Shelby

I have a few plants in my tank an Amazon sword and a couple of wisteria (i think). any my sword just doesn't seem to be growing. I'm remembering someone once saying there is a tablet or something to put under the gravel near the plant to feed it. Does that sound right to you guys and do ya'll know what its called. Also any other advise would help. just plain aquarium rock's and the light that came with hood I haven't even attempted the WPG calculation yet.

Kelley

Welcome to the world of a planted tanks. What you are talking about are called root tabs. There are a few different mfg Sachem is probably the best. You are also going to address a lighting issue in your tank. You say that the light is the one that came with the tank. We need to know more about your tank.

How many gallons?
What are your tank readings (PH Nitrite Nitrates)

Butterfly

Swords are heavy root feeders and really need root tabs unless you have a substrate made especially foor plants.
Seachem flourish is also an excellent liquid fertilizer.
carol

Isabella

This is a quote about wpg from: http://www.fishlore.com/Forum/index.php?topic=12673.0 - the article on the top of this board.

"You can calculate the lighting required for your tank by dividing the total number of Watts of lighting over the size of your tank. For example, if I have a 30 gallon tank and have a single-bulb fixture over it that is 20 Watts, this gives me a lighting level of only 0.6 wpg (20 / 30 = 0.6) - which is way too low for most aquarium plants. If, however, I have a double fixture with each lightbulb being 20 Watts over the same 30 gallon tank, this gives me a total of 1.3 wpg (40 / 30 = 1.3) - which is much better."

Shelby

OK so they are called root tabs and I should get them good Thanks

Kellyey also added confusion to my part by asking about PH Nitrite and nitrate. What roles do these play in the plant world? I think i understand the "cycle" fish waste is nitrite, which is consumed by organism converted to nitrate, which plant's use but also must be removed with water changes. but where does PH fit

Isabella

She just asked you about your pH and Nitrite readings; I'm not sure she was saying that pH and Nitrite affect plant growth. I personally don't pay that much attention to my pH. I've grown plants both in low and in high pH. Ammonia and Nitrite should always be at 0 in your planted tank if you have fish in it. Plants help remove Nitrates from the water. Suppose you have 2 tanks that are the same size and have the same stocking levels. Assume you're also performing the same amount and frequency of water changes in both tanks. Now assume one of them is fully planted, and the other one is not. If you observe your water parameters closely over a period of time, you'll see that you'll have less Nitrate in the planted tank than in the non-planted tank.

Anyway, some plants indeed do like lower/higher temperatures and pH levels than other plants, and vice versa. But I think the more important aspects of a planted tank are appropriate lighting, substrate/nutrients, and kinds of plants themselves in a particular setup. Having good lighting and enough nutrients, plants should do well with your typical pH level and in your typical tank temperature.

Kelley

Isabella the last time I checked I was a man. Kelley happens to be my last name. and when a girl has a name of Kelley it's spelled one of 2 ways. 1 Kelli or Kelly.

Isabella

I apologize for mistaking your gender. I didn't mean to offend you, if you took it that way. Plus, we all make mistakes, and I had no possible way of knowing if "Kelley" is your last name, female name, or male name. There are so many names in the world, and so many nick names on the Internet, that it's virtually impossible for me to know who you are, lol. But certainly thanks for having corrected me.