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Thread: trouble keeping plants alive

  1. #1
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    Default trouble keeping plants alive

    I've always had trouble keeping plants alive even the ones that are suppose to be easy to take care of. Ive basically tried all the easy plants at one time or another I've tried anubias, java fern, crypts ,amazon swords, jungle val. all with the same result. They will do ok for a month or two then gradually die or just look unhealthy. the plant ive had the best luck with is anubias but i still have alot of issues with that plant they will evenually melt back turn yellow and just look unhealthy. anyway what i have tried is liquid ferts. ive tried dry ferts. ive tried adjusting the hours my lights are on. my ph is high it's around 8.2 I keep my temp at 83. should i test my gh or kh is that necessary.any other kind of testing i should do. do i need to try different lights or is the ph just to high for plants ive heard mixed reviews of some say its to high and some say it should be fine. Do i need to adjust the ph but im kinda scared to mess with it because i don't want to harm any of my discus.Is there a safe way to adjust it and keep it stable. I'm kinda of lost what to do because ive always read these plants are easy to keep and can live in anything. I keep my lights on 8 hours a day. heres a link to the lights https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-...00H3Y4YLW?th=1 have two fixtures for my 125 gallon tank and i do 40 percent water changes two to 3 times a week. Looking for some tips or advice i may be able to try don't want to give up on this. I really like the look of a planted discus tank don't want anything high tech just a few plants i can keep healthy. i know theres alot of questions but appreciate any help.

  2. #2
    Registered Member BrendanJ23's Avatar
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Some liquid fertilisers can melt plants, even at recommended dosages. I know java ferns can be affected. I don’t dose liquid ferts, just use root tabs . What sort of light do you have? Can you upload some pictures of the tank?

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    i looked at the amazon website real quick but could not see what wattage the lights are .
    light is the most important factor in growing plants .
    you don't seem to complain about algea , this leads me to believe you might not have enough light .
    check out this website https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/
    it will show you everything you want to know and more !

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Quote Originally Posted by klr-dude View Post
    i looked at the amazon website real quick but could not see what wattage the lights are .
    light is the most important factor in growing plants .
    you don't seem to complain about algea , this leads me to believe you might not have enough light .
    check out this website https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/
    it will show you everything you want to know and more !
    here a different site of the lights more detailed info on them I do get algae not a real lot but i thought java fern and anubias are pretty low light plants anyway here is the link of the lights i use i use two 36 inch fixtures https://www.marinedepot.com/aquaticl...ixture-36-inch thanks for the reply

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Quote Originally Posted by BrendanJ23 View Post
    Some liquid fertilisers can melt plants, even at recommended dosages. I know java ferns can be affected. I don’t dose liquid ferts, just use root tabs . What sort of light do you have? Can you upload some pictures of the tank?
    i started off not using ferts. and have the same issues. im starting over don't really have pictures of the plant defects. here's a pic of the setup when i first added plants a month or two later the plants look horrible but don't have a picture of the it64389690_398496994343119_5099577660254715904_n.jpg

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    Registered Member bluelagoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    It wouldn't matter what you try; plants just simply won't grow in a ph 8.2. They simply can't take up ferts in that ph. Plants won't grow in parts of the Rift Lakes in Africa due to high ph. It is mostly rocky and sand bottom lakes

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Quote Originally Posted by bluelagoon View Post
    It wouldn't matter what you try; plants just simply won't grow in a ph 8.2. They simply can't take up ferts in that ph. Plants won't grow in parts of the Rift Lakes in Africa due to high ph. It is mostly rocky and sand bottom lakes
    ok well what is the safest way to adjust ph and keep it stable i don't want to drop it alot lets say i drop it to mid to low 7s. right now i age water in a garbage pale thanks for the reply

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Quote Originally Posted by matt2426 View Post
    here a different site of the lights more detailed info on them I do get algae not a real lot but i thought java fern and anubias are pretty low light plants anyway here is the link of the lights i use i use two 36 inch fixtures https://www.marinedepot.com/aquaticl...ixture-36-inch thanks for the reply
    it looks like the lights that you have are 48 watts , that is half of what i'm running in my tank and i have all low light plants .
    bluelagoon has a point as well , your PH. might be too high .
    the PH . of my well water is high as well and i lower it with a tiny bit of muriatic acid ( go ahead guys and flame me for it ) but i have great success in raising discus and plants for that matter .
    i use 2 fluid ounces in 400 gallon water , however it is 300 gal. RO and 100 gal. water straight out of my well.
    i use this water for my hatchery and my planted show tank .
    change 20% per day .
    hope this helps .

