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Thread: Planted tank help

  1. #1
    Registered Member Christian74's Avatar
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    Default Planted tank help

    Hello I’m fairly new to planted tanks. Always loved live planted everytime I would add them to my tanks the leaves would all get covered in black dirt it seems never had great growing success. I always thought because I had more fish not enough plants now I set up a tank few months now with Little fish and my plants are the same. Some completely dying. Some holes in leaves a lot are dirty leaves. I’m dosing with easy green from aquarium coop easy iron and easy carbon. The recommended dosing running a finnex planted plus 24/7 fixture. On the 24 hour mode. With a aquaclear 110 filter on a rimless 60 gallon. Can someone please help guide me to keeping a successful planted tank. Here some pictures of how it looks.
    Thank you
    Christian

  2. #2
    Registered Member Christian74's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    Can’t figure out how to post pictures on my phone so complicated to navigate

  3. #3
    Registered Member pastry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    Christian, I keep a low-tech planted tank. Search for some of my past threads and at least you can see my hard Lessons Learned and some of my success. Success is subjective. I have had pairs raise spawns in my tank and have even had some grow larger than 6.5 in. That said, I am a firm believer that bear bottom tanks are cleaner as well as everyday water changes. Because I have accepted that, let's just say I set the bar low I like what I have. I have made a choice to keep mine in a planted tank although I believe best practice is not what I do. That said, I strive to constantly afford my discus a good planted tank yet good life.
    -Elliot

  4. #4
    Homesteader Filip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    Hi Christian.
    First on posting images . Up on the texting bar you have a small icon with a little tree on it .That icon is for posting images .When you click it the new bar pops up with options to upload photo via URL or Via computer .You click via computer and it directs you to you mobile photo Folder where you choose a photo you want to upload and click enter .
    Now your back on the same screen with option Upload .
    You click upload and it uploads your photo as a link in your post. Then you just hit the button "post quick reply" and your message along with the photo is uploaded to the forum .


    About plants .
    What tank dimensions do you have ?
    What total wattage is you finnex light source ?
    How long is your daily photoperiod and do you run the lights in full strength or not ?
    What kind of plants do you keep ?
    What kind of substrate do you use ?
    What kind and how many fish do you keep In there ?

    Photo of your tank would be a great help for a start .

  5. #5
    Homesteader Paul Sabucchi's Avatar
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    Take a wild guess

    Default Re: Planted tank help

    Follow Filip's advice to give us more info to understand the issues with your plants (probably black brush algae in there somewhere)

  6. #6
    Registered Member Jack L's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    my tips
    1. don't dose
    2. you don't need as much light as you think, start with 8 hours a day
    3. buy some java ferns, crypts, and plant them and see which do the best
    4. have patience

  7. #7
    Registered Member dagray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    when you introduce plants you risk bringing pond snails into your aquarium. This can be good, and it can be bad as follows:

    Good: food source for discus, angels, other fish. clean some types of algae if you have an algae problem.

    Bad: can eat plants, can overrun your tank and even if there are too many kill slow moving fish (think sucking slime coat off of sleeping discus).

    Snails can be an indicator of overfeeding as a snail population explosion tells you that you are overfeeding, but if you only have a dozen or so snails you are probably okay.

    A way to prevent snails is a dip in bleach water or other chemical dilutions.

    Plants that are good for beginners are the swords, annubias, water lettuce, floating red root, valisnaria.

    There are other plants that are easy, but they don't come to my mind directly.
    God is the artist, he merely allows me to see and capture his work . http://davesphotography7055.zenfolio.com/ coupon code: angelfish
    some of my work accepted by Pentax (the camera bodies I use): http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidgray

  8. #8
    Registered Member Jack L's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    Quote Originally Posted by dagray View Post
    when you introduce plants you risk bringing pond snails into your aquarium. This can be good, and it can be bad as follows:

    Good: food source for discus, angels, other fish. clean some types of algae if you have an algae problem.

    Bad: can eat plants, can overrun your tank and even if there are too many kill slow moving fish (think sucking slime coat off of sleeping discus).

    Snails can be an indicator of overfeeding as a snail population explosion tells you that you are overfeeding, but if you only have a dozen or so snails you are probably okay.

    A way to prevent snails is a dip in bleach water or other chemical dilutions.

    Plants that are good for beginners are the swords, annubias, water lettuce, floating red root, valisnaria.

    There are other plants that are easy, but they don't come to my mind directly.
    my discus never ate snails. i did get and infestation of pest snails. what i found to work the best was assassin snails

  9. #9
    Registered Member dagray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Planted tank help

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack L View Post
    my discus never ate snails. i did get and infestation of pest snails. what i found to work the best was assassin snails
    I started squishing the snails against the glass... once my discus, and angels that I used to have got a taste for the snails they started hunting them.

    While I no longer have discus (will be getting more in a few months when finances loosen up) my blue rams also tear the heck out of the pond snails.

    Assassin snails are also a good way to get rid of pond snails.
    God is the artist, he merely allows me to see and capture his work . http://davesphotography7055.zenfolio.com/ coupon code: angelfish
    some of my work accepted by Pentax (the camera bodies I use): http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidgray

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