My plants aren't growing :(

[Jay Singh]

Hello,

I'm new to planted aquariums and I need some help as my plants aren't growing.

I initially set it up with 2 bulbs and the filter and air pump on the left of the aquarium, The plants towards the left were growing but not towards the right so I thought it might be a water movement problem so I moved the air pump on the right but this has not made a difference.

I then got a fluvial co2 diffuser (the smaller one) which I fill up once a day when the lights are on. This has also not made a difference. I've had it for about a month but it hasn't changed anything.

I then lowered the lighting by removing the reflective panel's thinking that they are getting too much light but this seems to have made the problem worse.

I do a weekly water change and top it up with about 6 squirts of Tropica Plant growth premium fertiliser when I change the water.

The pictures below show a one month difference from when I started with the co2, to today. I lowered the lighting about 2 months after getting the co2.

These are the bulbs I have. I'm not sure if they're the problem.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017SDCPCC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Edvet]

1) light: cant realy comment on those bulbs, but a fitting T8 or T5 TL light should be sufficient for plantgrowth.
2)It looks like all your plants are swordplants wich should be easy to grow in low light
3) giving CO2 very irregularly is often worse then not giving it at all, filling it from a bottle once a day is irregular. If you do it make sure you do it a few hours before light comes on
4) how long are the lights on?

 

[Mick.Dk]

The Tropica premium fertiliser (brown colour) does not contain the macro-nutrients N, P and K. This means you may starve your Echinodorus bleheri (=sword-plants) from these, which are the ones they need most of.
In your case of having only these Echinodorus bleheri to care for, the easiest solution would be to insert a "root tab" (=fertiliser capsule) containing all micro- and macronutrients in the gravel right under each plant. Such capsules slowly release nutrients and usually last for 2 - 4 months, after which a new capsule must be inserted.
If you want to continue the use of a liquid fertiliser, you can change to one containing both micro- and macro-nutrients. In this case it would be the Tropica specialised fertiliser (green colour).
- and just for info; your Echinodorus bleheri can grow very well without added CO2 at all and in relatively low levels of light.

 

[techfool]

Adding macros as well as micros, daily, has turned out to be necessary even in my overstocked aquarium. I use aquascaper complete as my aquarium is small so it's not too expensive.
Goes against almost all advice online, especially that aimed at fish rather than plant people.
Try it for a week. I saw an improvement in two days, my crypt stopped melting.
And my lighting is rubbish.

 

[KipperSarnie]

What is your water temperature?
As you have "Cold-water" fish is the water too cold for "Tropical" plants to flourish?

Also
I'm not sure about aquatic plants but in general plants like to feel stable so they put out roots before growing.

 

[Jay Singh]

Thanks for the replies.

My lights are on for about 8 hours a day and the water temperature is 21 degrees.

I've put in some root tabs so hopefully I'll see an improvement.

 

[mow said]

+1 for root tabs as your setup doesn't have allot of plants i would just insert root tabs or sticks under each plant. I don't know about those lights but as Edvet said try to fit some t8 or t5 on your set up you might see improvements on the plant growth. I would ditch the co2 set up you have as i don't think you really need a co2 setup on your tank.

 

[Jay Singh]

The tank only fits e27 bulbs so t5/t8 is a no go for me unfortunately so gotta stick with these bulbs.

I'll see how it goes with the root tabs before making any other changes

 

[Sweded]

Amazon swords are not the easiest of plants in pure gravel setups with lower light levels. They are grown emersed like 95+% of all aquarium plants and they will shed their leafs to adopt to new submersed growth.
Gold fish are not plant safe either and so are ancistrus, especially with swords and java fern.
Buy some easier fast growing stem plants like limnophila sessiliflora(grows lush and nice in pretty much any low tech tank), rotala rotundifolia or hygrophila polyserma/siamses and get some plant safe fish like tetra, rasbora or danios and you will see some good plant growth.