Plant Problems Please Help

[richyrich_one]

Hello to everyone, I hope someone can help me.

My plants were doing really well when I first set up my 38g tank. The substrate in a approx 50/50 mixture of red flourite and ordinary gravel.

After a couple of weeks I added DIY CO2 and they went crazy. Beautiful lush growth from everything. Then all of a sudden it stopped. Everything started to become weak and or die.

I would appreciate it if anyone might be able to tell me what happened. I'm guessing that they used something up and I need to start adding it but any ideas what it should be?

I am adding flourish twice weekly as directed on bottle hoping this would help. But nothing for the last month.

Water stats are ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20-40 ish (so hard to tell but it's no higher than what comes out of the tap) 9 degrees KH and GH. Using API liquid tests.

I have 2 40w flourescents with reflectors

Please please help

Rich


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[yourchoice]

Adding flourish twice a week but nothing for the last month?Unclear,did you stop putting it in?

Plants will really suck up the nutrients until they get saturated at the start.

If the substrate is 50% Seachems flourite its probabaly just as good as 100%.

I have feeling its a lighting problem.Does the fixture have a ballast?A tranformer like thing.

[avionics30]

With CO2 addition, I would dose your flourish daily. The CO2 excellerated the growth of your plants and the nutrient supply has been depleated. Within 7 days of dosing daily you should see results.

[richyrich_one]

Hi yourchoice, thanks for your response.

Yes it has a ballast but it is built into the hood (Fluval Roma tank). I have kept up the flourish, I meant no growth of any sort for the last month. The tank is only about 3 months old so would it be a lighting problem? Nothing has changed except the plants.

[richyrich_one]

Thanks avionics30, I'll give it a try. It certainly makes sense, but I wouldn't have even thought of dosing daily.:thm:

Should I keep up the daily dosing for good? or until I start to see improvement and then scale it down a bit after the 7 days?