# Help with plants please



## dj-damo (Dec 16, 2011)

Hi All

I have a 240 liter tank. about 53 or 63 gallons depending if metric or imperial.

I have had a hard time trying to get any of my aqaurium plans to flourish. 

this is the test i did this morning, i did a 50 liter water change on thursday.

Ammonia - 0,003 mg/l
Nitrite - 0.000 mg/l
Nitrate - 5mg/l
PH - 6.5 - 7.0
Phospate - 0.1 mg/l
KH - 4dkh
GH - 8 dgh
Iron - 0.05 mg/l
Copper 0.000 mg/l


Stocking wise i have 
19 neon tetras
19 Harlequin rasboras
15 guppies (young)
4 Japonica shrimps
7 Red cherry Shrimp.

I have been dosing
5 ml daily easy life easy carbo
25 ml tropica aqua care weekly.

i have had a few algea issues but this is now under control. 

i have canister co2 injection. drop checker is showing green. 

i have eco complete substrate.

i really dont know what else to do. the tank does not look the way i want it to so i am now getting very depressed about it. 

i have been looking up dry ferts but not sure which way to go with this. 

on a seperate note, i have covered both my intakes with fish net netting as i brought some shrimp ages ago, and they got sucked up the filter or into the power head (which i have now removed). the problem is that it is clogging up bad is there something else i can use.

I would really appreciate any help i coud get. but if my thinking is correct i am not dosing enough in the way of nutrients. but i need to be carefull what to use due to my shrimps.

Thank you 

Damien


i would like to get more shrimp!!


pics below


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

how long are you leaving the lights and c02 on for each day? are you dosing any plant food or ferts? i read you said you have been thinking of dry ferts? how long has the tank been set up for


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## dj-damo (Dec 16, 2011)

Rob72 said:


> how long are you leaving the lights and c02 on for each day? are you dosing any plant food or ferts? i read you said you have been thinking of dry ferts? how long has the tank been set up for


Lights are on 12pm till 9pm
Co2 10am untill 7pm

i am dosing Aqua care plant nutrition with added phospate and nitrate, 25ml each week.

tank has been set up for about 4 and a half months. i also dose with easy life easy carbo.
Thanks


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

dj-damo said:


> Lights are on 12pm till 9pm
> Co2 10am untill 7pm


Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't you turn the lights on at the same time or before the CO2 goes on, rather than after? When the lights are off the plants are metabolizing sugars and making their own CO2, but during the lighting period they consume it in photosynthesis. Result: Before the lights come on in the morning there will be CO2 in the tank from the plants, and it will begin to decline AFTER the lights are on, not before.

If I were you, I would switch your lighting/CO2 regimen to 12pm to 9pm for lights and 2pm to 11pm for CO2


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

It is fairly common to turn on CO2 prior to lighting in order to be close to, or attain green on the drop checker before the light does come on and to kill it prior to the lights turning out. Your CO2 and lighting plan seem fine to me.

I didn't see anything mentioned about your light. Do you have the specs?


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## dj-damo (Dec 16, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> It is fairly common to turn on CO2 prior to lighting in order to be close to, or attain green on the drop checker before the light does come on and to kill it prior to the lights turning out. Your CO2 and lighting plan seem fine to me.
> 
> I didn't see anything mentioned about your light. Do you have the specs?


ok thats good for the lighting 

2 t5 bulbs at 39 watta each 
Giesemann T5 Powerchrome Midday 39W 6000 kelvin
Red sea max white 10000 kelv, though i have just ordered another midday one as i think the red sea is too much. 

im not sure but i think i worked my watts per gallon to be 1.5?? but it was the ballast that come with the tank. i have some dry ferts arriving on tuesday so will see how that goes and if i get a better result. 

as my plants are nutrient deficient will they recover or am i better off starting again?

and my tank is 200 liters not 240!

Thanks

Damien


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

I'm guessing the ballast that came with the tank is the source of your problem... If I remember right, if the ballast isn't good enough the bulbs won't perform to their maximum potential. Look into replacing it with a fixture meant for plants and you should have better results.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Are you using tank water in your drop checker or some other solution? If you are using tank water and your water is a tad soft, you can show green on your drop checker very fast....it will give you an erroneous reading in other words. Also, how many bubbles per second are you hitting?

Lack of ferts may be your issue. Your light is either dead into the high light area or right on the edge of it. Either way, you need to be dosing daily with ferts. I would get dry ferts (much cheaper in the long run) and use this thread as your dosing guide _Dosing Regime's_ . It will take a while for your plants to recover, but I think they will once you get everything you need. I would either go to greenleafaquariums.com or aquariumfertilizer.com and get the ferts.


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