im using aquarium co-op root tabs as well as their easy-green liquid fertilizer. the light I have is a seaoura on a 24-hour cycle. the only thing that really seems to be thriving is algae… could it be my substrate? (caribsea eco-planted) or maybe too much light? not good quality enough lighting? i seem to be killing even the hardiest of plants and I don't know what to do 🙁
Posted by princess_of_bugs
3 Comments
Algae usually grows because there are excess nutrients. You can reduce lights and do a water change to lower nitrates if they’re excessively high. How long has your tank been cycling for? If the plants are new then they’re probably just melting and getting used to your tank parameters, which is completely normal!
I can’t speak to your tank as a whole, but in picture 2 I’m pretty sure that plant in the center is a sprig of water wisteria. If I’m correct the reason the leaves are rotting is because the plant is shedding its air leaves for its much narrower, more bristly water leafs. That’s perfectly normal when you transition a plant to fully submerged growth.
Your plants in general seem to be living and growing but are leggy, which are usually either caused by insufficient lights, insufficient **specific** nutrients like iron or potassium, or insufficient CO2. It’s quite a difficult problem to fix if you’re already getting algae at current light intensity and nutrients and it might be best if you move those plants towards the back of your tank and cover up their leggy stems with plants that grow low and dense or with hardscape.
Floating plants dying, that’s weird. Turn off your lights for 2-3 days and see what happens. Keep dosing fetiliser