annubias problems

[toomanyfish]

hi all
have setup an annubias only tank a while back
Tank size is 3 18 18
plants are annubias only
fish are 24 rummy nose harlequins and cardinals,some corys and some ottos.
dosing is
1/2 teaspoon potassium sulphate and potassium nitrate and 1/8 spoon phosphate.
and 8ml micros and trace elements twice a week.
Lights one 20 w tube 6500k 8 hours a day.
now the problem is that the plants are surviving but they are not flourishing.i know annubias are slow growers but still they not doing well.plants dont look healthy enough.
I wanted to ask should i add co2?i cant afford a pressurized unit for now and can only go with diy.
Can someone guide me where i have gone wrong?and what i could do to improve
Thanks in advance
Hamza

[Eddie]

Any and all Anubias I've ever owned just needed light, no co2, no minerals....just light. They be growing out of the tank! Obviously they develop super slow but they reach for the lights. ;) My lighting is about 1-1.5 watts per gallon on the tanks with anubias.

[whitedevil]

1.5 to 2 wpg for the anubias.

Mine are starting to flower and only been in the tank 6 weeks from a rhizome cutting, one leaf turned into 20 with a single flower pod starting to open.

Are the anubias planted at all?

[Eddie]

Are the anubias planted at all?

Good call, I didn't even think to ask. :o If the rhizome is buried, it will definitely cause problems.

[toomanyfish]

nope not planted.eddie its the same annubias tank for which you suggested wild discus in the photo forum.
They tied onto wood using cottom thread.am using only one 20 w 2 foot light you suggest i up the lights?the tank is 3 18 18

[Alok]

What I noticed in my tank was that as soon as the roots (not the rhizome) went into the substrate, the anubias started doing really well with large leaves. I had to pull it out to replant it :( and even though some roots are in the substrate, the last couple of leaves have been really small. :( I guess it just needs some time...

[whitedevil]

3x18x18 in inches or feet?

what ferts are you using? where are they in relation to the light 18" deep is a long way away from a 20w bulb. id increase the lighting first, but check aquaticplantcentral.com they do have a diagnosis page there on plant deficiencies and their symptoms.

My anubias grow smaller leaves and in a 2wpg tank but you cant see 4" into the tank due to blackwater. my 45tall discus tank has a little over 2wpg with compressed co2 and eco complete and a decent fish bioload and he gets big leaves and flowers from his petite.

you can also tie the roots to the wood itself but not tight give some growing room, they will use the wood not only as a root anchor but also a source of some nutrients.

[toomanyfish]

does anyone think lighting could be the problem?i have like 0.25w per gallon which for even a plant like annubias i think is a bit too less?i have 2 36w pll's lying around so fitted them yesterday but can choose not to start them and continue with the 20w light.
Also i could maybe go in for a pressurized unit..can someone tell me what all is absolutely required to get going?am working on a budget and can add things along the way.would a pressurized unit be worth it in a tank only with annubias?
Hamza

[rickztahone]

does anyone think lighting could be the problem?i have like 0.25w per gallon which for even a plant like annubias i think is a bit too less?i have 2 36w pll's lying around so fitted them yesterday but can choose not to start them and continue with the 20w light.
Also i could maybe go in for a pressurized unit..can someone tell me what all is absolutely required to get going?am working on a budget and can add things along the way.would a pressurized unit be worth it in a tank only with annubias?
Hamza

i know anubias do not need high amounts of lighting but @ .25wpg you might be too under-lit. i would at least get a fixture that will put you @ the 1wpg mark. jmo

[Wahter]

does anyone think lighting could be the problem?i have like 0.25w per gallon which for even a plant like annubias i think is a bit too less?i have 2 36w pll's lying around so fitted them yesterday but can choose not to start them and continue with the 20w light.
Also i could maybe go in for a pressurized unit..can someone tell me what all is absolutely required to get going?am working on a budget and can add things along the way.would a pressurized unit be worth it in a tank only with annubias?
Hamza

You can make a DIY (do it yourself) CO2 with a 2 liter bottle, sugar, some yeast, and some baking soda. That will help out the Anubias.

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/DIY-Yeast-CO2/7/


Walter

[toomanyfish]

i know how to make the yeast mixture.its just that i have read on the net that varying amounts of carbon might lead to algae thats why i have thought of a pressurized unit once and for all.I have been making many half attempts at having a planted tank its high time i go the whole way.

[whitedevil]

Pressurized Co2 causes algae as well. the Co2 is only part of it, the other micros and macro trace elements(ferts) will feed the plant more then just Co2 will.

Anubias arent hard but ive killed a few giant ones before tieing them off.

A decent plant fert is Kent's Marine Pro Plant pro series ferts.

unles the tank is heavily stocked these are needed as well more-so then ever.

[toomanyfish]

gave the tank a good was this morning..upped the lights.actually after removing a lot of the dead leaves i saw there are quite a number of new leaves too.and 3 hours after the lights were increased a small stream of bubbles from the plants :)
its encouraging but still lots of work left.
Thanks Eddie.your post encouraged me to go in for more lights.

[toomanyfish]

I too would like to thank eddie here again..his suggestion has resulted in at least 10 new leaves in the 10 days that i have upped my lights.

[Eddie]

I too would like to thank eddie here again..his suggestion has resulted in at least 10 new leaves in the 10 days that i have upped my lights.

