All (or mostly) bulb tank?

[Quartermain]

I am having a heck of a time with rooted plants in my 10 gal and so I'm considering replacing most of them with bulbs. I have one Green Lotus bulb that has been in the tank for about a month. It has sprouted and is revealing at least one new leaf every week with no sign of stopping. It is by far the best growing plant in the tank.

The rooted plants include microsword, anubias b., and tinfoil sword... all of which are barely growing. In fact I think the microsword may be slowly dieing. Only the Anubias has sprouted a new leaf and it is coming up very very slowly. I need fast growing plants in this tank to ward off algae.

I am aware that most bulbous plants get quite large, esspecially the Lotus. That's not a problem for me becuase they are easy to uproot, trim and replant without a lot of damage. I've done it twice to the Lotus and it keeps on growing. Very hearty plant.

I have a Coralife strip light with a 28W 6700K CF bulb. I'm using AF Plant-Gro fertilizer, Flourish Excel and CO2 when needed.

Any caveats of keeping mostly bulbs that I should be aware of (other than the obvious constant pruning)?

 

[happychem]

Yup, one. If your rooted plants, or plants in general aren't growing it's because of a nutrient deficiency. Bulb plants store energy in the bulb during their "growing season" which they use to shoot up fast and big so that they can dominate their ecosystem, 'cause really that's all nature's about .

However, if your tank is deficient in a nutrient, the new plants aren't going to store much in their bulbs while they grow, so when they go dormant, they may or may no grow back.

Really that's the only caveat, they're growing well for you right now because they're using stored energy and nutrients, but if they cannot get enough nutrients and energy now, they might not grow (or just not as well) later.

 

[RTR]

Nutrients and lighting are key.

How much light?

What are your nitrate titers?

Are you adding any supplements?

 

[Quartermain]

Actually I answered two of those questions already. 28 Watts and liquid ferts. I don't know what a "titer" is (unless that was a misspelling of some word?) but the nitrate level is nearly constantly 10ppm.

The one thing I am not doing is adding solid ferts. I was told to steer away from them as a beginner. So if you say it's a nutrient defficiency then maybe I should give that a go first.

Good point about stored nutrients with the bulbs by the way. No wonder the lotus is taking off.

 

[RTR]

The reading that you get from a test kit is the titer. 10ppm is fine.

I don't know the fertilizer you specify - is it macros (N, P, K), micros (also called traces - multiple elements at very low concentrations), or what?

Standard dosage of Excel? Is the CO2 intermittant or constant? (I don't understand "when needed"). Do you check the CO2 concentration by pH/KH/CO2 tables?