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help my plants keep dying!?

Ambarin

Seedling
Joined
23 Feb 2013
Messages
3
Location
Scotland
Hi I'm new to the hobby. I did my fishless cycle fish seem happy for now, but my plants keep dying. After seeing a second bunch die I'm beginning to think I should leave it as a hardscape or use fake plants which I don't particularly like. Maybe you good folks could help me.

I know I have low lighting but I have been choosing low light plants, or so I've been led to believe.

I also have problems rooting the plants in my substrate. I've been having trouble with rooting valisneria which is the main plant I wanted. But if I push it in too much it rots if let out too much it uproots, any suggestions what am I doing wrong.

I have pulled out most my vals now, only one bunch survived. I don't know if it was because I started using easy life carbo and profito or just luck.

I have a

63 litre tank
substrate: eco complete
easylife carbo: as directed on bottle min amount
Easylife profito: same as directed on bottle
I have bought other fertz from the easy life range but not sure what I Should and shouldn't dose.
Light: 1 t8 15watt (overhead on way)
Ph6.8
Nitrates in tank and tap 0
nitrites 0
Ammo 0
Plants : had valisneria straight and twisted types twisted one has survived. I had one other plant egeria densa. Also tried a carpet plant eleocharis the mini grass version, but that kept uprooting and eventually began to turn pale yellow.

Please advise me
 
the first batch of valis had no carbo still died. But maybe I had rooted them too deep? The second lot I was careful not to root too deep they still died?
 
Ambarin, I could never grow Vallis, Eleocharis or Egeria before either.
Was really frustrated as everywhere I looked, people were saying that Vallis is so easy and grows everywhere, etc, etc
I kinda gave up for a while.

However, in the same tank with the same water, I ended up growing lovely JAva fern, and Anubias. THe fern in particular did REALLY well and I eventually ended up with lovely Mother plants and lots of fern everywhere.

I put it down the failures of the Egeria and Vallis to my very hard water, but was never really sure of the culprit to be honest.
Maybe you could try the species I mention above, or something super easy like Hygrophilia Polysperma? WOrked for me.
 
Personally I think that the easy carbo and vallis melt is a myth. I double dose easy carbo in my tank which is full of vallis and they don't melt, and if they do they come back stronger. If you have 0 nitrates then this is probably your issue. Your plants are starving!
 
So a dose of nitrate then I think it's called easy life nitro I've got some to hand. Or should I remove the nitrate sponge there is one within the filter box as standard, I didn't remove it since I don't know whether I should or not.

Yes Andrew I was thinking of trying a different hardy plant like those u mentioned ill just get 1 pot rather than several in case things go wrong.

I badly want vallis I might get another pot soon.

Davem my lights are on 10 hours but in the last 2 days I've reduced it to 8 hours as I seem to have a bit of algae on my wood. It seems to have reduced the problem drastically.

My filter is the bioflow super 280 it comes with the juwel rekord 600 tank. I did think about changing it but several people have told me its good enough and I don't need to.
 
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