Sooo... My plants aren't growing... and I have no idea why.

[red_wall]

Alrighty guys, another question from me!

I'm getting really, really tired of my plants holding on for dear life.

They aren't growing too much... here's my plants and the condition that they're in:

Jungle Val's: Have grown an inch since I've had them (a year)

Something similar to rotala rotundifolia: Have shot up a lot of sprouts... but the tallest one that's grown since I've gotten it is 5 inches, and that's 2 sprouts out of about 20, the rest are >3inches (I've had it about 3 months)

Java Moss: I don't think it's even grown. (a few months)
I used to have wisteria, but I failed in keeping it alive...

My WPG is 2.2, 46 gallon tank with DIY light strip consisting of 4x26 watt CFLs.
And I used to add excel, and dry ferts, I stopped when the growth wasn't improving.

Now, If I draw logical conclusions - that the excel and ferts aren't helping much - then I find that the lighting isn't enough. But the algae would blow out of control if I did that...

Why aren't even LOW LIGHT plants taking to my tank? I can understand slow growth... but I've had the val's for a year and almost no growth?

The Java moss is even barely growing (from what I can tell)

And then the Rotala is growing somewhat.

Maybe I need to try more plants out?
Maybe I need to add more lighting?


Can anyone give some advice?

 

[kanvas]

wow, are you me? I have the same experience (like even Java fern fell me) the only things I managed to get good growth is a good old clump of wendtii crypt and subwassertang. But I'm recently added pressured CO2 so I'm going to wait and to see how it goes. I have brown thumbs,I guess.

 

[red_wall]

I was thinking about it, but I haven't the money for it : /

 

[timwag2001]

what are the dimensions of your tank?

 

[timwag2001]

how old are your bulbs

 

[red_wall]

36x16x12 and they're a half a year old.
It's a bowfront.

 

[timwag2001]

pics?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Kinda sounds like my experience the 28 bowfront in the house (not mine). Plants just kinda chill, whereas in my other tanks stuff actually grows. That one is running about 2.2 wpg (cfls), flourite substrate, excel and DIY CO2, ferts, etc.

I had moved some Java Moss out of the 28, and put it in a tiny little tank with no additional nutrients, no filter, only getting ambient light, and it grew. Put it back in the 28...hasn't budged. Got a low light tank upstairs...stuff grows in that one too.

One thing that I'm going to try on the tank in my house (because I'm not going to pay for a CO2 reg for someone elses tank), is lift the lights. Really what you might be looking at is too much light for what Excel can handle. You could also try throwing some floating plants in there to naturally filter out some light too.

 

[jptjpt]

From the info you've given, sounds like there's little nitrate in the tank. Vals and Rotala not growing well is a nitrate issue. Easiest way is to add fish.

 

[red_wall]

Here, OH and all the recent growth (and the turning) of the rotala in 1st pic is cause my curtains broke, so there's a lot of sunlight coming in through that window.