Help needed for HC and dwarf hairgrass! !

[jacklimyap]

Help needed for HC and dwarf hairgrass! !


Hi members, I've problem growing my hc and dhg. . They don't seem to grow well and not to even mention about spreading.. l had been trying for 2 months, both plants are struggling to survive. .hc are already rooted but didn't really spread but growing upwards.. hairgrass is like not even rooted at all.. only a few new grown after I trim it.no runner at all.. Arghhhhhhhh. ....!
2 ft boyu tank 60cm,36cm, 30cm . substrate is H.E.L.P advanced soil for plant. LED Lighting beamwork lumen: 2100, 0.5w×48, 10000k×42. (On 8 hrs daily) pressures co2 on 8 hrs daily ( 1 hr before light on and off 1 hr before light off) at 2bps. Dose flourish comprehensive weekly, flourish excel every 3 days, also inserted flourish tab into substrate.
Can anyone pls advice... i seriously think that my lighting is the main problem..should I get another extra similar lighting..? Would it be too much and cause algae problem?

[Urban Aquaria]

For your tank dimensions, those lights you are using should be okay... i use LED lights with even less power in the same tank size with similar Co2 and fert dosing and my hairgrass carpet (the Tropica sp. mini type) showed noticeable growth within a few weeks.

The main difference i can think is i use ADA Amazonia aquasoil, not H.E.L.P soil, not sure if that makes that big a difference though.

I guess you can try increasing the light intensity by adding a 2nd set (or trying different lights with spectrums designed more specifically for growing plants) and see if it helps. If algae starts becoming too much to handle, then can just adjust/reduce the light and look at other possible solutions.

Just for additional considerations:

Whats your tank's fauna bio-load and feeding amount/routine? The flourish comprehensive fertilizer and tabs are relatively low on nitrogen and phosphate content, so in a tank with low or no bio-load, quite often the plant growth slows down and gets stunted due to lack of macro nutrients, then it may be necessary to dose those fertilizers to supplement the plants nutrition needs.

How are you distributing the Co2 around the tank? Diffuser, atomizer or external reactor? And if diffuser, how is it positioned and what is the flow pattern of the tank circulation.

As for Excel, it is only effective for up to 24 hours (it starts to dissipate and breakdown in the presence of light) so for best results, its recommended to dose it every day, preferably at the start of the photoperiod, rather than just every 3 days.

[greenie]

Help needed for HC and dwarf hairgrass! !


Hi members, I've problem growing my hc and dhg. . They don't seem to grow well and not to even mention about spreading.. l had been trying for 2 months, both plants are struggling to survive. .hc are already rooted but didn't really spread but growing upwards.. hairgrass is like not even rooted at all.. only a few new grown after I trim it.no runner at all.. Arghhhhhhhh. ....!
2 ft boyu tank 60cm,36cm, 30cm . substrate is H.E.L.P advanced soil for plant. LED Lighting beamwork lumen: 2100, 0.5w×48, 10000k×42. (On 8 hrs daily) pressures co2 on 8 hrs daily ( 1 hr before light on and off 1 hr before light off) at 2bps. Dose flourish comprehensive weekly, flourish excel every 3 days, also inserted flourish tab into substrate.
Can anyone pls advice... i seriously think that my lighting is the main problem..should I get another extra similar lighting..? Would it be too much and cause algae problem?

I personally use an LED lighting of 6500k for my planted tank. I reserve anything above 8000k for marine tank due to the light spectrum. I DIY my LED lights and my plants grows as what I expect them.

Anyway, I cannot guarantee that your light is the problem but HC growing upwards a sign of not enough light either in terms of the colour rating or amount of illumination (brightness). Your fert regime looks ok to me.

Another is your C02 dosage. I personally don't count amount of bubbles per second as a good way to dose C02. I rather use a drop in pH as a better gauge. Anything between 0.5 to 1 pH drop per photo period from the start is how I ensure C02 is not a limiting factor for my planted tank. Though you need a electronic pH monitor or controller to ensure your fauna is not poison by overdosing.

I suggest up your C02 dosage first since you don't need to purchase anything but your C02 will deplete faster. HC is a bit tricky as it can grow darn slow but hairgrass should grow quickly given proper condition. Monitor for something like 2 weeks to 1 month for changes before deciding further. Remember to always have patience in this hobby.

[tureblue82]

hi greenie care to elaborate on your diy led lights setup?

[Greentank]

Week5.jpg

I've the same problem, all the HC did not survive and hair grass is not growing after end of week 5. I just bought flourish excel today, previously I was using Absolute brand liquid fertilizer.

[Suzerolt]

Flourish is a comprehensive blend of micro, trace elements and other key supplements needed for photosynthesis (calcium, magnesium, iron). Flourish tab is the same thing - slow release tablet into the soil instead of in liquid form. I'd say, just pick one.

For Seachem excel, the active ingredient is glutaraldehyde, which serves 2 main purposes - (1) as a form of liquid CO2, which you don't exactly need because you already use CO2. (2) Combat algae
I suspect the plants aren't doing so well because its lacking macro (N, P & K) - Nitrogen, Phosphorous & Potassium. And I'm sure you can turn the situation around by adding these. Seachem or many other brands can provide this.

Try tuning your fertilization regime before adding more lights.
BTW, the description of the Beamswork light wasn't clear. Which model? What's the wattage?