# It's harder than I thought



## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

I just started a planted tank about 2-3 weeks ago, some of my plants are doing fine, others seem to be rotting, such as the leaves turn dark and clear.
the water is set at 74 degrees,I'm using Flourish and no co2 system. I'll post a pic in a bit, but my plants seem to be dieing fast.


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

ill upload it tommorow, i cant seem to find my usb cable, but the elaves are just falling off ridiculously, theses are new cuttings and only about half are rooting.


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## sparkysko (Jun 11, 2004)

What lights are you using? What's the tank size?


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

10g and I'm using a 15 inch 14 watt GE aqua rays t8 bulb


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

Could super ick cure affect plants I had done 2 treatments this week along with aqarium salt treatment


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## becks17 (Dec 21, 2009)

That could definitely be part of the problem. Such a change to the water parameters can shock the plants too, especially if they're new cuttings or new to the tank.
What kind of plants are they? 14 watts may be too weak to keep the plants alive for longer periods of time in a 10gal


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

The salt is probably the problem, it's toxic to plants.

I'd get the ich under control first, and then deal with the plants.

The plants may also be transitioning from emersed to submerged growth if you recently bought them.


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

becks17 said:


> That could definitely be part of the problem. Such a change to the water parameters can shock the plants too, especially if they're new cuttings or new to the tank.
> What kind of plants are they? 14 watts may be too weak to keep the plants alive for longer periods of time in a 10gal



I thought light should be 1-2 watts per gallon?
Also could it be too much lighting, since i usually leave me light on from dusk till midnight


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

dusk til midnight? so like.. 5-6 hours? i would leave them on more like 8 for now. what are the dimensions of your tank? if it's a standard 20" length 10 gallon then your light is too short to reach all areas of the tank. 
The watts per gallon rule is a very general rule. for example 14 watts of T8 is way less than say 14 watts of T5HO .


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## webgirl74 (Dec 2, 2009)

Agree with lauralee that it's probably the salt. As well, you hadn't mentioned what plants you have. Perhaps they are not suited to your set-up. I haven't had great success with cuttings myself, and some of my plants melted as well within the first few weeks of setting up my tank, but most bounced back after a little time.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That's the same fixture I run over my own 10gal planted tanks, so as long as you picked out low-light tolerant plants, the lighting shouldn't be the issue... what plants do you have?

Could you post a picture of your tank?


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)




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## webgirl74 (Dec 2, 2009)

Your plants don't look bad at all. The anubias and java fern (think that's what it is) in the first pic look good. One thing to remember about anubias is not to bury the rhizome. That needs to be exposed, but the roots can be buried in the gravel. Java fern from my experience does better when tied onto rocks or wood. Mine all went a little black at the tips when I first got them, but they recovered quickly. The last pic looks maybe like a bacopa? I have one as well and all but the top 5 or 6 sets of leaves melted off. I left it alone though and new leaves are shooting out all over the place on the stems.


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

so they're suppose to loose alot of leaves? The leaves turn dark and clear and then fall off. Some of the plants are still in water weight thing wrapped around the soft foam, should i take it out, i figured since they're new cuttings i would leave it there for a while


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I always remove the lead weights, the stem just rots in them. You've got rather low light for Ludwigia, which is the stem plant in the bottom picture. I'd let it float (so it's up closer to the light) and see if it recovers. I'm not sure what the stem is in the picture right above that (might be stargrass?) but it's probably not a low light plant, so don't be surprised if that one doesn't make it.


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## madaccord (Mar 16, 2010)

so what should i get for lighting? for a 10 g 20x10 tank


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

If you want to stay low tech, what you have is fine, you just need to stick with plants that are appropriate for that level of light (your anubias and java fern are fine, looks like you also have some moss or hornwort?). Crypts, chain swords, and hygros also should be fine. Marselia minuta and E. tenellus will even carpet under that light.

If you want to upgrade your lighting to keep a wider variety of stem plants, you'll also need to add CO2 (or at least dose Excel daily) and put together a more comprehensive fertilization regime for the tank.


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## greenknight (Mar 3, 2010)

I just started a planted tank also... contrary to what people said.. Dwarf Hair Grass
is flourishing in my tank ..and while HC is also growing...its hard for it to take root
as the gravel in those areas is a larger size...but its growing, albeit slowly.

You didnt say what your substrate and water parameters are?
I used Organic potting soil as substrate topped with gravel.
I planted DHG, HC and Argentine Sword (too early to tell if the sword will thrive).
As other posters pointed out..salt will cause major damage, you should : 

1. do some water changes, 50%...2 days later 25% *
2. Your plants may not have enough CO2, so use some Excel every 2 days or so *

Although water changes are required only initially when you startup a Walstad Tank.

Now for the Fine Print:

*I have been using these methods and they worked for the past month.
So my advice is not from years of experience. These methods may or may
not work for you. Greenknight will not be liable for any loss of flora or fauna
or damage to material property. Excel a is a TM of Seachem.


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## becks17 (Dec 21, 2009)

As far as the last two pics, the "redder" plants, I think increasing lighting would help a lot. The first pic, is maybe a crypt? They often melt when the water parameters suddenly change (i.e. salt, meds), but they'll eventually grow back even in low lighting.


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