Ferns that need some help

[funkman262]

Did I read correctly that you have only one 55 watt bulb?

Only? It's a CF in an incredibly high quality reflector (a good reflector makes all the difference) over just a 29g.

[jeffs99dime]

Calm down trigger. I didn't notice it was an HO fixture. The OP asked a question and I wanted to make sure I had the details correct before helping him out, but obviously I didn't. Thank you so much for pointing that out though.

To Alenka- you should be fine with a medium light plant.

[funkman262]

Are people more sensitive than usual lately or something? All I did was clarify what type of light the OP had and that it is indeed quite a powerful light for a tank of that height.

I would say going by just the fact that your lights are currently too strong for you to maintain the plants without dosing ferts, you should be able to handle higher light-intensive plants. You may also want to consider adding a carbon source, such as Excel and/or CO2 (DIY or pressurized).

[Goes to 11!]

You may also want to consider adding a carbon source, such as Excel and/or CO2 (DIY or pressurized).

Well.... Apparently not Excel [I trust Tom Barr] .

Tom Barr from theplantedtank.com states that Excel can kill ferns.

[funkman262]

I've also heard that it kills various plants, but typically only when overdosed. I believe most people with these plants, if dosing Excel, typically dose half the recommended dosage. I've dosed Excel (in addition to CO2) at half dosage for a long time when I had ferns (as well as different mosses) and they grew incredibly well. Honestly though, CO2 is more likely a better carbon source anyway, but it's not for everybody.

EDIT: Just wanted to mention that it's really easy for people to overdose chemicals. For example, I have a 90g tank, but after considering the substrate, driftwood, boulders, etc. taking up space, it's got closer to 70-75 gallons in it. I could try to simplify things by dosing for 100g instead of 90g, but if there's only actually 75g in there, then I've dosed 33% more than I should have. That could be enough to have detrimental effects on the tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

funkman...
Tom Barr is almost the God of Planted Tanks. He does not like overdosing of Excel......at all! Although you mention that most people dose half doses, I find that not to be true from the tons of posts I've read. What I read is that most dose 2x and even 3x more than is needed to kill the algae. A recommended dose stops algae growth where it is and it will not continue to grow but it will began to kill off algae but more slowly. It is the safe method but takes a bit more time but still better than killing plants and fish.

I have never overdosed and still it killed vals, anacharis,and java fern so I don't think this is a good choice for this poster.

This is not to began a big debate but simply to state my 2 cents on the matter.

[funkman262]

No debate here, I'm sure all information is appreciated by the OP. And yes, I know of Tom Barr's status, but was simply sharing my own experience. I'm an advocate of "better safe than sorry" so perhaps Excel should just be avoided to remove any risk.

alenka, if you do want to consider DIY CO2 which is doable in that tank size, I'd be glad to offer some assistance. And like I said, it may not even be necessary, so you could probably just monitor plant growth and tank conditions for a while and determine if CO2 would be required.

[Goes to 11!]

so you could probably just monitor plant growth and tank conditions for a while and determine if CO2 would be required.

+1 This route has my vote.

IMO, It's far easier if you only change one thing at a time and then consider the results.

Some people change 14 things at one time and then cannot decipher what actually helped and what is just a waste of time and money.
I prefer to keep it simple.

[alenka]

WOW. THANK YOU. All of your suggestions have been so helpful!!!
I love the idea to try one thing at a time. I'll start dozing Leaf Zone fertilizer regularly and see how things are going before making any decisions regarding adding a CO2. I'll definitely stay away from Excel (at least for now). I'll revisit different options once I see some results! Thanks again!!

[Lady Hobbs]

I need to correct an earlier post here. I wrote that Excel killed my java fern when I meant to write Java Moss. Sorry for incorrect information.

Good luck alenka. Hope you see some important soon and just cutting away all the dead stuff will help, too.