Hello. (Also, I've been up for 20 or so hours, so excuse the idiocy below)
So this is my first higher tech planted tank. I've kept planted tanks in the past, but they contained mostly plants like Java Fern under low light.
The tank is a 20G Tall/High, with T5HO lights. It's a double strand light, each being 24 watts. Both are 6500k, and the system sits directly on the glass canopy.
The substrate is about 2 inches of Eco-Complete with I plan to top with some gravel and rocks for purely aesthetic reasons.
I will be adding some driftwood later.
My tank is uncycled with no plans to stock anytime soon (though I have a lovely -note the sarcasm- group of pest snails being born despite my attempts to kill them before planting), and I plan to Silent Cycle the tank. I've done this before, but as previously stated under low light conditions.
I bought a plant package off of Aquabid (great seller), and the plants all arrived happy and healthy. I'm still in the process of determining the ID of all the plants, as several were sent as extras. So far, having only had the plants for a few days, I'm already noticing several achievements and problems.
Flora (as best I can ID them):
Cabomba - Doing excellent. Vibrant with new growth.
Bacopa monnieri - Lots of new growth, with sturdy stems. Very few lower leaves dying off.
Java Fern - Turning translucent black. Also dusted in a black-spotted substance. Overall, doing poorly.
Elodea najas - Slowly becoming a translucent yellow/brown.
Alternanthera reineckii? - Minimal growth, also displaying translucent patches.
Hygrophilia salicifolia? - Experiencing new growth with minimal decay, a few leaves have turned solid black in small portions though.
Nomaphilia siamensis? - Also experiencing new growth, with small portions turning solid black.
Two types of swords? - The smaller, darker green one is doing great and growing. The taller, thinner one (argentinensis?) is getting yellow/brown translucent spots.
Duckweed - Obviously doing well, despite the fact I tried to kill it and throw it away. :flamed:
Dwarf Water Lettuce? - It's a very water resistant plant (hydrophobic in nature), and if submerged it will remained covered in tiny bubbles. This floating plant is doing poorly, and is turning solid yellow, then solid brown.
Water temp: 78
pH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrates: 0
Hardness: Undetermined as I wait for my other kits, but assuming high as I live in the mountains.
Lights are kept on for about 8 hours.
I'm assuming my problem is either 1) lack of CO2, 2) lack of additional ferts, or 3) my lack of both?
Or maybe I have not gotten the hang of how long to keep the lights on? Or maybe the pH and hardness are effecting the plants?
Regardless, all advice is welcome. Also, feel free to call me an idiot. I don't know how this happens, but somehow I'm great at organizing my thoughts as an astrophysics student, but dive in like an idiot with aquariums. FYI, This tank is primarily for plants, and fish will be determined later.
Thanks in advance for the help. :thumbsup:
So this is my first higher tech planted tank. I've kept planted tanks in the past, but they contained mostly plants like Java Fern under low light.
The tank is a 20G Tall/High, with T5HO lights. It's a double strand light, each being 24 watts. Both are 6500k, and the system sits directly on the glass canopy.
The substrate is about 2 inches of Eco-Complete with I plan to top with some gravel and rocks for purely aesthetic reasons.
I will be adding some driftwood later.
My tank is uncycled with no plans to stock anytime soon (though I have a lovely -note the sarcasm- group of pest snails being born despite my attempts to kill them before planting), and I plan to Silent Cycle the tank. I've done this before, but as previously stated under low light conditions.
I bought a plant package off of Aquabid (great seller), and the plants all arrived happy and healthy. I'm still in the process of determining the ID of all the plants, as several were sent as extras. So far, having only had the plants for a few days, I'm already noticing several achievements and problems.
Flora (as best I can ID them):
Cabomba - Doing excellent. Vibrant with new growth.
Bacopa monnieri - Lots of new growth, with sturdy stems. Very few lower leaves dying off.
Java Fern - Turning translucent black. Also dusted in a black-spotted substance. Overall, doing poorly.
Elodea najas - Slowly becoming a translucent yellow/brown.
Alternanthera reineckii? - Minimal growth, also displaying translucent patches.
Hygrophilia salicifolia? - Experiencing new growth with minimal decay, a few leaves have turned solid black in small portions though.
Nomaphilia siamensis? - Also experiencing new growth, with small portions turning solid black.
Two types of swords? - The smaller, darker green one is doing great and growing. The taller, thinner one (argentinensis?) is getting yellow/brown translucent spots.
Duckweed - Obviously doing well, despite the fact I tried to kill it and throw it away. :flamed:
Dwarf Water Lettuce? - It's a very water resistant plant (hydrophobic in nature), and if submerged it will remained covered in tiny bubbles. This floating plant is doing poorly, and is turning solid yellow, then solid brown.
Water temp: 78
pH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrates: 0
Hardness: Undetermined as I wait for my other kits, but assuming high as I live in the mountains.
Lights are kept on for about 8 hours.
I'm assuming my problem is either 1) lack of CO2, 2) lack of additional ferts, or 3) my lack of both?
Or maybe I have not gotten the hang of how long to keep the lights on? Or maybe the pH and hardness are effecting the plants?
Regardless, all advice is welcome. Also, feel free to call me an idiot. I don't know how this happens, but somehow I'm great at organizing my thoughts as an astrophysics student, but dive in like an idiot with aquariums. FYI, This tank is primarily for plants, and fish will be determined later.
Thanks in advance for the help. :thumbsup: