My planted 29 USgal tank is looking pretty shabby. My Amazon swords have
holes in most of the leaves; the dwarf sag is nearly all gone; my hygro is
completely gone; the cardinal plants are leggy and full of holes; however,
my anubias is doing wonderfully and so is the java moss and java fern. My
question is, what might be happening to my plants?

This tank has been set up for about 1 ½ years now. The water parameters are
great (pH 7.4, KH apx 3º, GH apx 3º, Ammonia 0, NO2 0, NO3 .5 ±). The tank
is stocked with a common pl*co (apx 3 inches long), 4 cories, 2 SAE, 2 algae
eaters, an otto, a red tail shark, 4 neons, 2 dwarf gourami, and 2 cherry
barbs.

I add DYI CO2, flourish iron, and "Seachem®" Equilibrium (to purified
water). I have a Custom Sea Life 50/50 55watt light and 2 -15 watt compact
fluorescents mounted in the hood.

I feed my bottom fish spirulina tabs every other day and then shrimp pellets
on the alternating day. Is it necessary to feed them fresh vegetables? I'm
not a big veggie fan, so I don't often have rabbit food in the house. ;o)

Any suggestions, help would be appreciated,
TIA

Mr Stout
www.calvaryweb.us/FishySite

Amazons need root tabs.... Iron maybe, but the jobes fern spikes that Wilma
Duncan has can be good for your Amazons.... the sag, I've never been able to
grow... my pl*co pulls them up, he's too big anyway... he's getting a new
tank... and I thought hygro would grow in a bucket in your closet... so
maybe the gravel is full of gunk and need a good cleaning??

just a thought....
"Mr Stout" wrote in message
news:tg4ea.142414$F1.4307@sccrnsc04...
My planted 29 USgal tank is looking pretty shabby. My Amazon swords have
holes in most of the leaves; the dwarf sag is nearly all gone; my hygro is
completely gone; the cardinal plants are leggy and full of holes; however,
my anubias is doing wonderfully and so is the java moss and java fern. My
question is, what might be happening to my plants?

This tank has been set up for about 1 ½ years now. The water parameters
are
great (pH 7.4, KH apx 3º, GH apx 3º, Ammonia 0, NO2 0, NO3 .5 ±). The tank
is stocked with a common pl*co (apx 3 inches long), 4 cories, 2 SAE, 2
algae
eaters, an otto, a red tail shark, 4 neons, 2 dwarf gourami, and 2 cherry
barbs.

I add DYI CO2, flourish iron, and "Seachem®" Equilibrium (to purified
water). I have a Custom Sea Life 50/50 55watt light and 2 -15 watt compact
fluorescents mounted in the hood.

I feed my bottom fish spirulina tabs every other day and then shrimp
pellets
on the alternating day. Is it necessary to feed them fresh vegetables? I'm
not a big veggie fan, so I don't often have rabbit food in the house. ;o)

Any suggestions, help would be appreciated,
TIA

Mr Stout
www.calvaryweb.us/FishySite

Mr Stout wrote:

My planted 29 USgal tank is looking pretty shabby. My Amazon swords have
holes in most of the leaves; the dwarf sag is nearly all gone; my hygro is
completely gone; the cardinal plants are leggy and full of holes; however,
my anubias is doing wonderfully and so is the java moss and java fern. My
question is, what might be happening to my plants?

This tank has been set up for about 1 ½ years now. The water parameters are
great (pH 7.4, KH apx 3º, GH apx 3º, Ammonia 0, NO2 0, NO3 .5 ±).

According to the charts, you have a CO2 level of about 3.6, which is barely
above what it would be without the DIY CO2 setup. A good DIY setup should be
able to give you 20+ppm CO2 in a 29 gallon tank without problems.

If your Nitrate level is indeed 0.5 ppm, this is extremely low, although most
test kits can't give a measurement this low. Are you certain this is correct? If
so, a good target range for Nitrate is 5-10ppm.

Low CO2 and low Nitrate could account for the symptoms you are describing.


I add DYI CO2, flourish iron, and "Seachem®" Equilibrium (to purified
water). I have a Custom Sea Life 50/50 55watt light and 2 -15 watt compact
fluorescents mounted in the hood.


It sounds like you are not dosing traces. Try rereading these sections of the
group FAQ:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/balance-randall.html
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/

"Dave Millman" wrote in message
...


Mr Stout wrote:

My planted 29 USgal tank is looking pretty shabby. My Amazon swords have
holes in most of the leaves; the dwarf sag is nearly all gone; my hygro
is
completely gone; the cardinal plants are leggy and full of holes;
however,
my anubias is doing wonderfully and so is the java moss and java fern.
My
question is, what might be happening to my plants?

This tank has been set up for about 1 ½ years now. The water parameters
are
great (pH 7.4, KH apx 3º, GH apx 3º, Ammonia 0, NO2 0, NO3 .5 ±).

According to the charts, you have a CO2 level of about 3.6, which is
barely
above what it would be without the DIY CO2 setup. A good DIY setup should
be
able to give you 20+ppm CO2 in a 29 gallon tank without problems.

If your Nitrate level is indeed 0.5 ppm, this is extremely low, although
most
test kits can't give a measurement this low. Are you certain this is
correct? If
so, a good target range for Nitrate is 5-10ppm.

Low CO2 and low Nitrate could account for the symptoms you are describing.


