Afraid my plants are going to die, what to do?

**K_8Xpath** · 10-24-2012, 12:58 AM

I really want to add more plants, but I may have set the current up to fail. I have one amazon sword, one anubias nana and a lucky bamboo which is half submerged. All I have is a general flourescent 15w T8, and my substrate is river rock from Petco.

I added Aqueon plant food and it says it doesn't contain phosphates or nitrate

Should I add Seachem flourite or something under my gravel while the tank is still cycling? And if I need a better bulb, what type of single bulb would be sufficient for a few swords and such?

**Cermet** · 10-24-2012, 11:24 AM

In a new tank there are two main reasons, I would think, that the plants will die. First off, not enough light - either too low, not the correct color and rarily, not long enough duration.

Your intenisty seems rather low for those types of plants unless the tank is 5 gal or less - nutrients are not a big issue the first few weeks. So if your plants are dying, that would not be the cause but rather your lighting.

The other possible reason is high nitrites (only if you are well into the cycle.) During the mid part of cycling nitrites can rise and that, besides being toxic to fish, can also kill/damge plants. Simple to test for this issue - just do daily measurements and do water changes as needed.

Not clear if your plants are dying by the phasing of your question. If not, I'd wait on ferts while cycling and just watch the water parameters. After cycling, than with the proper test kits (nitrates, phosphates, Iron) add ferts as needed.

If the plants are not dying/turning yellow and you are just wondering if you can just add more plants - well, of course you can as long as light intensity/color are correct/enough and you do add ferts AFTER cycling is finished. As long as the fish have enough room, more plants are safe and even desirable.

**mrramsey** · 10-24-2012, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by K_8Xpath

I really want to add more plants, but I may have set the current up to fail. I have one amazon sword, one anubias nana and a lucky bamboo which is half submerged. All I have is a general flourescent 15w T8, and my substrate is river rock from Petco.

I added Aqueon plant food and it says it doesn't contain phosphates or nitrate

Should I add Seachem flourite or something under my gravel while the tank is still cycling? And if I need a better bulb, what type of single bulb would be sufficient for a few swords and such?

Really not enough light in my opinion. I did the same exact thing in my 55g from petco when I set it up. I do still have one sword and one anubia on a rock that have survived but they are sickly looking things at best. I am currently redoing my tank and have purchased a light from drsfosterandsmith.com - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=23753

**K_8Xpath** · 10-24-2012, 06:51 PM

Thank you

I have a brand new hood already, so if someone could describe the best type of bulb and features to look for I can start looking around for a good one though.

**K_8Xpath** · 10-24-2012, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Cermet

Not clear if your plants are dying by the phasing of your question.

I was basically just making sure they wouldn't die because I only have basic supplies for them. I will upgrade my light though when I get some suggestions that will work for the fixture I have. The sword looks a bit rough, but the anubias looks perfect.

**dmagerl** · 10-24-2012, 10:06 PM

Swords dont do well with water column dosing and really require root tabs for healthy growth.

Also, that Aqueon fert contains no major nutrients. If your tank is in the early stages of cycling, there may not be enough N,P,K in the water to support plant growth.

**Northerly** · 10-24-2012, 10:37 PM

We're gonna need to know what size you tank is...

**K_8Xpath** · 10-24-2012, 11:02 PM

My bad, it's 20g H and also it is on the 6th day of cycling. I can take water parameters if need be.

Should I go get root tabs tonight then and discontinue using liquid? Kinda sucks, dude at the fish store said that the extra phosphate and nitrates would usually just feed algae, so I got the Aqueon since it lacked those ingredients.

**dmagerl** · 10-24-2012, 11:23 PM

In general, for low light tanks, the LFS guy was probably right. A mature tank generates nitrate and phosphate. But a non cycled tank does not have the bacteria yet to make nitrate so you are going to have to provide that.

Since you have gravel substrate, I'd go with a slow release tab like Flourish Tabs, even though they're rather light on the major nutrients too, at least its down by the roots. Unless you can find a more complete slow release tab.

If your Anubias is not rooted in the gravel, you should continue with the water column dosing.

**Northerly** · 10-25-2012, 01:38 AM

I personally would recommend adding one of these to your current lighting.

http://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Repla...uarium+bulb+t5

There are some low profile light fixtures out there that dont take up much room at all, or you could find a dual fixture for the bulbs.

http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11755-20...0+inch+t5+bulb

Can't really comment on the ferts.