#1   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 08:20 AM
Iman Mostafavi
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26 gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones) and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman



  #2   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 12:50 PM
LeighMo
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?


Yes. There are liquid fertilizers like Seachem Flourish and Tropica
Mastergrow. And there are root fertilizers that come in tablet form, that you
bury in the gravel.

Given your lighting level, you'd probably be all right with just a liquid iron
supplement like Tetra Florapride, and weekly water changes. You might give the
amazon sword a root tab now and them, though I'm not sure you have enough light
for that plant. (Fertilizer won't help if there's not enough light.) The
other plants do well in low light and should be okay.




Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/
  #3   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 12:50 PM
LeighMo
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?


Yes. There are liquid fertilizers like Seachem Flourish and Tropica
Mastergrow. And there are root fertilizers that come in tablet form, that you
bury in the gravel.

Given your lighting level, you'd probably be all right with just a liquid iron
supplement like Tetra Florapride, and weekly water changes. You might give the
amazon sword a root tab now and them, though I'm not sure you have enough light
for that plant. (Fertilizer won't help if there's not enough light.) The
other plants do well in low light and should be okay.




Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/
  #4   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 06:03 PM
rnj
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

Yellowing can also be a sign of low Potassium and iron levels. Java fern and
Swords have leaves that die after a certain period of time too. The anubias
leaves last much longer. Some of what you are seeing could be natural die
back. If you are getting new growth from the middle of the sword plant that
isn't yellow, then it is most likely that you have old leaves coming to the
end of their life span.
This can be frustrating for newbies, they buy a nice plant and it looks
good in their tank for a month or two but it doesn't get enough light or
nutrients to grow new leaves to replace the old, and the plant slowly dies.
15 watts of light is on the low side for swords to grow well, so it may be
doomed to a slow death or will shrink in size until it is hardly noticeable.
The java fern and the anubias are low light plants that can almost be grown
in the dark.

"Iman Mostafavi" wrote in message
. ..
I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26 gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones) and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the

plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can

add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman





  #5   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 06:03 PM
rnj
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

Yellowing can also be a sign of low Potassium and iron levels. Java fern and
Swords have leaves that die after a certain period of time too. The anubias
leaves last much longer. Some of what you are seeing could be natural die
back. If you are getting new growth from the middle of the sword plant that
isn't yellow, then it is most likely that you have old leaves coming to the
end of their life span.
This can be frustrating for newbies, they buy a nice plant and it looks
good in their tank for a month or two but it doesn't get enough light or
nutrients to grow new leaves to replace the old, and the plant slowly dies.
15 watts of light is on the low side for swords to grow well, so it may be
doomed to a slow death or will shrink in size until it is hardly noticeable.
The java fern and the anubias are low light plants that can almost be grown
in the dark.

"Iman Mostafavi" wrote in message
. ..
I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26 gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones) and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the

plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can

add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman







  #6   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 10:09 PM
Sushil Prasad
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

I have the same problem with my amazon sword. My light is 15 watt in 20
gallon about same as yours. I have tried the root tables, jobes sticks and
seachem flourish fert and they dont seem to help the swords much. I also
have DIY CO2 running and do water change every 10 days.
Other plants ,java fern and anubius are doing great. My next option is to
increase the lighting to 30 watt. Hopefully this is what the sword needs. I
also had rotala indica in tank and it has slowly died.

Please post me if you can get your sword growing again.




"rnj" wrote in message
...
Yellowing can also be a sign of low Potassium and iron levels. Java fern

and
Swords have leaves that die after a certain period of time too. The

anubias
leaves last much longer. Some of what you are seeing could be natural die
back. If you are getting new growth from the middle of the sword plant

that
isn't yellow, then it is most likely that you have old leaves coming to

the
end of their life span.
This can be frustrating for newbies, they buy a nice plant and it looks
good in their tank for a month or two but it doesn't get enough light or
nutrients to grow new leaves to replace the old, and the plant slowly

dies.
15 watts of light is on the low side for swords to grow well, so it may be
doomed to a slow death or will shrink in size until it is hardly

noticeable.
The java fern and the anubias are low light plants that can almost be

grown
in the dark.

"Iman Mostafavi" wrote in message
. ..
I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26

gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones)

and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that

much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the

plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can

add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman







  #7   Report Post  
Old 19-02-2003, 10:09 PM
Sushil Prasad
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

I have the same problem with my amazon sword. My light is 15 watt in 20
gallon about same as yours. I have tried the root tables, jobes sticks and
seachem flourish fert and they dont seem to help the swords much. I also
have DIY CO2 running and do water change every 10 days.
Other plants ,java fern and anubius are doing great. My next option is to
increase the lighting to 30 watt. Hopefully this is what the sword needs. I
also had rotala indica in tank and it has slowly died.

Please post me if you can get your sword growing again.




"rnj" wrote in message
...
Yellowing can also be a sign of low Potassium and iron levels. Java fern

and
Swords have leaves that die after a certain period of time too. The

anubias
leaves last much longer. Some of what you are seeing could be natural die
back. If you are getting new growth from the middle of the sword plant

that
isn't yellow, then it is most likely that you have old leaves coming to

the
end of their life span.
This can be frustrating for newbies, they buy a nice plant and it looks
good in their tank for a month or two but it doesn't get enough light or
nutrients to grow new leaves to replace the old, and the plant slowly

dies.
15 watts of light is on the low side for swords to grow well, so it may be
doomed to a slow death or will shrink in size until it is hardly

noticeable.
The java fern and the anubias are low light plants that can almost be

grown
in the dark.

"Iman Mostafavi" wrote in message
. ..
I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26

gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones)

and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that

much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the

plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can

add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman







  #8   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2003, 12:35 AM
Michael Mangione
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

Hi there,

Here are my thoughts:
1. You probably need more light. At a minimum you'll need 2-3 watts
per gallon. I'd say that is major drawback on plant growth.

2. You might consider CO2. A homemade set up can easily be made with
some pop bottles, sugar, and yeast. The results are dramatic. Your plants
and fish will be much happier.

Mike


"Iman Mostafavi" wrote in message
. ..
I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26 gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones) and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman




  #9   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2003, 12:35 AM
Michael Mangione
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

Hi there,

Here are my thoughts:
1. You probably need more light. At a minimum you'll need 2-3 watts
per gallon. I'd say that is major drawback on plant growth.

2. You might consider CO2. A homemade set up can easily be made with
some pop bottles, sugar, and yeast. The results are dramatic. Your plants
and fish will be much happier.

Mike


"Iman Mostafavi" wrote in message
. ..
I have an amazon sword, anubias, java fern and african fern in a 26 gallon
tank with a 15watt fluorescent light.

Everything other than the anubias is getting yellow leaves (old ones) and
holes are appearing in the leaves as well. I know I don't have that much
light but i get a lot of non direct light through the windows during the
day. I'm thinking fish food might not be enough fertilizer for the plants.

What's recommended to fertilize aquatic plants? Is there a liquid I can add
to the water, or something i can stick in the gravel near the roots?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Iman




  #10   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2003, 04:48 AM
LeighMo
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

I have the same problem with my amazon sword. My light is 15 watt in 20
gallon about same as yours. I have tried the root tables, jobes sticks and
seachem flourish fert and they dont seem to help the swords much. I also
have DIY CO2 running and do water change every 10 days.
Other plants ,java fern and anubius are doing great. My next option is to
increase the lighting to 30 watt. Hopefully this is what the sword needs. I
also had rotala indica in tank and it has slowly died.


I'm fairly sure your problem is insufficient light. Amazon swords don't need
killer amounts of light, but they do need more than java fern and anubias. The
fact that the low-light plants are doing well, the medium-light Amazon sword is
suffering, and the light-loving Rotala died tells me light is the problem in
your tank.

30 watts over a 15 gallon tank should be enough for an Amazon sword, and it's
not so much that you need to add CO2.

Of course, then you'll run into another problem: a healthy Amazon sword gets
*way* to big for a 15 gallon tank. :-)




Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/


  #11   Report Post  
Old 20-02-2003, 04:48 AM
LeighMo
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aquatic fertilizer?

I have the same problem with my amazon sword. My light is 15 watt in 20
gallon about same as yours. I have tried the root tables, jobes sticks and
seachem flourish fert and they dont seem to help the swords much. I also
have DIY CO2 running and do water change every 10 days.
Other plants ,java fern and anubius are doing great. My next option is to
increase the lighting to 30 watt. Hopefully this is what the sword needs. I
also had rotala indica in tank and it has slowly died.


I'm fairly sure your problem is insufficient light. Amazon swords don't need
killer amounts of light, but they do need more than java fern and anubias. The
fact that the low-light plants are doing well, the medium-light Amazon sword is
suffering, and the light-loving Rotala died tells me light is the problem in
your tank.

30 watts over a 15 gallon tank should be enough for an Amazon sword, and it's
not so much that you need to add CO2.

Of course, then you'll run into another problem: a healthy Amazon sword gets
*way* to big for a 15 gallon tank. :-)




Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Aquatic Plant Fertilizer & Fish DNT Freshwater Aquaria Plants 8 04-04-2005 07:05 AM
Complete aquatic plant fertilizer for fishless tank? Elaine T Freshwater Aquaria Plants 1 23-02-2005 01:54 PM
aquatic plant fertilizer JLu3140998 Ponds 2 02-03-2004 05:12 AM
Bulk aquatic fertilizer? EJ Ponds 1 08-05-2003 06:32 PM
Aquatic fertilizer? Iman Mostafavi Freshwater Aquaria Plants 3 20-04-2003 07:23 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:30 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017