adjusted. Tank was filled with tapwater, and had an incandescent lamp over it. Very few plants survived, Amazon Swords was one that did, Vallisnaria was the other. Others died and rotted. I know now, that many "aquarium plants" that I bought in the local fish shop were simply not aquatics, they drowned in the tank and rotted away. Syngoniums were prime examples I remember. What plants are you trying, that are dying?
 
Others were aquatics but would also grow emerged, indeed, they grew better in air, they grew to a saleable size quicker in air. When submerged, the emerged leaves rotted away after a month or two, but the plant was not dead, new submerged leaves eventually grew - slowly. Are you dumping your "dead plants" too quickly?

 

[Byron]

All the issues have been mentioned by others, but we are still lacking specifics and we can't adequately assist until we have these.
 
First the light...just exactly what do you have?  Incandescent (screw-in bulbs), fluorescent tubes, LED?  AQnd what are the specs, meaning watts, number of bulbs/tubes, Kelvin, etc.  And to put this in perspective, what is the tank size?
 
Second, what specific Seachem product are you using?  And what is the GH (general hardness) of your tap water?
 
Byron.

 

[Bekahsa]

All the issues have been mentioned by others, but we are still lacking specifics and we can't adequately assist until we have these.
 
First the light...just exactly what do you have?  Incandescent (screw-in bulbs), fluorescent tubes, LED?  AQnd what are the specs, meaning watts, number of bulbs/tubes, Kelvin, etc.  And to put this in perspective, what is the tank size?
 
Second, what specific Seachem product are you using?  And what is the GH (general hardness) of your tap water?
 
Byron.

 
I realized after, that there are more then one Seachem on the market.  I am not sure, as I have already threw it out.  I had that bottle for property over 2 years now, I have never really used it on a daily basis until I started using it a week ago.
 
I do not have the best lighting, (but they are LED's) as I got the lights from my 20 gallon tank I bought from the pet store and added it onto my 40 gallon tank.  I really don't think those pet-store light for the aquarium is good enough for plants anyways, because on my 20 gallon tank, the plants also all died accept for the Amazon Sword plant.  
 
I am on a well, so the water comes out soft.  Have to add calcium for my snails and to get the ph level where it should be.

 

[Byron]

I realized after, that there are more then one Seachem on the market.  I am not sure, as I have already threw it out.  I had that bottle for property over 2 years now, I have never really used it on a daily basis until I started using it a week ago.
 

 
I have used several of their basic line (under the "Flourish" name) of plant additives, with mixed success.  They also have a newer line called Aqua Vitro.  Both lines have several products.  I can't offer much without knowing which...but as you mention Vallisneria dying, and the sword still managing, you might have been using the so-called liquid carbon supplement, Flourish Excel.  Don't.  This will kill Vallisneria and some other plants, and should it be overdosed it has the capability to kill bacteria, plants and fish.
 
A complete supplement such as their Flourish Comprehensive Supplement is often sufficient, depending upon lighting, plants and tap water, plus fish load (plant nutrients come from fish foods too).
 

I am on a well, so the water comes out soft.  Have to add calcium for my snails and to get the ph level where it should be.
 

 
This is another aspect, but if you are adding calcium, and since the sword seems OK, you are probably OK here.  The Flourish Comprehensive I mention above has some hard nutrients (calcium, magnesium) and perhaps sufficient in your case.
 

I do not have the best lighting, (but they are LED's) as I got the lights from my 20 gallon tank I bought from the pet store and added it onto my 40 gallon tank.  I really don't think those pet-store light for the aquarium is good enough for plants anyways, because on my 20 gallon tank, the plants also all died accept for the Amazon Sword plant.
 

 
I would suggest that this is the real issue for you.  I won't comment much on LED as I have no experience, so others can hopefully help out here.  But I will agree from what I have seen that much of the LED is no where near adequate for planted tanks.  There are some LED fixtures made for plant tanks.
 
Earlier you mentioned green water and over-dosing fertilizer (whatever it was).  You have to be careful with light and fertilizers...more is not always better, nor can more fertilizer make up for too little light, and vice versa.  There has to be a balance of light intensity with available nutrients, sufficient for the plants.
 
Byron.