# Amazon Swords/Crypts turning clear...



## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

So I put a couple of amazon swords in my tank with a couple crypt wingii...

and they seem to be dieng, ive dosed with florapride 0-0-3 and have diy co2 for about 3-4 days now but the leaves are turning clear on the swords and the crypts are getting brown, also my anubias has started to turn brown

they have been in the tank for 2 weeks, im not sure if its having not had the diy co2, or if its the recent transfer into my tank from the other place or whats going on... im hoping for help here, ive been reading alot here lately, before i put the diy co2 i noticed some regular green algae growing on my driftwood but it hasn't spread anymore since i added the diy co2, do i need to scrub it off? or well it subside on its own?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

First: What are the tank dimensions? What lighting are you using? Are you dosing anything else? What is the substrate? Are you using any root tabs?


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

Hoppy said:


> First: What are the tank dimensions? What lighting are you using? Are you dosing anything else? What is the substrate? Are you using any root tabs?


The tank is a 55g, i believe its 4' x 12" x 18"

i have a 4' t5 lamp with 3 bulbs, 1 "blue" 6700k, and 2 High Growth lamps all 54 w each, currently i am just running the one blue due to the algae already showing up and my research leaving me with the impression thats a medium light source

I have not dosed with anything else and I have only added 40 ml or the florapride.

I have 40lbs of Eco-Complete black and 25 lbs of black gravel on top of that. I also have a large 3 foot piece of driftwood, still leaking some tannins, but not much.

I haven't gotten root tabs yet, i am going to pick some up next chance i get.

the DIY system is 2- 2l bottle setups with the high yeast recipe(1 teaspon) and diffused through a broken skewer, it diffuses pretty well with small bubbles coming out, it is barely buried beneath the gravel top layer, just enough to make is less visible, where the bubbles come out is right under my filter so wut doesnt diffuse gets sucked in their quickly


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Stick with just one or two bulbs unless you intend to get pressurized co2. That's quite a bit of light for shaky co2 and next to no nutrients. You need to be dosing nutrients at least a few times a week in a system like that. 0-0-2 is wholly inadequate.

White new leaves is iron defeciency.
The brown leaves (dead old leaves) is probably nitrogen deficiency.

It's time to read up on dosing nutrients. You are forcing your plants to run a marathon with that much light and aren't giving them any food to do so. In short, they're dying.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

macclellan said:


> Stick with just one or two bulbs unless you intend to get pressurized co2. That's quite a bit of light for shaky co2 and next to no nutrients. You need to be dosing nutrients at least a few times a week in a system like that. 0-0-2 is wholly inadequate.
> 
> White new leaves is iron defeciency.
> The brown leaves (dead old leaves) is probably nitrogen deficiency.
> ...


 i have read up on dosing, but i get lost in the essays, does anyone know a good place to start from for a 55g tank such as mine, light to medium planted

every where i go says buy dry ferts dry ferts, but that seems very complicated, their has to be some kinda miracle grow recipe that someone sells right?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

It's really not that difficult. But some of the forum sponsors sell liquid if you are looking for a simpler solution. Check out pfertz and rootmedic.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You can dose just 3 dry chemicals and have a complete menu of nutrients for the plants. Dose potassium nitrate (KNO3) for potassium and nitrogen, mono potassium phosphate (KH2PO4) for phosphorous and a tiny bit more potassium, and a trace element mix of which CSM+B is the most available and cheapest. Then go to http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fertilizers-water-parameters/21944-_dosing-regimes_.html where you find, in the first post:
40~60gal
50% H20 change-weekly
1/2 Tsp-KN03 3x a week
1/8 Tsp-KH2P04 3x a week
3/4 Tsp-GH booster once a week
1/8Tsp-Trace 3x a week

Follow that schedule and you have a well fertilized planted tank. You can buy the dry chemicals from: http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/ or Greenleaf Aquariums.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

Thank you hoppy for your direct and concise information.

I had read the post you talked about, I recall it saying for a high light tank, I was worried that would be too much. I will take your word that it will be safe.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

When you have a lower light tank you can cut those dosages in half, and probably have enough. But, even if you don't, the weekly 50% water change keeps the tank from building up an excessively high level of any nutrient. Fertilizing a planted tank is really an approximate process - dosing approximately what is needed plus a bit more is all we need to do. These are really tiny amounts of chemicals we are adding.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

kh2po4 doesnt seem to be for sale on the aquafert website you listed, was their a typo or is it listed under another name?


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## switcharoo (Sep 5, 2010)

macclellan said:


> . You are forcing your plants to run a marathon with that much light and aren't giving them any food to do so. In short, they're dying.


wow!! that makes soo much sense its not even funny. nice analogy :hihi:


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Do you have a pic? Were these plants emergent grown? If so its a normal process for the leaves to die back and regrow the submersed version.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

they were grown at petco? they were submerged their and looked healthy, but had a long transport (2 hours) where only the roots were submerged


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Yeah, the plants at petco are energent grown and its normal for the leaves to die off. Give then a couple weeks and they should start growing good again. They take a little time to get acclimated to being submersed, so be patient. When they start growing theyll get pretty big in a hurry. Especially swords, crypts not so much.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/i...rnEdit=2&Returnitemname=&ReturnShowItemStart=

It is still for sale there.


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## The Plantman (May 5, 2010)

mrchach said:


> Thank you hoppy for your direct and concise information.
> 
> I had read the post you talked about, I recall it saying for a high light tank, I was worried that would be too much. I will take your word that it will be safe.


