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Old 19-11-2003, 10:12 PM
Ross Vandegrift
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

Hello everyone,

My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well. I've been too busy with
school to worry too much about, but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light. It was bad - all of a sudden all my Java Fern died. Sunset
Hyugro won't grow in the tank now.

Finally, I got sick of the algae and the bare tank, so I hit up
the LFS and lucked out - just had a fresh shipment! Picked up some
awesome looking camboba, red tiger lotus, giant hygro, and something I
forget that looks like bacopa with smaller leaves. Planted em up, went
back to some fertilizer dosing, made sure my DIY CO2 reactor was
running, and turned the lights back up to 10 hours.

This was last friday. Most of the new plants are dying already.
The camboba seems to have rotted almost the instant I planted in the
gravel. The bacopa-like plants' leaves are slowly turning brown and
getting ready to fall off. The red tiger lotus is ok for now, but I
suspect my 2wpg won't be enough for it ultimately.

So, more or less, it was a total failure. I'm wondering what on
earth could be wrong. My water parameters are normal. I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.

I thought that perhaps the tank had been contaminated, but this
seems unlikely - I've had fish in it through all of this (australian
rainbows, ottos, and bolivian rams) and they've been healthier and more
beautiful than ever.

Any ideas for something I'm overlooking?

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.
  #2   Report Post  
Old 19-11-2003, 10:22 PM
Dunter Powries
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

Ross Vandegrift wrote in message
m...
Hello everyone,

My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well. I've been too busy with
school to worry too much about, but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light. It was bad - all of a sudden all my Java Fern died. Sunset
Hyugro won't grow in the tank now.

Finally, I got sick of the algae and the bare tank, so I hit up
the LFS and lucked out - just had a fresh shipment! Picked up some
awesome looking camboba, red tiger lotus, giant hygro, and something I
forget that looks like bacopa with smaller leaves. Planted em up, went
back to some fertilizer dosing, made sure my DIY CO2 reactor was
running, and turned the lights back up to 10 hours.

This was last friday. Most of the new plants are dying already.
The camboba seems to have rotted almost the instant I planted in the
gravel. The bacopa-like plants' leaves are slowly turning brown and
getting ready to fall off. The red tiger lotus is ok for now, but I
suspect my 2wpg won't be enough for it ultimately.

So, more or less, it was a total failure. I'm wondering what on
earth could be wrong. My water parameters are normal. I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.

I thought that perhaps the tank had been contaminated, but this
seems unlikely - I've had fish in it through all of this (australian
rainbows, ottos, and bolivian rams) and they've been healthier and more
beautiful than ever.

Any ideas for something I'm overlooking?


How old are the lights? Flourescents should be changed every 6-12 months,
CF every 18-or-so months. They may still be working - in other words,
turning on - without providing sufficient spectrum for photosynthesis.


  #3   Report Post  
Old 20-11-2003, 01:42 AM
Dave Millman
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

Ross Vandegrift wrote in
m:

Hello everyone,

My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well.


IT sounds like you havea 20W bulb on there. Standard flourescent bulbs last
6-12 months before output drops significantly. This is the most obvious
thing to check.

but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light.


Cutting down light is never a cure for anything, unless you have too much
light. Even if your bulb were new, this is not your problem. Turn it back
on 12 hours per day.

The symptom of too much nutrients is algae. You do not have that symptom,
so too much ferts is not the problem.


I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.


This is a classic case: Originally your tap water had sufficient nutrients
for some plants, so they did well. Since you change so little water, you
replaced very little, and eventually something ran out (probably Potassium,
or if your tap water is soft, Calcium or Magnesium, although I don't know
what you dose.)

Replace your bulb, change 25% or more water per week, watch your plants
jump to attention.



I thought that perhaps the tank had been contaminated, but this
seems unlikely


Yes, very unlikely.
  #4   Report Post  
Old 20-11-2003, 12:05 PM
Dick
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:19:30 GMT, "Dunter Powries"
wrote:

Ross Vandegrift wrote in message
om...
Hello everyone,

My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well. I've been too busy with
school to worry too much about, but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light. It was bad - all of a sudden all my Java Fern died. Sunset
Hyugro won't grow in the tank now.

Finally, I got sick of the algae and the bare tank, so I hit up
the LFS and lucked out - just had a fresh shipment! Picked up some
awesome looking camboba, red tiger lotus, giant hygro, and something I
forget that looks like bacopa with smaller leaves. Planted em up, went
back to some fertilizer dosing, made sure my DIY CO2 reactor was
running, and turned the lights back up to 10 hours.

