Low Plant Health (as usual)

[Dantel]

Logbook:
March 19, 2025: Cleaned glass from a type of green algae. Plant Health is not good, something is covering the plants.
March 31, 2025: Monte Carlo tall, trimmed. Glass cleaned from a type of green algae. Plant Health is not good, something is covering the plants.
April 17, 2025: Lots of water evaporated due to 80°F temp. Glass cleaned. Java moss is taking over the ground (not good), removed some. The algae are growing more on the plants. Health is not good.
Water test:

• 380TDS
• 8GH
• 1-2KH
• PH6
• Ammonia 0.25ppm
• Nitrite 0ppm
• Nitrate 40-80ppm

There is no livestock in the aquarium. The aquarium is more than a year old. It's usually been like this. I am trying to learn how to fix my mistakes before making things better. So far, I learned that because plants are not healthy, algae take over.

Some additional info:

• Lights are automatic, 6-7 hours per day. The light is a casual 8.5W 5000k LED bulb. And yes, the curtains are always block the sunlight from hitting the aquarium (in the picture they are not closed)
• The tank is 5-gallon
• Filter and heater is used.
• I use a Miracle-Gro plant fertilizer because I don't have any livestock (it is not an aquarium fertilizer). I stopped adding for the past month because I thought the algae growth is due to that.

Any suggestions on what I should do and what this algae is?

 

[BlackOsprey]

Are you dosing CO2? If I remember right, Monte Carlo requires CO2 injection for optimal health. If you're not dosing CO2, that might be why your plants are surviving but not thriving.

 

[Dantel]

Are you dosing CO2? If I remember right, Monte Carlo requires CO2 injection for optimal health. If you're not dosing CO2, that might be why your plants are surviving but not thriving.

No, I am not using CO2 but I am planning. The amount of problem I get in general without CO2 is too much that I would rather spend the money to not lose my mind. I will probably buy one of those $100 acid base reaction based pressurized tank things but I really wanted this to work without CO2. With CO2 it doesnt look like how nature would handle it

 

[Fishfur]

but I really wanted this to work without CO2. With CO2 it doesnt look like how nature would handle it

A lot of the colour we like in plants - reds particularly, can be the plants stress response to overly intense lighting or low nitrates (Red Root floater ) which the plants likely don’t have to deal with frequent in habitat because they grow where conditions best suit them.

CO2 is a bit of a pain but there is no denying that it helps a lot.

In habitat, plants are not being fed, not being coddled & definitely not pushed to grow as fast as they can though they will when food is abundant & conditions are favourable.

Of course you should do what pleases you best because it’s for your personal enjoyment and satisfaction but no tank is like ‘nature’. Nature is completely indifferent to the fate of any of the life it’s filled with.

 

[BlackOsprey]

If "nature" is what you want, you'll need to accept the natural limits of the plants you are working with. Most "aquatic" plants are not fully aquatic. While they'll grow near the water or root in it, most of these plants spend most of their time with their leaves in the air. They can adapt to underwater to survive temporary flooding, but this is not their preferred condition.

If you don't want CO2, you need to consider plants that do not need it because they're better adapted for aquatic growth. Subwassertang and pearlweed can be used to form carpets of a sort without any need for CO2 or especially strong lighting. Corkscrew val and dwarf sag also grow better underwater than out of it.

 

[Fishfur]

If "nature" is what you want, you'll need to accept the natural limits of the plants you are working with. Most "aquatic" plants are not fully aquatic. While they'll grow near the water or root in it, most of these plants spend most of their time with their leaves in the air. They can adapt to underwater to survive temporary flooding, but this is not their preferred condition.

If you don't want CO2, you need to consider plants that do not need it because they're better adapted for aquatic growth. Subwassertang and pearlweed can be used to form carpets of a sort without any need for CO2 or especially strong lighting. Corkscrew val and dwarf sag also grow better underwater than out of it.

Vallisnerias don’t have an emersed form. they’re aquatic only - even their flowers only just reach the surface & are water pollinated.

There are other fully & solely aquatic plants including Hornwort, Egeria densa, Cabomba, Blyxa japonica, Lagarosiphons, all the bulbs like Aponogetons & Barclaya longifolia, Elodea canadensis and a few others.

 

[goodbyeforever]

What are you talking about, looks very nice and healthy aquarium to me. Then again I am not perfectionist. Little bit of algae is looking nice and is natural. Some algae eating animals like nerite would help a lot and I did notice that aquarium stands near the window, maybe getting too much light during the day that way? Uv sterilizer might help too in the filter.

 

[3Fishnight]

Hello just an opinion here. If your willing to dish out 100$ for an acid based co2 kit why not fork out a little more for a co2 canister, regulator and diffusor. They are easier and cheaper than some may think. The cheaper good regulators start at about 100$, this will be the most expensive thing. Then get a co2 canister 5lb should run you about 25-50$ considering where you get it. check out your local brewery, winery, distillery. See if they have co2 canisters for sale. I got one on amazon for 40$. They will fill the canister at the brewery with co2 for 20$ or less. Then get co2 grade tubing(5-10$) and a diffuser either regular (10-20$) or inline(10-30$) if you have a canister filter. There are other ways to diffuse the co2 into your tank but these are the 2 main ways. I highly recommend the Green Leaf Aquariums Gro regulator(125$) This one seems to be the best one for the price i could personally find. Fork over the extra money for a good regulator because the cheaper ones tend to not work well or break after a short time. The gro regulator comes witha bubble counter and solenoid that will shut off the co2 when you want it to when used with a timer( timer 5-10$). All said and done about 160-200$. All this should last years without breaking. The co2 tank should be hydro tested and certified every 5 years. The regulator should last years. More than 5. I cant say exactly because i've only had mine for a year and a half. Personally i would fork over the extra money for the long lasting durability and ease of use. You will only need to refill the canister with co2. I havent refilled my 5lb canister for a year and half at slightly less than a bubble per second of co2 coming out of it. They say the refill last 3-6 months or so but i would assume thats like 2 or 3 bubbles per second. My refill has lasted 21 months and still going. They say you should clean you diffusor and maintain your regulator and have it inspected by a professional every few years but i havent done either. I hope this helps you make a decision.