Anytime, glad to hear they are doing well!


Take care,

Eddie

[Apistomaster]

I staple a few of the roots but never the rhizome when I attach Anubias to wood. Those which send roots down to and into the substrate do the best,
I only go low tech. Lighting is rarely more than 1-1/2 watts per gal, 0.25 wpg is not nearly enough unless your tank is sitting in front of a window and receives enough light but that is rarely possible.
I have experimented with DIY CO2 but those contraptions are always problematic and the lack of control that is undesirable. I avoid the problem entirely by going low tech. I can grow great looking plants of all kinds with only enough light and I always pot major show plants in containers which confine the roots to the pot. I do use a substrate fertilizer within the pots but avoid the general use of dissolved fertilizers. I make such large and frequent water changes so to use liquid fertilizer for me is no different than pouring money down the drain. I believe enough fertilizer diffuses from the potted plants to meet the needs of stemmed plants and Mosses I may keep. It certainly simplifies the maintenance of planted tanks. i am a successful aquatic gardener but it is by no means the primary focus of my fish keeping hobby

[toomanyfish]

thanks eddie.
@Apistomaster
Thanks for your reply.ya i have realised how imposrtant light is compared to the other factors.
i have a lot of nice new leaves coming up.would those leaves turn big without co2?I plan to put in more plants as i have decided to keep it a tetra only tank and avoid putting in discus so gives me a bit more space.so might increase the plants to twice than what i have just now.plus add java fern as well to give annubias some company.
is it worth investing in a pressurized co2 kit for such a tank?am not an aquatic gardner as such but i always like plants and wood in my tanks
Hamza

[Apistomaster]

To grow mosses, ferns and Anubias, all primarily bog plants which normally do not grow naturally constantly submerged, I wouldn't bother with the added expense and complexity of using CO2 but there is no question that with enough light, proper nutrient levels and CO2 the growth of all plants will be better. I think if the plants are more demanding species and more expensive to begin with, then CO2 becomes more desirable than when you choose to grow hardy, slow growing low light plants

[waters10]

thanks eddie.
@Apistomaster
Thanks for your reply.ya i have realised how imposrtant light is compared to the other factors.
i have a lot of nice new leaves coming up.would those leaves turn big without co2?I plan to put in more plants as i have decided to keep it a tetra only tank and avoid putting in discus so gives me a bit more space.so might increase the plants to twice than what i have just now.plus add java fern as well to give annubias some company.
is it worth investing in a pressurized co2 kit for such a tank?am not an aquatic gardner as such but i always like plants and wood in my tanks
Hamza
If you're not putting discus on this tank, you should be able to reduce the temperature a little bit and that opens the door to a lot more plants.

Only you can answer if it's worth to get pressurized CO2. CO2 means opening the door for even more plants. You get faster growth and you can get a lush tank. It gives you more control over things. You can set the CO2 level to whatever you want, so you can control growth better (have to adjust lights and ferts accordingly).

But it also gives one more thing to screw up. It can kill fish easily, if you overdo it. It means you're gonna have to start dosing fertilizers, otherwise algae might bloom. Depending on the plants you get, it means constant trimming. It means a lot more money on equipment.

I'm just setting up my CO2 system so I can't answer if the pros outweight the cons for me, but those are the things I considered before making a decision.

[toomanyfish]

Thanks for your replies.
Its just that i have never been that much into plants and i have always been a big fish person.its with this tank that i have really started appreciating small fish and plants and the detailing you go into keeping them.thats why i thought of adding the co2 to the tank.the tank looks alright but its not those heavy big leaf annubias tanks that i had imagined.i guess for that i need to add co2.the expense is not the issue it is the complexity of using it.i have never used anything beyond the sugar and yeast reactor and thought of doing the same here but i thought that would do more harm than good?
Confused
Hamza
ps-is there anywhere here a pictorial guide of setting up a co2 system?

[waters10]

Thanks for your replies.
Its just that i have never been that much into plants and i have always been a big fish person.its with this tank that i have really started appreciating small fish and plants and the detailing you go into keeping them.thats why i thought of adding the co2 to the tank.the tank looks alright but its not those heavy big leaf annubias tanks that i had imagined.i guess for that i need to add co2.the expense is not the issue it is the complexity of using it.i have never used anything beyond the sugar and yeast reactor and thought of doing the same here but i thought that would do more harm than good?
Confused
Hamza
ps-is there anywhere here a pictorial guide of setting up a co2 system?
This is a good guide (http://www.njagc.net/articles/co2.htm), with pics of all the components and explaining which one does what. Keep in mind that you don't need all of them, like ph controller, manifold, etc. But it's good to know those exist.

Regarding anubias, while I believe they would benefit from CO2, like all plants do, from what I read it's still a slow grower plant. I'll be adding CO2 to my tank soon, but I'm not expecting my anubias to suddenly explode.

[toomanyfish]

Thanks a lot for all your replies.
I have decided to hold back co2 for a while...i plan to stuff the tank with some more plants as i have moved my discus project to a much larger tank.there will be a couple of more varieties of annubias some fern lots of branchy driftwood and cardinals rummy nose and harlequins about 2 to 3 dozens each.will keep the lights on as usual and dose a little.lets see how the tank goes from there on.
Hamza