Plant Advice Please...

[TagTeam]

I have a recurring issue in both of my tanks.
I get a plant and it looks fantastic for about 2 weeks and then slowly turns brownish, and if it is a leafy plant it gets cracks &/or holes and somewhat falls apart.
I'm using Osmocote root tabs which do help a lot, but only to a certain extent.
I do 50% PWC per week.

Would Seachem Flourish help?
Do I need to give in to using Co2?

Tank 1: 20g tall
Plants: Water Sprite, Java Fern/Moss, Amazon Sword, Green Cabomba, Frogbit
Fish: 6 Julii Cory, 2 Honey G, 1 Platy, 3 Ghost Shrimp, 3 Amano Shrimp
Substrate: BDBS
Lighting: Beamswork DA (on for 3 hours in the morning & 3 hours in the evening)

Tank 2: 25g
Plants: Java Fern/Moss, Amazon Sword, Green Cabomba, Hornwort
Fish: 5 Kuhli Loach, 2 Black Loach, 2 RCS
Substrate: BDBS
Lighting: Beamswork EA (on for 6 hours a day)

 

[smee82]

Are you dosing any water column ferts?

Also how long is the break on your 1st tank. 2 or 3 hrs is enough

 

[TagTeam]

Are you dosing any water column ferts?

Also how long is the break on your 1st tank. 2 or 3 hrs is enough

I'm not dosing any water column ferts. Would you recommend Flourish for that?
My break on tank 1 is about 7 hours. I have it timed so that it's on in the morning while I'm home and it comes back on in the evening when I get home from work.

 

[SFGiantsGuy]

Flourish comprehensive's generally for low light to medium light plants to "keep them going", and not so much emphasizng thriving on a very prominent scale. It contains mostly small traces of macro nutrients. Your plants appear that they MAY be deprived of macro and micro nutrients. See, for example, let's say the majority of your plants are 6 inches...and daily, if you were to add 5 ml of liquid macros, and then 5 ml of micros, and then in a month or two, your plants grew about 3-4 more inches, you cannot add the same amount of ferts, because they would've grown that much more--hence, you need to add more ferts to keep up with their requirements. As well as light-to-fert balance and ratio. I suggest you try a 10 hour period, with a 2-3 hour "siesta" break. And then, in a month or tow, dial the light duration down about 2 hours. And IF and when algae were to appear in significant amounts, dial it down a bit further if need be. I use a "concoction" of liquid ferts: Easy Green, Flourish and Thrive, And Flourish Iron and potassium. As well as API root tabs, and Flourish tabs, (Macro and micros) and have to trim/prune almost daily on all of my tanks! The healthier the plants...in turn, the healthier your fish will be. : )

 

[smee82]

Flourish should be enough for what you have but i would shorten the siesta.

Also are you dosing CO2 or a substitute

 

[Wraithen]

Do they bounce back after they start to die off? Without the pictures I would have said it's just normal adjustment wilt. From the pictures it looks more like a deficiency. Pick a plant that you dont care much about and trim it back to a small plant and see how it reacts after a week. It will likely grow back much better. If that's the case, you need more fertilizer. I dont think it's a light or carbon deficiency because that usually presents as the plant either not growing anymore, or turning invisible.

 

[TagTeam]

Flourish should be enough for what you have but i would shorten the siesta.

Also are you dosing CO2 or a substitute

thank you, I'm not using Co2

Do they bounce back after they start to die off? Without the pictures I would have said it's just normal adjustment wilt. From the pictures it looks more like a deficiency. Pick a plant that you dont care much about and trim it back to a small plant and see how it reacts after a week. It will likely grow back much better. If that's the case, you need more fertilizer. I dont think it's a light or carbon deficiency because that usually presents as the plant either not growing anymore, or turning invisible.

Thank you, yes I have trimmed a sword to see what happened and it immediately began growing new shoots

 

[Wraithen]

Ok, I would try increasing your macros by 50 percent or so and see what that gets you. If nothing happens, double the original amount. If that's not working, you've run out of root tabs or they aren't keeping up.

 

[SFGiantsGuy]

And DO take it SLOW...and steady. When you initially start out with solid ferts, you want to gradually, slowly add more ferts, giving everything a chance to adjust. Think of it this way metaphorically: You have a baby..or a puppy, or a kitten...when they're very young and it's dinner time, you don't give 'em 10 happymeals, or an entire 50 lb. bag of puppy chow or kitten chow, you give them small amounts. And when you start to see any new growth and them thriving, (and ugh...algae too) you adjust your light and ferts accordingly. Slow and steady wins the race! As well as patience. See, the biggest mistake that most beginner live plant keepers do is...they try too hard. Do some more research and pin point the info. which best suits YOUR tank, not everyone else's. ALL tanks are different, and therefore require different regimens and care. And whatever you do, try not to get frustrated or discouraged. Live plants, "easy care" or not, lighting and ferts can be very very difficult. Thus, take it slow and steady, and your overall patience WILL be rewarded, I guarantee you. : )

 

[TagTeam]

And DO take it SLOW...and steady. When you initially start out with solid ferts, you want to gradually, slowly add more ferts, giving everything a chance to adjust. Think of it this way metaphorically: You have a baby..or a puppy, or a kitten...when they're very young and it's dinner time, you don't give 'em 10 happymeals, or an entire 50 lb. bag of puppy chow or kitten chow, you give them small amounts. And when you start to see any new growth and them thriving, (and ugh...algae too) you adjust your light and ferts accordingly. Slow and steady wins the race! As well as patience. See, the biggest mistake that most beginner live plant keepers do is...they try too hard. Do some more research and pin point the info. which best suits YOUR tank, not everyone else's. ALL tanks are different, and therefore require different regimens and care. And whatever you do, try not to get frustrated or discouraged. Live plants, "easy care" or not, lighting and ferts can be very very difficult. Thus, take it slow and steady, and your overall patience WILL be rewarded, I guarantee you. : )

Thank you! I needed this.