[tankman12]

I got rotala indica in my tank. It grows good, just like all the other plants. But i have a question. What is this? (The dark green)
It isnt algae. For nutrients this is what i have;
Iron- flourite gravel
Potassium- flourish potassium
Phosphorus- a lot of it in my well water
Nitrogen- a lot of fish
Trace- well water has a lot in it
Co2- diy co2 system and excel
Might get flourish comprehensive and maybe the liquid iron.
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[Flint]

Circle what you're talking about please.

 

[tankman12]

Okay, wait a second.
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[tankman12]

It isnt algae nor are they holes.

I cant circle on my phone.
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[Flint]

The brown spots on the leaves?

 

[tankman12]

There more of a black, but ya. It isnt black beard though. Also some leaves are deformed. It looks like it is missing something.
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[Flint]

Mine does that, too. They still grow like crazy, however. I just attributed it to older leaves. That isn't indica, by the way. It's really confusing and I haven't pinpointed exactly what it is but I know it's not indica. It's another form of rotala.

 

[tankman12]

Rotala rotundifolia and indica look like exactly the same. But i havent really found a big difference in the to.
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[Mikaila31]

what is light?

 

[Tolak]

what is light?

Photons. :-D

 

[tankman12]

65 watt daylight compact florescent. It isnt the light. Im growing a lace plant and some glosso carpet.
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[Mikaila31]

Photons. :grin:

-_-

 

[Mikaila31]

65 watt daylight compact florescent. It isnt the light. Im growing a lace plant and some glosso carpet.
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True. I would add traces and check CO2 levels. You are running quite a bit of light to be relying on tap water for much of anything. Do you know your nitrate levels?

 

[tankman12]

It is a dual fixture, so i had 2 65 watts on there before. But the other one burned out. So only on now. The dual was only on there for like 5 months. But the tank has been setup for 2 years and it has always happened.
Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all 0. All the plants eat them all up.
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[Mikaila31]

It is a dual fixture, so i had 2 65 watts on there before. But the other one burned out. So only on now. The dual was only on there for like 5 months. But the tank has been setup for 2 years and it has always happened.
Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all 0. All the plants eat them all up.
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Well thats one sign. You shouldn't have 0 nitrates with that kinda light or your asking for growth problems. If your dosing all the other fertilizers 'as recommend' your probably lacking across the board IMO.

 

[tankman12]

Well when you have a balanced tank you should have 0 nitrates. Also more plants should have growth problems. There are over 25 different types of plants in the tank.
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[Mikaila31]

Well when you have a balanced tank you should have 0 nitrates. Also more plants should have growth problems. There are over 25 different types of plants in the tank.
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I disagree. You can't run a tank with high nutrient demand(high light) and expect 0 nitrates to work in the long run. If you are doing low tech then fine but at that wattage you are not so different rules apply. Typically you should be aiming for around 10ppm nitrates IMO. Also all plants vary in their needs and their ability to compete, but faster growing stems will usually be the first to show signs of nutrient issues. Even things like placement in the tank have effect on how much light the plant is getting and will relate to how hard it is being driven to grow.

 

[tankman12]

In a planted tank if thriving should be 0. If not than IME there is a problem. It means you have way to many fish, feed to much, that the plants cant handle, or/and your tank doesnt have a natural balance. You can dose flourish nitrogen, but not really needed. When the fish poop, it creates ammonia which the plants just eat immediately. It should never really get to 10ppm nitrates. I dont have the dual system anymore. It is just the single. But when i did have it the plants did a lot better.
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[Mikaila31]

then proceed with what you are doing. But running similar tanks with and without pressurized co2 and I would definetly dose nitrates along with most all macros and traces (except maybe P if you really have high levels in the tap). 0 ppm NO3 is no bueno in my opinion but there is more then one way to run a planted tank. If plants are immediately consuming all nitrogen in the tank that means it is limiting their growth being at 0. Being a macro nutrient thats not great. It has nothing to do with being balanced or not its simply to do with nutrient demand. If you ever replace the other bulb you are running way more light then I would ever suggest especially without running full EI/dry dosing and full CO2. Keep it at the single light. Dry dosing/heavy fertilizing was formulated for a reason. You seem to think CO2 is important when i personally would ignore CO2 completely and push everything else, or at the very least your macros(KNP). Theres a difference in the tank producing 10+ppm nitrates and you adding that to the tank knowing it will be consumed. Since I run pressurized(most the time) I typically aim for 10-20ppm nitrates, light levels tho are pretty much the same as yours. Plants are hungrier things then most ppl realize.

Other options is to shade out the plants with something floating or cut back light either intensity or time. The light is the driving force it will determine everything else.