This was last friday. Most of the new plants are dying already.
The camboba seems to have rotted almost the instant I planted in the
gravel. The bacopa-like plants' leaves are slowly turning brown and
getting ready to fall off. The red tiger lotus is ok for now, but I
suspect my 2wpg won't be enough for it ultimately.

So, more or less, it was a total failure. I'm wondering what on
earth could be wrong. My water parameters are normal. I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.

I thought that perhaps the tank had been contaminated, but this
seems unlikely - I've had fish in it through all of this (australian
rainbows, ottos, and bolivian rams) and they've been healthier and more
beautiful than ever.

Any ideas for something I'm overlooking?


How old are the lights? Flourescents should be changed every 6-12 months,
CF every 18-or-so months. They may still be working - in other words,
turning on - without providing sufficient spectrum for photosynthesis.


I have had plant problems in the beginning, last year December. My
first tank, 75 gallons, would look nice with its new plants, but I
would eventually lose them or I got black hair algae so bad, I just
replaced the plants.

That was then, now, 12 months later, I have 5 tanks ranging from 75 to
10 and my final solution, low light plants, and lots of them are doing
fine. I have not changed my lights. I don't like the bright lights.
I decided to buy low light plants (1.5-2 wpg) and rely on "survival of
the fittest." All of my tanks are doing well, in fact one of the
lessons I learned to defeat major algae problems, was to keep the
hours of lighting down from 16 to 12 hours a day. Two of my larger
tanks I can switch off part of the lights, so I reduce the watts when
I see algae starting again.

I see plant selection as the solution. Pick plants that like lower
light.

By the way, I change about 20 percent of my water weekly. I have
dense fish populations and assume the nutrient levels are high so I
feel I am diluting the nutrient levels.

I am not an expert, just experienced with problems and learning as I
go. I enjoy what others share and take those ideas into
consideration. However, I am often surprised when something works for
others that seems to be different from my sucesses.

  #5   Report Post  
Old 20-11-2003, 06:58 PM
Ross Vandegrift
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

On 2003-11-20, Dave Millman wrote:
My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well.


IT sounds like you havea 20W bulb on there. Standard flourescent bulbs last
6-12 months before output drops significantly. This is the most obvious
thing to check.


It's a twin 20W flourescent bulb. Is this really the case? I've read
it around the groups plenty of times, but I never really believed it.
I'd put these bulbs at around two years old. I think I have some spares
- I'll swap them in and see how things go.

but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light.


Cutting down light is never a cure for anything, unless you have too much
light. Even if your bulb were new, this is not your problem. Turn it back
on 12 hours per day.

The symptom of too much nutrients is algae. You do not have that symptom,
so too much ferts is not the problem.


Well, I did when all my plants died and left the nutrients sitting in
the tank ::-) I cut down the light mostly to reduce work on myself when
I hadn't had a chance to replant everything.

As soon as the new plants went into the tank, I cranked it back up to 12
hours a day.

I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.


This is a classic case: Originally your tap water had sufficient nutrients
for some plants, so they did well. Since you change so little water, you
replaced very little, and eventually something ran out (probably Potassium,
or if your tap water is soft, Calcium or Magnesium, although I don't know
what you dose.)


I'll give it a shot, sounds pretty reasonable. My water is very high
GH, medium-high kH.

My fertilizer regimen: I dose Kent Freshwater Plant Supplement (Iron,
Potash, Copper, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc) and Flourish Trace (some of
the above plus, Boron, Cobalt, Rubidium, Tin, Vanadium). I don't put in
as much as the bottle recommends since that's always tended to create
algae problems - I dose Kent twice a week, Flourish once.

Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions everyone!

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.


  #6   Report Post  
Old 20-11-2003, 06:58 PM
Ross Vandegrift
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

On 2003-11-20, Dave Millman wrote:
My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well.


IT sounds like you havea 20W bulb on there. Standard flourescent bulbs last
6-12 months before output drops significantly. This is the most obvious
thing to check.


It's a twin 20W flourescent bulb. Is this really the case? I've read
it around the groups plenty of times, but I never really believed it.
I'd put these bulbs at around two years old. I think I have some spares
- I'll swap them in and see how things go.

but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light.


Cutting down light is never a cure for anything, unless you have too much
light. Even if your bulb were new, this is not your problem. Turn it back
on 12 hours per day.

The symptom of too much nutrients is algae. You do not have that symptom,
so too much ferts is not the problem.


Well, I did when all my plants died and left the nutrients sitting in
the tank ::-) I cut down the light mostly to reduce work on myself when
I hadn't had a chance to replant everything.

