Plants Dying Good Testing Kit? Enough Light?

hI new to plant care, can someone suggest best test supplies for plants? there's a few out there and I'm not sure what type I need. I'm having issues where my plants are thriving, I'm using fertilizers and I've even used special plant bedding and root tabs but my plants aren't growing and keep breaking apart. 50% pwc weekly I have amazon swords and jungle val horn wort, anubis but that's the only plants that seem to live, I have a bright multI color light for the plants it's an LED 0.50w 1200 lumen, my tank is 20 gallons. any suggestions? thanx,

 

Which plants aren't doing well? I don't understand what you mean by plants that are breaking apart. Could you post some pics? It sounds like the plants that are doing best because they don't need as much light and don't require C02. I myself only do "easy" plants because I just can't be bothered doing C02

 

Which plants aren't doing well? I don't understand what you mean by plants that are breaking apart. Could you post some pics? It sounds like the plants that are doing best because they don't need as much light and don't require C02. I myself only do "easy" plants because I just can't be bothered doing C02

the swords keep losing their leaf area and I'm not sure but I think maybe the root is rotten it's like a white dark hard stump near the crown where most plants have healthy looking roots. jungle val keeps dropping leaf too. I put more root tabs but have never seen the hard part on any plant or sword so find that odd. the val has very healthy looking roots, just not growing and keep dying off but hornwort is growing like a champ. I have what are considered easy plants, I don't use C02 either, have been watching some videos and there is a fertilizer liquid C02 so not sure if that may help some, I dose trace and micro nutrients from what the bottle says it's an all in one thrive, the gravel is a mix of fluorite red and eco complete and floramax sorry my English isn't very well but hope makes sense more now? is light good with the gravel?

 

the swords keep losing their leaf area and I'm not sure but I think maybe the root is rotten it's like a white dark hard stump near the crown where most plants have healthy looking roots. jungle val keeps dropping leaf too. I put more root tabs but have never seen the hard part on any plant or sword so find that odd. the val has very healthy looking roots, just not growing and keep dying off but hornwort is growing like a champ. I have what are considered easy plants, I don't use C02 either, have been watching some videos and there is a fertilizer liquid C02 so not sure if that may help some, I dose trace and micro nutrients from what the bottle says it's an all in one thrive, the gravel is a mix of fluorite red and eco complete and floramax sorry my English isn't very well but hope makes sense more now? is light good with the gravel?

Plants need three things light good ground/food and CO2 IT CAN BE LIQUID CO2 that works good it will turn them around and make them really green

 

Plant vendors grow aquatic plants emersed (out of the water) because the plants grow faster, and they can make a profit. Many aquatic plants have at least 2 forms of leaves-- one for above water (emersed) and one for below water (submerged). When you put an emersed plant under the water, it needs to re-grow-- perhaps the molecules need to be different, I don't know the particulars. So the emersed form will die off, rot, and a new set of leaves will grow from the "stump" of the root. So, sorry to say, it will take a few months for your plant to be perfect.

It is not all that clear to me if more CO2 will do anything for this particular process.

 

How long ago did you plant the sword and vals?

 

How long ago did you plant the sword and vals?

4 months back

 

Plant vendors grow aquatic plants emersed (out of the water) because the plants grow faster, and they can make a profit. Many aquatic plants have at least 2 forms of leaves-- one for above water (emersed) and one for below water (submerged). When you put an emersed plant under the water, it needs to re-grow-- perhaps the molecules need to be different, I don't know the particulars. So the emersed form will die off, rot, and a new set of leaves will grow from the "stump" of the root. So, sorry to say, it will take a few months for your plant to be perfect.

It is not all that clear to me if more CO2 will do anything for this particular process.

is the stump healthy then? I do know fish shop had them in the water but before ship have no idea how grow

 

If your plants are rotting or melting I would guess they where grown emersed or you water has too much disolved organicsor protiens. Without pics we can't tell if its emersed growth or not. How much and how often do you change your water.

 

I dose trace and micro nutrients from what the bottle says it's an ,

Can you clarify what products you use as fertilisers? I'm unsure if you are referring to NilocG Thrive or another product.

 

If your plants are rotting or melting I would guess they where grown emersed or you water has too much disolved organicsor protiens. Without pics we can't tell if its emersed growth or not. How much and how often do you change your water.

once a week every two week.. is that too much? 50 % of it I'll try to get picture after work

 

is the stump healthy then? I do know fish shop had them in the water but before ship have no idea how grow

If the roots feel healthy & firm, not soggy and rotting, it probably is. Just plant it, with the root node "or crown" showing, and wait a few months. Give it time. Here is a good illustration video explaining leaf rot. Towards the end, he has some comments on losing "all" leaves.

 

Thrive

yes its that product, and I add trace elements I think of use a micro bubble c02 air diffuser it listed as a c02 and just micro bubble smaller bubbles might be better? want to buy liquid co2

 

If the roots feel healthy & firm, not soggy and rotting, it probably is. Just plant it, with the root node "or crown" showing, and wait a few months. Give it time. Here is a good illustration video explaining leaf rot. Towards the end, he has some comments on losing "all" leaves.

thank you

 

More CO2 will yield more plant growth (assuming nothing else is limiting or constraining the plants' growth), but adding CO2 is not necessary for healthy plants, as long as they're low light and low tech compatible plants (all of yours are).
Aquarium plants respond really well to consistency. Same light schedule day after day, no variation. Also same water parameters, generally. Do you give your tank a consistent schedule, or have you changed anything recently (eg water change schedule, added [or lost] lots of fish, etc.)? In other words, whatever the problem is, adding CO2 or a liquid carbon supplement won't likely fix it. If you're adding lots of fert tabs, the plants shouldn't be deficient there, which leaves the light. Can you share a brand or model #?
Also, these may seem like silly questions, but can you confirm if you add salt to your tank (hopefully not), and do you treat your water to remove any chlorine? Also, are you using distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) water, or water from a water softener?

 

More CO2 will yield more plant growth (assuming nothing else is limiting or constraining the plants' growth), but adding CO2 is not necessary for healthy plants, as long as they're low light and low tech compatible plants (all of yours are).
Aquarium plants respond really well to consistency. Same light schedule day after day, no variation. Also same water parameters, generally. Do you give your tank a consistent schedule, or have you changed anything recently (eg water change schedule, added [or lost] lots of fish, etc.)? In other words, whatever the problem is, adding CO2 or a liquid carbon supplement won't likely fix it. If you're adding lots of fert tabs, the plants shouldn't be deficient there, which leaves the light. Can you share a brand or model #?
Also, these may seem like silly questions, but can you confirm if you add salt to your tank (hopefully not), and do you treat your water to remove any chlorine? Also, are you using distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) water, or water from a water softener?

I thank for being so kind, I am going to start doing weekly water changes 50% and stick to that, is that good sounding? brand of light yes? I have used prime no salt as I have snails. no fish died, not added more fish . brand of root tabs is sea-chem, water from my tap water... I only have 5 fish and 3 snails in tank, other then plants my tank has been running 3+ years

 

two plant