I add DYI CO2, flourish iron, and "Seachem®" Equilibrium (to purified
water). I have a Custom Sea Life 50/50 55watt light and 2 -15 watt
compact
fluorescents mounted in the hood.


It sounds like you are not dosing traces. Try rereading these sections of
the
group FAQ:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/balance-randall.html
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/

Thanks for the advice/ help. I will be adding some Jobe water plant tabs to
my substrate this week to see if that helps at all. I've been thinking about
redoing the whole tank anyhow, and this might just be a good time to do
that.


"Dave Millman" wrote in message
...
:
:
: Mr Stout wrote:
:
: My planted 29 USgal tank is looking pretty shabby. My Amazon swords have
: holes in most of the leaves; the dwarf sag is nearly all gone; my hygro
is
: completely gone; the cardinal plants are leggy and full of holes;
however,
: my anubias is doing wonderfully and so is the java moss and java fern.
My
: question is, what might be happening to my plants?
:
: This tank has been set up for about 1 ½ years now. The water parameters
are
: great (pH 7.4, KH apx 3º, GH apx 3º, Ammonia 0, NO2 0, NO3 .5 ±).
:
: According to the charts, you have a CO2 level of about 3.6, which is
barely
: above what it would be without the DIY CO2 setup. A good DIY setup should
be
: able to give you 20+ppm CO2 in a 29 gallon tank without problems.
:
: If your Nitrate level is indeed 0.5 ppm, this is extremely low, although
most
: test kits can't give a measurement this low. Are you certain this is
correct? If
: so, a good target range for Nitrate is 5-10ppm.
:
: Low CO2 and low Nitrate could account for the symptoms you are describing.
:
:
: I add DYI CO2, flourish iron, and "Seachem®" Equilibrium (to purified
: water). I have a Custom Sea Life 50/50 55watt light and 2 -15 watt
compact
: fluorescents mounted in the hood.
:
:
: It sounds like you are not dosing traces. Try rereading these sections of
the
: group FAQ:
:
: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/
: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/balance-randall.html
: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/
:

Thanks all,

But, back to the original question... is it possible that my pl*co is
grazing on the plants or maybe one of the other bottom dwellers?

Will be adding a more complete fertilizer today.

Thanks,
Mr Stout

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
: I agree with Dave. You have nearly three watts per gallon of PCF light
over
: this tank. You need to increase your CO2 and use a complete fertilizer,
like
: Tropica Mastergrow. If you can't, decrease the lighting. Try using just
the
: 55 watt bulb.
:
:
: Leigh
:
: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

my pl*co, when he got bigger, started uprooting some plants, purely because
he'd stop to chew and would float up... the floating part is what uprooted
the plants... I guess pl*cos are bouyant...

but yes, my pleco does rasp a few leaves, mostly amazons.... damned
swords....

"Mr Stout" wrote in message
.net...
Thanks all,

But, back to the original question... is it possible that my pl*co is
grazing on the plants or maybe one of the other bottom dwellers?

Will be adding a more complete fertilizer today.

Thanks,
Mr Stout

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
: I agree with Dave. You have nearly three watts per gallon of PCF light
over
: this tank. You need to increase your CO2 and use a complete fertilizer,
like
: Tropica Mastergrow. If you can't, decrease the lighting. Try using
just
the
: 55 watt bulb.
:
:
: Leigh
:
: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

These pictures aren't the best, but I think you can see the damage to the
sword and the cardinal plant.
www.calvaryweb.us/plants

Mr Stout

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
: But, back to the original question... is it possible that my pl*co is
: grazing on the plants or maybe one of the other bottom dwellers?
:
: Can you get a picture of the damage?
:
: Plecos do make holes in plants, but when they do, it's quite distinctive.
The
: leaves look "scraped," and the holes have edges that looks "frayed." If
the
: edges are clean, either something else is eating your plants, or it's
something
: else causing the damage.
:
:
: Leigh
:
: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

Here's a complete inventory of my fish stock:
1 common pleco
1 CAE
1 albino CAE
2 SAE
1 otoniculus
2 bronze cories
2 albino cories
2 skunk botia
2 rosy barbs
3 neons
1 male betta
2 dwarf cinnamon gaurami
1 painted glass tetra (I know, shame on me. He was one of the original fish
when I stocked the tank. didn't know about the cruelty of dying them then)
1 marble hatchet (mate died recently)
1 glowlight tetra (mate died about a year ago)

A definite community tank. )

I'll change a lot when I redo my tank. I'm also thinking of selling all my
smaller tanks and sinking the money into home improvements so my floor can
withstand my 125 gallon tank. Any takers? I'm in NW Washington

Mr Stout

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
: These pictures aren't the best, but I think you can see the damage to the
: sword and the cardinal plant.
: www.calvaryweb.us/plants
:
: The second photo looks like it might be pleco damage. Fresh veggies might
: help. Get a zucchini, slice it, put it in a plastic bag, and freeze. You
can
: pull out a slice whenever you need it, without having to actually buy
fresh
: veggies all the time. Frozen peas are also convenient. Just pull out a
few,
: peel the skins off (for neatness' sake), and throw them in the tank after
: lights out.
:
: In the long run, it might be best to find a new home for the pleco. It
will
: eventually get too large for this tank, anyway.
:
: What other fish do you have in the tank? The photos show large tetras
that
: aren't on the fish list you posted. And what kind of fish are the
: "algae-eaters" you list? CAEs?
:
:
: Leigh
:
: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/