Very new .. need help

owl

owl

\m/ \m/
Jul 8, 2008
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HI all :)
i bought some plants for my tank , i think they r :
10 of Corkscrew Vallisneria ( http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+1624&pcatid=1624 )
2 of Balansae Plant ( Cryptocoryne http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+1623&pcatid=1623 )
4 of Anubias nana ( http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+815&pcatid=815 )
4 of Anacharis ( http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+780&pcatid=780 )
2 of Cabomba ( http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+796&pcatid=796 )
( i donno the names except the Cryptocoryne , the local store gave them some strange silly names ! like apple leaf , cat tails ! ... anyway i recognized them from the pics )
i have a 55g tank , with a 25w fluorescent lamp , it has no description no infos on it just say 25w ! and here s the only link i found from it :
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/200938936/Submersible_Lamp.html
absolutely no details ,
any way , my plants startin to wither . specially the Vallisnerias and Anacharis , the vallisnerias start to grow again after lossin lotsa their leafs ( still there s some yellow leafs and some eradicated ) so as the anacharis , i thought they r dead , they start to turn to yellow startin to eradicate , but after a few days i saw some bud on 2 of them . the other 2 teared apart and nothin left ... there s nothin left of cabombas and Anubias ( i think may be the fishes ate them ) , and now my Cryptocoryne are startin to wither , they r not turnin to yellow but the leafs startin to wither and tearin apart ...
what should i do ? what do i need to keep my plants fresh ?
they don seems healthy as before ...
oh and i forgot to say i use water plant base fertilizer from a chinese brand called ABB ! ( is it good ? and isn t it bad for my fishes ? :( )
here s some pics hope these help :



 
You have 25 watts over 55 gallons? That could be one of your problems right there. I don't know about some of your plants, however I would try to get at least 1.5 watts per gallon with that tank. You could either make your own light system or buy a set up.

Also, are you adding CO2? However, that won't make much of an impact if your light is below 1 wpg. Basically I think your problem is lack of light. Sort that out first before getting CO2 and other ferts.

You may also have nutrient diffiency, what does your fert provide?
 
To grow some of them you'll need more light. Are you using any fertilizers?
 
Idealy you want at LEAST 1.5 watts per gallon of light. Usually in the 6500K range..

I dont see any pictures of Combomba here.. so if you think one of those plants is combomba, its not.. see some hornwort though..

Do you have fish in the tank? What is the Nitrate level?
What are the other water params?

do you have a test kit for Phosphates and Iron?

You will need to monitor all of these levels in your tank, and dose fertilizers to maintain acceptable levels of each if necessary, For now though, I would reccomend you upgrade your lighting. look for a daylight bulb, at least 6500K or higher, the higher the K rating, the Bluer the light's color is... fot planyed tanks I like the 6700K's.
 
DarkDH said:
In the post, it's listed as some Chinese brand. I could be ammonia for all we know. ;p
Click to expand...

Thanks, I missed that. I've never heard of it. I'll let the real plant experts chime in, I just dabble, but my bet would be on light and nutrients.

You can grow plants with low light and no CO2, but it limits the plant options. Below is my 55 with just 40W and no CO2.

Owl- Do you know the spectrum of the bulb?

55G 005.jpg
 
so the first problem s lightin ...i think i ll go for daylight bulb , lemme see what can i find here , i ll do a research and will be back with results !... and what bout LED lights do they help ? ..
What are the other water params?
Click to expand...
shamefully i don have any tets kit yet :( ...
and isn t the fertilizers give all they need ? on the box says it has Mn,Na,Mg,P,K,Fe !!!

i have 4 neons , 4dwarf gouramis , 3 angels and 4 corys in there right now ..
I dont see any pictures of Combomba here..
Click to expand...
nothin left of it .. nothin ....
Do you know the spectrum of the bulb?
Click to expand...
there s absolutely no infos about it :( it s chinese !

and what bout co2 ? do i need it ?

Hooked Newbie - what a beautifull tank ... wow
 
If it's really 25W, I'd shop for a new fixture, not a new bulb.

2x65W PC in the 6500K to 10,000K range would be a good starting point (AH-Supply retrofit may work for you).

4 dwarf Gouramis - I forsee problems there...
 
There are some good Current Fixtures for in my opinion, "Lower" price that you could use. Or Nova Extremes T-5 HO's are on sale at a few places. Since you have a 55 gallon, it's a tad expensive (Considering I shelled out $65 + 10 shipping for a 30" fixture).
 
wow i found a 10000k fixture for 200$ , that s way more expensive for me right now to buy ! so i have to go 2 or 3 more fluorescent i think , and 3 things else :
-can i find any thing usefull in electric stores ? i saw lotsa diffrent bulbs , any idea ?
i m expert w electricity and electronic so i can build somethin for my tank if there s anything usefull in electric store , and if there s what exactly should i lookin for ?
-what s the diffrence between moon light fluorescents and sun light ones ?
-and another thing , should i run the lights 24/7 ?

4 dwarf Gouramis - I forsee problems there...
Click to expand...
what s wrong with dwarf gouramis ? :(
 
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