As soon as the new plants went into the tank, I cranked it back up to 12
hours a day.

I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.


This is a classic case: Originally your tap water had sufficient nutrients
for some plants, so they did well. Since you change so little water, you
replaced very little, and eventually something ran out (probably Potassium,
or if your tap water is soft, Calcium or Magnesium, although I don't know
what you dose.)


I'll give it a shot, sounds pretty reasonable. My water is very high
GH, medium-high kH.

My fertilizer regimen: I dose Kent Freshwater Plant Supplement (Iron,
Potash, Copper, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc) and Flourish Trace (some of
the above plus, Boron, Cobalt, Rubidium, Tin, Vanadium). I don't put in
as much as the bottle recommends since that's always tended to create
algae problems - I dose Kent twice a week, Flourish once.

Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions everyone!

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.
  #7   Report Post  
Old 20-11-2003, 06:58 PM
Ross Vandegrift
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

On 2003-11-20, Dave Millman wrote:
My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well.


IT sounds like you havea 20W bulb on there. Standard flourescent bulbs last
6-12 months before output drops significantly. This is the most obvious
thing to check.


It's a twin 20W flourescent bulb. Is this really the case? I've read
it around the groups plenty of times, but I never really believed it.
I'd put these bulbs at around two years old. I think I have some spares
- I'll swap them in and see how things go.

but I did the obvious things as the
plants slowly died off - stopped dosing fertilizer so much and cut down
the light.


Cutting down light is never a cure for anything, unless you have too much
light. Even if your bulb were new, this is not your problem. Turn it back
on 12 hours per day.

The symptom of too much nutrients is algae. You do not have that symptom,
so too much ferts is not the problem.


Well, I did when all my plants died and left the nutrients sitting in
the tank ::-) I cut down the light mostly to reduce work on myself when
I hadn't had a chance to replant everything.

As soon as the new plants went into the tank, I cranked it back up to 12
hours a day.

I change 3-4
gallons on a monthly basis. And this tank, exactly as I'm running it
now, was previously very, very successful.


This is a classic case: Originally your tap water had sufficient nutrients
for some plants, so they did well. Since you change so little water, you
replaced very little, and eventually something ran out (probably Potassium,
or if your tap water is soft, Calcium or Magnesium, although I don't know
what you dose.)


I'll give it a shot, sounds pretty reasonable. My water is very high
GH, medium-high kH.

My fertilizer regimen: I dose Kent Freshwater Plant Supplement (Iron,
Potash, Copper, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc) and Flourish Trace (some of
the above plus, Boron, Cobalt, Rubidium, Tin, Vanadium). I don't put in
as much as the bottle recommends since that's always tended to create
algae problems - I dose Kent twice a week, Flourish once.

Anyhow, thanks for the suggestions everyone!

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.
  #8   Report Post  
Old 20-11-2003, 09:22 PM
Dunter Powries
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

Ross Vandegrift wrote in message
m...
On 2003-11-20, Dave Millman wrote:
My 20Gal long tank, with 2wpg, had something happen to it a few
months ago. My plants stopped growing well.


IT sounds like you havea 20W bulb on there. Standard flourescent bulbs

last
6-12 months before output drops significantly. This is the most obvious
thing to check.


It's a twin 20W flourescent bulb. Is this really the case? I've read
it around the groups plenty of times, but I never really believed it.
I'd put these bulbs at around two years old. I think I have some spares
- I'll swap them in and see how things go.


Two 20w bulbs over a 20g *long* should count as better than 2wpg because of
the shallowness of the tank.

Interestingly (IMO, anyway), of all the big and small tanks I've had, my 20g
long is the only one I've had persistent problems with, both with the twin
20w's and a single cf over it. I've lost track of how many times over the
years I've broken it down and started over. Just coincidence, I'm sure.


  #9   Report Post  
Old 21-11-2003, 04:04 AM
Ross Vandegrift
 
Posts: n/a
Default Plant problems

On 2003-11-20, Dunter Powries wrote:
Interestingly (IMO, anyway), of all the big and small tanks I've had, my 20g
long is the only one I've had persistent problems with, both with the twin
20w's and a single cf over it. I've lost track of how many times over the
years I've broken it down and started over. Just coincidence, I'm sure.


Thanks for the encouragement ::-)

--
Ross Vandegrift


A Pope has a Water Cannon. It is a Water Cannon.
He fires Holy-Water from it. It is a Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses it. It is a Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He Blesses the Hell out of it. It is a Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He has it pierced. It is a Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
He makes it official. It is a Canon Holey Wholly Holy Holy-Water Cannon.
Batman and Robin arrive. He shoots them.
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