New in planted tank . Please help !!

[09gx470]

Hi guys , I'm a newbie here . I just start out my planted tank about 6 months ago using full auto co2 system with ph controller . But I don't know why I can't keep my plant to be green ( healthy ) like the other member with planted tank . I still has hard time try to understanding the kh and ph . My question is how can I test my kh and ph to know how much bps co2 that I need ? I have bought the api kh test kit but still can't get it right to compare the co2 chart . If I'm not mistake I have to test my water and find out kh , ph and bps co2 to make my planted healthy right ?
My tank set up :
- 110 gallon tank
- temp set at 86f with controller
- drfostersmith full auto co2 system with ph controller
- 2 canister filter
- Eco complete substrate
- 2 finex planted led fixture ( turn on 6hrs a day )
- using seachem flourish tab
- seachem liquid fert : excel , flourish , trace , potassium , phosphate .
I can see my plant is growing but they're not staying green . Please please help me with my tank !!
Is there I don't have enough light or what do I need to make my plant stay healthy .
Excuse for my poor English !!

[matt511]

Lights are not on long enough.

[JulieK]

What type of plants do you have in your tank? Certain ones are extreme potassium hogs.

[niqhil]

Here is an older thread that might help to shortlist the plants that are good with high temp.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/archive/index.php/t-30952.html

[sd86tlam]

A few points I'd like to discuss:

1. Fish. Since this is a discus forum, I assume you have discus in your tank. The questions are: how many and how big are your discus? If you have juvies, please consider raise them in a bare bottom tank, provide good quality food and large, daily water change. Wait until they get to pre-adult to adult size (5-6") then you can put them back in your planted tank.

2. Temp. A planted tank should be kept at 82 F since more plant species will tolerate and grow better at this temp. Also, many successful and experienced breeders on this forum agree 82 F is the optimal temp for keeping discus. Do a search on this forum and you will see. Main reasons being proposed are you will sort of "burn out" your discus at higher temp (increase metabolism, breathing rate etc.) and increased bacterial production rate.

3. Light. How tall is your tank? Are you hanging your light fixtures or are they sitting on tank top? More importantly, are your plants being well lit by the light above? I agree that 6 hours per day is not enough for the well being of your plants. Try to maintain a minimum of 8. I usually do 10 per day. Some even do 12. Shorter duration = plants may not thrive, but longer duration = risk for algae. So, careful observation is KEY here.

4. CO2. I understand you are using the system from Drsforstersmith. Try to direct CO2-rich current towards your plant bed. That way, plant can maximize their utilization of CO2 before it escapes into the air. Remember, only about 1% of injected CO2 is used by plants. The rest gets wasted.

The most common method for checking CO2 level is to use a drop checker and a 4kH solution. We are aiming for 30 ppm CO2 in water, which turns this solution green. http://greenleafaquariums.com/co2-drop-checkers.html

Playing with CO2 is like playing with fire. So, I would suggest no discus or even any types of fish in the tank until you are mastering the art of injecting CO2. Fish have been killed by CO2, and it's a FACT. When you are good with CO2, save your money on Excel. It's expensive, and there is no need for it when you already supplied your tank w/ CO2.

ALWAYS look for balance b/w good, healthy plant growth and your fish since the border b/w life and death of your fish is a very FINE line. Fish tolerance sets the LIMIT for amount of CO2 being injected into your tank. Once again, observation is KEY. You definitely don't want discus to be the guinea pigs in this case.

5. Fertilizers. How do you dose your tank? What method do you use? In the future, save some money and buy dry ferts. They are cheap and probably will last you a very very long time. However, every method of dosing they design out there is associated with water change amount/frequency, and I am unsure if there is one specifically designed for discus planted tank. Estimated Index (EI) by Tom Barr is one popular method of making sure nutritional deficiency is never an issue since it floods the water column with more than enough ferts. This method is associated with 50% WC once per week, which is far less than enough WC for healthy discus growth. So, once again, if you have juvies, consider bare bottom tank before going planted.

6. Plant species. Be more specific w/ your plants. The link you provided is not very helpful since I still don't know what species you have in your tank. If after reading my post and you still decide to go w/ planted, you can try Anubias and Narrow Leaf Java Ferns. These are hardy species that can tolerate 82 F easily and very easy to stay green/healthy. They don't require 30 ppm CO2 to thrive, so you can comfortably start low w/ CO2 and adjust it upward depending on your fish tolerance. Another plus point is that they don't need substrate. They can be tied to rocks and driftwoods; hence, tank bottom can be kept bare, or if you prefer, you can add a thin layer of white sand. Your tank will be way easier to maintain this way :)

7. Further readings: The Planted Tank and BarrReport are two excellent websites for anything planted :) I purchase my plants from folks on those webs as well.

Hope that helps,
Tuan

[sd86tlam]

As a source of inspiration, in case you haven't seen this: http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com

If you want some green, tie some bunches of Narrow Leaf Java Ferns onto the driftwood, then tie some Anubias to few pieces of rocks and throw them under the shade. You will have a simple, clean yet stunning looking tank :) It's easy to maintain too :)

[09gx470]

Lights are not on long enough.

How long I have to turn on ?

[09gx470]

Here are some pics of my tank
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l14/sciontc876/imagejpg2_zps7c324a0a.jpg (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/sciontc876/media/imagejpg2_zps7c324a0a.jpg.html)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l14/sciontc876/imagejpg4_zpsc4f409c0.jpg (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/sciontc876/media/imagejpg4_zpsc4f409c0.jpg.html)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l14/sciontc876/imagejpg3_zps5eaef3c3.jpg (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/sciontc876/media/imagejpg3_zps5eaef3c3.jpg.html)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l14/sciontc876/imagejpg5_zps6306c066.jpg (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/sciontc876/media/imagejpg5_zps6306c066.jpg.html)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l14/sciontc876/imagejpg1_zpsee795b88.jpg (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/sciontc876/media/imagejpg1_zpsee795b88.jpg.html)

[09gx470]

What type of plants do you have in your tank? Certain ones are extreme potassium hogs.

I have water sprite , anubias , Amazon sword , lily and some other I don't even the name lol

[matt511]

At least 10 hours. A good way to combat algae growth with longer lighting times is to have a break in the middle of your lighting period(around 30 minutes to an hour). And also more water changes but if you read any thread on this forum you don't have to read far to come across that phrase.

[matt511]

You do have pretty good plant growth. I think I would be more concerned about you discus. Looks like you have a few that are s little stressed but that's just me.

[zergling]

I'd echo Tuan's point on temp, and bring it down to 82F. Higher temperature = less dissolved oxygen in the water.

Remember that when the lights are off, plants do not photosynthesize - they now consume dissolved oxygen in the water. Lowering the temp will reduce the stress on your plants and also allow the water to retain more dissolved oxygen - which both your plants and your discus need during lights out.