Need plant expert person

GwenInNM

Though the plants in this tank (23 gal) have taken off as you can see in the picture - I feel they are missing something. They are not a dark green, but pretty light in color. I planted them in the foreground, only to wish I would have put them in the background, because one in particular has really taken off. Can someone tell me what nutrient they think is missing? I'm using this product called "plant pack" by Seachem, and will soon be buying Flourish Comprehensive, when I run out. By the way, I've tried moving them, but their roots are really rooted and I don't want to "rip" them out of the gravel.

The java fern on wood in back is doing well, but the foreground plants seem very pale in color. Is it due to too much light?

Thanks for help!

Gwen

Attached Images

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Mikaila31

What are nitrate levels?

Byron

What species is the foreground plant?

aunt kymmie

The foreground plant looks like hygrophila corymbosa 'angustifolia'.

GwenInNM

Okay, to try to answer everyone - the plant is called (from the packing slip I got) Hygrophilia angustifolia. The plant in the middle of the tank has really taken off and grown a lot. The are all very rooted in the gravel and I can't move them, without ripping the roots. I'd like to move them, but I'm leaving them. My nitrates in the tank are around 10ppm, but when they get close to 20ppm I do a WC. I use a product called "Plant pack" by Seachem, and will switch to Flourish Comp when this runs out.

Gwen

aunt kymmie

From my experience you can gently remove hygrophila corymbosa 'angustifolia' with no problems at all, and put it where you do want it. It's a stem plant and is pretty hardy. You can also prune it back hard, from the spot where it is and take the cuttings and plant them in the back of the tank. I have alot of these plants. I like them because they grow really well, and depending on how you prune them you can get the really thick and bushy look, or the long and flowing look.

GwenInNM

Do you know if that plant will grow okay in low to moderate light? My other tank has a sand bottom and I would put it in there if it would do okay without high light. Thanks for the info on cutting them back. I'll do that :)

Gwen

Byron

I concur with kymmie, on the species and the growing tips. I have not this "form" of H. corymbosa, but the basic [not sure of the "form", but it is the one in our profile] and it is doing OK under my moderate light, slow growing because of that plus obviously less nutrients in balance.

You should not do water changes only when nitrates rise; by then the fish have been affected. Stability via weekly partial water changes is much better for the plants, and certainly for the fish.

I know we read that nitrates under 20ppm is fine, and that is true for most of the fish we keep; but remember that these fish all occur in natural waters with nitrates so low they cannot even be measured in most cases. And nitrates are toxic, though not to the immediate extent of ammonia or nitrite, so keeping them consistently low is much better for the fish.

Which Seachem "Plant Pack" do you have? They have two. The "Fundamentals" pack contains a bottle each of Flourish Comprehensive, Iron and Excel. The "Enhancer" contains a bottle each of Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.

GwenInNM

I have the last one you mentioned - a bottle each of nitrogen, phosp and Potassium.

My tanks are not close to be overstocked and I do WC 2 times a week, so I'm always trying to keep nitrates at or below 10, but I have seen them creep up to 20, that is why I'm wondering if I'm overfeeding or what. Still trying to find the balance and ideally I'd like to get to just once a week water changes :)

aunt kymmie

My tanks are of "moderate" light (T8-6500K 96 watts on a 75gl, T8-6500K 96 watts on a 100gl) and this plant grows so quickly that I'm pruning it every two weeks. It roots very quickly in sand.