65 gallon LJ project

[fishorama]

The ram's pink tummy makes it a female, males don't get that.

Swords are fairly heavy root feeders. I use root tab fertilizer, 1 every 3 or 4 months. The new leaves look healthy but you'll likely gradually lose all the leaves it came with

 

[Lalo J.]

More light. Check pH and KH /CO2. Easy plants don't need a high quality substrate nor an additive. Your bulbs (fluorescent?) seem very short it is assumed for light that you use light all along the tank not just a spot. What kind of bulbs are they exactly, do you have any specification?

I'm using two 65W, 6500k, and 4000 lumen saving bulbs each. I don't have any source of CO2 in the tank, do not consider it necessary for low-requirement plants, what opinions do you have about liquid CO2?

 

[the loach]

Are you sure about the light, why is your tank so dark when you have 130 Watt over it? You don't need CO2 for a low maintenance tank, but you still want to check pH/KH to see how much is available and try if submersing/emerging the outlet of the filter improves it.

 

[Lalo J.]

I'm completely close to the specifications of the light, maybe the darkness is due to the effects of my camera, I don't like that it looks so bright. I will make a comparison tonight with normal camera and with the modification that I'm using in my camera

 

[the loach]

If you do have 130 Watt over 65 gallon you have exactly 2 Watts per gallon which is getting to high light. Meaning your problem is the lack of CO2. High light and CO2 go hand in hand, if you want low light without CO2 you have to turn off 1 fluorescent. But still test pH and KH...

 

[Lalo J.]

Here you go:
No effect, no flash and normal light in the tank:

Shaded tone and flash (I love it):

 

[Lalo J.]

I have 2 questions:
Liquid CO2 will work correctly for these plants?

I'm making water changes every 6 days, to give good quality of water to the fish. Would this be affecting plants in any way?

 

[the loach]

Why are your lights only covering part of the tank? I see you have Cabomba, that is not an easy, low light or low maintenance plant in any way. Stores love to sell it as everyone has to come back after 6 weeks to buy more. Water changes on itself aren't affecting plants but water parameters are. You need to know your pH, KH and NO3 then we can see what you need to do. Liquid CO2 isn't going to help much.

 

[CichlidFins]

Liquid CO2 will work correctly for these plants?

Liquid co2 is most likely going to be Glutaraldehyde. Which acts as a disinfectant in medical practice so essentially liquid co2 is a algaecide, not real c02.

 

[fishorama]

Are the bulbs the spiral type that screw in? Then it won't be close to high light.

What is the small plant(s) near the rock on the left? I can't tell even in the brightly lit pic.