Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum and am hoping you all can provide some assistance.
I am not new to keeping an aquarium but new to keeping a planted aquarium. I quickly discovered you can't simply plop in a few plants in a 55 gallon aquarium with 30 watts of total light and expect them to live. I have been working on catering to the plant's needs but I am beginning to think I am spending more than the whole idea of a planted aquarium is worth and seriously considering putting the lace rocks back in and be done with it. Before throwing in the towel, I thought I would ask for some advice and figure out some things I may be doing incorrectly.
First things first, here is what I have:
55 gallon aquarium with black gravel that it came with (I purchased it used)
48" Coralife CF light with 130 total watts (recently purchased as an upgrade to the original 30 watt fixture)
Two water sprites, several anacharis, several cabomba, one java fern, one lace java fern, dwarf baby tears growing on driftwood, java moss, an anubia of some sort and some swords which look so bad they will soon be taken out anyway.
Assortment of platies, guppies, zebras and some ghost shrimp
I do not have CO2 and have no plans to use it. It's too expensive and involved. I do however use Seachem's Excel and Flourish with their recommended dosages.
Some history of the tank: As mentioned I bought it used and didn't have to cycle it completely. I did let it sit three weeks as a precaution, added the zebras and monitored the water until the levels were consistent for a few more weeks. Upon adding the platies, I added a plant collection I purchased online. Of the 30 plants purchased, all that remains are the anubia, the java ferns, java moss and the swords mentioned. All else perished. When researching why, I came to the conclusion I had to upgrade my lighting and provide some nutrients and CO2 in some form.
Lighting upgraded, Seachem Excel and Flourish purchased, I decided to buy the cabomba and anacharis. They seemed to be doing okay so I purchased the water sprites and the baby tears. All was fine UNTIL brown algae appeared EVERYWHERE. It was on the glass, covering the gravel and of course the plants. I have cleaned the glass but it remains all over the plants. I bought some Ottos but they don't seem to like the brown algae. So that is my first problem. I work in the I.T. industry and in the course of troubleshooting a computer problem, I always ask what changed. In the case of the sudden appearance of the brown algae, the thing that changed was the stronger lighting. I turn the lights on at 7:00 in the morning before leaving for work and consequently don't turn it off until about 8:00 p.m. I believe the brown algae is a result of too much strong light. Correct me if I'm wrong.
So that's the first problem.
The next thing is browning of the leaves in general. Take the cabomba for example. It is growing (and quickly I might add) but ALL the leaves are brown. Further, the java moss has more brown than green and from what I have learned, java moss is pretty indestructible! The anacharis looks good but it is a boring plant and I actually want to get rid of it.
I called the guys over at aquariumplants.com today to inquire about a driftwood centerpiece and I asked about their own substrate -- asking if it can be applied to an existing aquarium by just pouring it in. The answer was no of course and we got to chatting about a plants likelihood to thrive in normal gravel. Hardly any was his answer. He recommended I drain the tank, remove the gravel, apply a good substrate (his or any other), plant the plants, add the fish back and go from there. I do NOT want to do that. It is not worth it to me. Here is a link for their substrate by the way: http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/ss.htm
So, that is the next thing. Should I even bother keeping plants in a normal gravel? I ask because on their site they have nutrients you can inject to the root area that should give the plants what they need to thrive. Here is a link for that: http://www.aquariumplants.com/AquariumPlants_com_s_own_SUBSTRATE_VITALIZATION_p/fert.htm
So, I now look to all of you for advice. I welcome your ideas, comments and suggestions. I don't think I have chosen difficult plants to tend to. I just need to know how to keep them happy without completely overhauling my entire tank set-up.
I thank you all in advance,
Ben
I am new to this forum and am hoping you all can provide some assistance.
I am not new to keeping an aquarium but new to keeping a planted aquarium. I quickly discovered you can't simply plop in a few plants in a 55 gallon aquarium with 30 watts of total light and expect them to live. I have been working on catering to the plant's needs but I am beginning to think I am spending more than the whole idea of a planted aquarium is worth and seriously considering putting the lace rocks back in and be done with it. Before throwing in the towel, I thought I would ask for some advice and figure out some things I may be doing incorrectly.
First things first, here is what I have:
55 gallon aquarium with black gravel that it came with (I purchased it used)
48" Coralife CF light with 130 total watts (recently purchased as an upgrade to the original 30 watt fixture)
Two water sprites, several anacharis, several cabomba, one java fern, one lace java fern, dwarf baby tears growing on driftwood, java moss, an anubia of some sort and some swords which look so bad they will soon be taken out anyway.
Assortment of platies, guppies, zebras and some ghost shrimp
I do not have CO2 and have no plans to use it. It's too expensive and involved. I do however use Seachem's Excel and Flourish with their recommended dosages.
Some history of the tank: As mentioned I bought it used and didn't have to cycle it completely. I did let it sit three weeks as a precaution, added the zebras and monitored the water until the levels were consistent for a few more weeks. Upon adding the platies, I added a plant collection I purchased online. Of the 30 plants purchased, all that remains are the anubia, the java ferns, java moss and the swords mentioned. All else perished. When researching why, I came to the conclusion I had to upgrade my lighting and provide some nutrients and CO2 in some form.
Lighting upgraded, Seachem Excel and Flourish purchased, I decided to buy the cabomba and anacharis. They seemed to be doing okay so I purchased the water sprites and the baby tears. All was fine UNTIL brown algae appeared EVERYWHERE. It was on the glass, covering the gravel and of course the plants. I have cleaned the glass but it remains all over the plants. I bought some Ottos but they don't seem to like the brown algae. So that is my first problem. I work in the I.T. industry and in the course of troubleshooting a computer problem, I always ask what changed. In the case of the sudden appearance of the brown algae, the thing that changed was the stronger lighting. I turn the lights on at 7:00 in the morning before leaving for work and consequently don't turn it off until about 8:00 p.m. I believe the brown algae is a result of too much strong light. Correct me if I'm wrong.
So that's the first problem.
The next thing is browning of the leaves in general. Take the cabomba for example. It is growing (and quickly I might add) but ALL the leaves are brown. Further, the java moss has more brown than green and from what I have learned, java moss is pretty indestructible! The anacharis looks good but it is a boring plant and I actually want to get rid of it.
I called the guys over at aquariumplants.com today to inquire about a driftwood centerpiece and I asked about their own substrate -- asking if it can be applied to an existing aquarium by just pouring it in. The answer was no of course and we got to chatting about a plants likelihood to thrive in normal gravel. Hardly any was his answer. He recommended I drain the tank, remove the gravel, apply a good substrate (his or any other), plant the plants, add the fish back and go from there. I do NOT want to do that. It is not worth it to me. Here is a link for their substrate by the way: http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/ss.htm
So, that is the next thing. Should I even bother keeping plants in a normal gravel? I ask because on their site they have nutrients you can inject to the root area that should give the plants what they need to thrive. Here is a link for that: http://www.aquariumplants.com/AquariumPlants_com_s_own_SUBSTRATE_VITALIZATION_p/fert.htm
So, I now look to all of you for advice. I welcome your ideas, comments and suggestions. I don't think I have chosen difficult plants to tend to. I just need to know how to keep them happy without completely overhauling my entire tank set-up.
I thank you all in advance,
Ben