I'm running a slightly smaller set up with very stable DIY Co2 (well as stable as the best DIY can be I suppose) and fairly low light, 1.4 watts T-5 one 2 inches from the surface. From testing I've found that I only need 1/4 the Phosphate and 1/2 everything else that EI suggests for my size of tank.

I would suggest if you go the dry route that you get Phosphate and Nitrate test kits to use in order to track these numbers, at least early on, to gauge what your tanks needs are.

Also, you never mentioned how you’re determining the tanks Co2 levels (ppm). Do you have a Drop Checker?

Some pictures of your set-up would be helpful.

EI is not that hard, but I found it mind boggling at first. LOL

I found making the CSM+B+Extra Iron mix the hardest to understand.

So here you go.

*The formula*,
Dry Dosing Plantex CSM+B... 
Converting 1 tablespoon to 250ml H20, 
20 ml = 1/4 teaspoon of dry fertilizer. 
There are 12 - 1/4 teaspoons dissolved
250ml/12=20.83ml.

So to make a 500ml dosing bottle you would put *2 tablespoons of BSM+B, ½ tablespoon 13% Iron Chelate and ½ tablespoon Ferrous Gluconate into 500ml dosing bottle and add water*. This gives you a 20ml liquid dose equaling ¼ teaspoon of CSM+B+extra Iron. The Iron is in both forms, long lasting and short. It must be made in a closed fertilizer dosing bottle and kept in the fridge or it will grow fungus on the surface. I still get a few tiny fungus spots on the bottom but these are very small and don’t spread much before I need to refill the bottle.

You'll have enough trace mix to last you just about forever! 

This equals the nectar from the gods trace mix for your plants! You dose this 3 times per week.

The other 3 ferts, KNO3 (Nitrate), KH2Po4 (Phosphate), and K2So4 (Potassium) I just pre mix in a water change bucket and do a mini 14 L water change three times per week.

And don't forget a 50% water change at the end of every week. This is not ridged though and can be lessened if your ferts are not climbing. 

This system floods the water column with ferts and you keep things from getting out of control by doing 50% water changes that level everything before you start the next week. I’m getting away with 40% right now. And just about half what EI suggests as a base for my size of tank. 46 gallons (my tanl is on the lower side and I’m running fairly low light as well, probably the reasons I don’t need as much fertilizer in the tank as it suggests. Everyone’s tank is different and so is yours. 

Fertilizers, from "Planted Aquarium Fertilizer.com"

These guys are great to deal with very proffesional, I got my product withing 5 week days.


















My tank,










Good luck,

Shawn


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

thanks for the info (and very nice plants plantman)

I ordered
1 lb Barrs GH booster
1 lb CSM + B Plantex
1 lb Mono Potassium Phosphate
1 lb Potassium Nitrate

according to the recipe hoppy relayed to me

I think itll be a good place to start off and it already cost me 50 bucks to get it here so im tapped out for a lil while.

I will have pictures today I finaly got the camera over here.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

all my pictures are from 2.5mb to 2.8 mb and can't upload them to this site, so i made a file bucket account but it won't let me sign in... sigh this is like the time i tried to setup with plantnerds... never works

anyways im trying to figure a way to upload the pics so yall can see it...


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

*Picture Time*

Ok as requested... PICTURES!!! 56k Warning. Course if you have 56k you will probably find that out when it takes 30 mins to load 1 picture.

Here we go:
http://www.mediafire.com/?xrz8lh1ck4ca8d7
http://www.mediafire.com/?ub69n7rwbq1daji
http://www.mediafire.com/?j322wew08craqyr
http://www.mediafire.com/?byqe1t9u42lia32
http://www.mediafire.com/?izqrqf5qhczr2yb
http://www.mediafire.com/?chhcmpt22o120cc
http://www.mediafire.com/?u6qlx6rlxl30mdl

Their are some pics of the two amazons, crypts, the tank as a whole, anubias, and my 2 diffusing sticks/positions 
I added another 2-2l diy co2, i am trying to run 2 2-2L diy setups offset 1 week so that i can replace one set every week in an attempt to maintain high co2 output


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## The Plantman (May 5, 2010)

mrchach said:


> Ok as requested... PICTURES!!! 56k Warning. Course if you have 56k you will probably find that out when it takes 30 mins to load 1 picture.
> 
> Here we go:
> http://www.mediafire.com/?xrz8lh1ck4ca8d7
> ...


I can't view your images.

Get a http://photobucket.com/ account.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

i went and got some root tabs and gave 1 to each rooted plant to help holdem over til my dry ferts get here


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## The Plantman (May 5, 2010)

Is that rock being held in place by a string!!!! OMG!:icon_eek: 

If it breaks loose, it WILL, break the glass!

looks like you need fertilizer and lower light or add Co2.


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

The Plantman said:


> Is that rock being held in place by a string!!!! OMG!:icon_eek:
> 
> If it breaks loose, it WILL, break the glass!
> 
> looks like you need fertilizer and lower light or add Co2.


 
Its a rubberband,its pretty strong, and only temporary till the wood gets waterlogged
and the rock is prettymuch resting on the wood anyways its just keeping slight pressure on it to keep it from sliding off 85% of the weight is on the wood
Ferts are on the way and root tabs got put in this afternoon, im running 54w T5HO 6700k(10 hrs), and ive got 2 double 2L DIY systems, one on each side


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

I like that stand. Did you build that?


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

yeppers i did, thanks


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