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Quote Originally Posted by klr-dude View Post
    it looks like the lights that you have are 48 watts , that is half of what i'm running in my tank and i have all low light plants .
    bluelagoon has a point as well , your PH. might be too high .
    the PH . of my well water is high as well and i lower it with a tiny bit of muriatic acid ( go ahead guys and flame me for it ) but i have great success in raising discus and plants for that matter .
    i use 2 fluid ounces in 400 gallon water , however it is 300 gal. RO and 100 gal. water straight out of my well.
    i use this water for my hatchery and my planted show tank .
    change 20% per day .
    hope this helps .
    ok what kind of lights would you recommend for low light plants just want to keep java fern maybe some anubias and jungle val i was looking at this 72 inch fixture would one of those fixtures be enough lighting https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beamswork-E...-/291651103215

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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    so would a ro unit work if i do like a 50/50 mix during water changes that will lower the ph and keep it stable correct? do i need to add anything if i use the ro water mix such as adding nutrients or ferts and what not thanks

  11. #11
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    My tap comes out at around 8.2 but I was able to grow some plants successfully to some extent. Not sure if the pH dropped after aging but it was still pretty high. I think there is something wrong when the OP states that he can't grow jungle vals. Those plants are like underwater weeds and should grow under any condition- hi/lo light, low fert. I would check the substrate then, since discus aquariums don't have much in terms of nutrients due to the frequent w/c. Maybe use planted aquarium substrate? My two cents.

  12. #12
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    One way, if you really want plants, is co2 and a ph controller. Co2 drops your PH and the controller keeps it stable by turning on and off the co2 depending on the PH. Now, I'm new to co2 and ph controllers and this may not be the best method. However, this is what I'm going to do to my tank even though I don't have high PH like you do. Take a look at this thread. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...o-system/page3

    It's very informative. BTW, beautiful tank and beautiful fish! where did you get your background?
    Last edited by Mando; 01-21-2020 at 10:10 PM.

  13. #13
    Registered Member 14Discus's Avatar
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    I may not say what you’d like to hear, but if your PH is stable and your fish are healthy, plants have to take a back seat. I like a few plants in my tanks too, but will not focus on plants to a point that might jeopardize the fish health. IMHO, adjusting PH electively is an accident waiting to happen. The only two plants I’ve grown ok w my 8.0ish PH are narrow leaf Amazon Sword and Hydrophillia angustiflora and my tank temps are at 86 degrees. My few plants are only for decor. My main plant contribution to address nitrates comes from my Pathos plants growing like crazy in my sump. One last thing to consider.....bringing in new plants could very well bring in new pathogens/parasites to your tank.

    Also......plz do test for KH and GH......not for the plants, but for your fish. There are safe ways to gradually adjust these if needed whereas PH is a different story.

    In a nutshell......a stable PH is of paramount importance for healthy fish. Plants....if they work.....fine, if not, skip or use plastic. I know this is not what you want to hear, but I’m just sharing my thoughts to help you as best I can.

    Oh.....btw.....yes, your tank is a absolutely gorgeous.
    Last edited by 14Discus; 01-22-2020 at 11:36 AM.

  14. #14
    Registered Member Shan_Evolved's Avatar
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Also don't be shy to use fake plants! There are a lot that look amazing

  15. #15
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    Default Re: trouble keeping plants alive

    Quote Originally Posted by 14Discus View Post
    I may not say what you’d like to hear, but if your PH is stable and your fish are healthy, plants have to take a back seat. I like a few plants in my tanks too, but will not focus on plants to a point that might jeopardize the fish health. IMHO, adjusting PH electively is an accident waiting to happen. The only two plants I’ve grown ok w my 8.0ish PH are narrow leaf Amazon Sword and Hydrophillia angustiflora and my tank temps are at 86 degrees. My few plants are only for decor. My main plant contribution to address nitrates comes from my Pathos plants growing like crazy in my sump. One last thing to consider.....bringing in new plants could very well bring in new pathogens/parasites to your tank.

    Also......plz do test for KH and GH......not for the plants, but for your fish. There are safe ways to gradually adjust these if needed whereas PH is a different story.

    In a nutshell......a stable PH is of paramount importance for healthy fish. Plants....if they work.....fine, if not, skip or use plastic. I know this is not what you want to hear, but I’m just sharing my thoughts to help you as best I can.

    Oh.....btw.....yes, your tank is a absolutely gorgeous.
    I did pothos in my sump too and I cannot complain! I also filled the surrounding area with cut up, cycled (seeded), sponges and the roots adheared to them.

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