Hi All,

I recently went out and got a 2ft 36W compact fluro, because my plants
were dying horribly. I have a community tropical tank, but i like real
plants. Plants we have had in the past have just slowly withered and
died. The new light appears to be doing quite well, but the tank has an
undergravel filter, which i hear isnt good for plants.

My question is, does pH matter? The water here has a naturally high pH,
but if i try and use pH-down (for the fishes) it just goes back up again
in a matter of days. I dont quite know why, but are there any plants
which dislike a high pH?

All the plants seem to be doing OK except for some long and dwarf
pongol, do these plants need special treatment? Im currently not using
any sort of fertilizer, but i am thinking i will....

cheers!

nick