withering plants..can they be saved??

[Bowserfins]

Hey everyone,

I started a 125 gallon about 3 weeks ago... only 2 bags of flourite were used in the substrate..... When I started the tank I transplanted 1 amazon sword and another(bushy/but leafy) plant from my existing 55 gallon... These two plants flourished for nearly 2 months in an aquarium with no flourite.... But it wasnt as deep, etc...

I WAS only using two 36" strip lights(double bulbs).. The plants started to wither quickly, but I finally got two more 36" strip lights.... So I upped the wattage and now it is almost 2 watts per gallon.. My question is will that be enough to save these plants?? or After an aquatic plant starts to wither can it be saved at all???


Im fairly new to planted aquaria.. Ive bought several amazon swords which currently flourish in smaller tanks without any special lighting or fertilizer....
But I would love to have the opportunity to add some live plants to this large tank... What kind of fixtures do I need to make this happen??? OR any info that would allow plants to thrive in a large aquarium would be helpful...
Thanks for your time
Bowserfins

 

[tanker]

If the roots are still in good shape the plant will grow back.

 

[Blinky]

Plants are unbelievably resiliant. Even those in horrid condition with a few half-eaten leaves can recover if the roots are healthy and they're given good conditions. Some Crypts melt down to nothing, but if the roots are undisturbed, new growth emerges and the plant keeps on growing. I'm sure a sword can take a little abuse and recover, as long as there are sufficient ferts, CO2 and light.
I purchased some absolutely pathetic looking (spindly, pale, most of the leaves were gone) Rotala rotundifolia from a LFS once, I wasn't even sure what it was, but at $2 a bunch I figured I'd take some home, try it out and see if it would recover. Suffice it to say I'm now overrun with bright pink, fat leaved stems. I was also amazed a little while ago to discover just how tough Hygrophila polysperma is - a leaf must have detached from one of the stems and become lodged behind the spray bar; when I moved the spray bar to clean behind it, I found the leaf - it was busy growing its own little roots! I was curious to see what would happen, so I left it floating in the tank. Two weeks later, it's a small plant with two stems and about 20 leaves - absolutely amazing!

 

[Robert H]

Only if you are able to provide consistent improved over all conditions for the next two months, not just light, but nutrients and C02 as well. If your tank is not well balanced, then it will be much more difficult and slow for the plants to recover. Prune off any leaves that are yellow or trasparent, even if that leaves no leafs on the plant. Stick an NPK fertilizer tablet in the gravel next to the swords.

 

[Bowserfins]

Thanks everyone!!! Got a few fertilizer tabs this morning!! Going to make a DIY CO2 injector in the near future....