all in one solution for plant: walkthrough for dummies

[kurty]

landed myself in a dilemma situation..

for some one who is new and into planted.. the market has too much of products with chemistry terminology; K;N;etc..
its giving me headaches..

hence i would really appreciate if you could offer me some golden advice..

my tanks:
- low tech
- low light
- no c02 but excel
- using OF all in one liquid fertilizer and some iron liquid.
- using seachem purigen, no carbon only cotton as 2 main filtration.

daily dose of 1ml excel to tanks.

notice that the plants are losing their green coloring..

is there any stuff that could help?

i'm looking for something foolproof,all in one solution and not to mention, cost effective and not to expensive..

[Berny]

im thinking, remove fertilizer and purigen. fert without co2 + good light means algae. purigen absorb the good stuff that plants need

[kurty]

Ok, was introduced a local product call lushgro Aqua and micro.

Anyone knows where can I get them or only via online store.

[Berny]

lushgro is too potent for your low tech tank...

[kurty]

lushgro is too potent for your low tech tank...

oh.. ok..

then i better remove the purigen tonight.. don't wish to spend unnecessary
thanks

[wuguidan]

Hi, may i know what plants are you planting in your tanks?

Cause different plants, different needs.

Thank you.

[kurty]

Hi, may i know what plants are you planting in your tanks?

Cause different plants, different needs.

Thank you.

thanks for the kind help, i'm not familiar with the plant names..

but these are my tanks.

Attachment 43851

Attachment 43852

LED lights are from up aqua,T series

[kurty]

im thinking, remove fertilizer and purigen. fert without co2 + good light means algae. purigen absorb the good stuff that plants need

it seems there's a mixed reviews on purigen..

some say its suitable for planted as it doesn't remove the good stuff..

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/b...ed-tank-90799/
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=160081
http://www.seachem.com/support/forum...ead.php?t=4104
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...=186707&page=2

[AQMS]

Kurty, i used purigen in my planted tank,no need to remove it.
This is taken from seachem support.

"Purigen does have the added benefit of removing tannins and other color bodies from the water. Its primary function is to remove excess nitrogenous waste.
Purigen will not remove ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate that has already been produced.

As long as you use Purigen at the recommended dose, you should still have plenty of food sources for not only your beneficial bacteria, but also your plants.
We use Purigen in all of our planted tanks at Seachem."

I have been using it all this while, it does not affect my plant growth or have any other problems that they say about it in a planted tank.

[kurty]

Hey bro from what I see ur hair grass is planted in too big a clump they need to be spread out else it will take a long period of time to carpet and they are competing for nutrients

trying to, i guess i got too much hairgrass and didn't really know how to plant them well..
when i got them from seaview, they were tall and bundled together..

i just simply tear them and spread them out..
however, i notice those that were too thin, they have the tenancy to float..

you can't imagine what is my daily routine..
everyday, when i got home.. i will attend to the tanks..
planting those that came off.. i guess they have yet to root the soil..

[wuguidan]

How long has your tank been running? If it's just only a few days ~ 2 weeks, i think it's the transitional period.

If the plants has been previously grown in a co2 tank, high light setup. Then it is taking some time for the plants to get use to your current setup.

Some browning is ok but if they start to turn all brown, then there is an issue.

If you really want to check your co2 level, it's best to get a co2 checker and put it inside your tank. In that way, you can know whether your co2 level is enough or not.

Thanks.

[wuguidan]

For hair grass what I do is I really stick them as deep down as I can. If they still float back up it means ur substrate level is too little
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XJHk6bbUwuE

Yeah, i also plant hairgrass in my tank. If they are floating up, means that clump of hairgrass is too little. But yours is abit too much.

Separate them by smaller bunches and push it in deeply into the soil and cover the soil on the intersection.

For me, if the plants floats up and it's too thin, i will just throw away.
If too many float up, i will gather together those thin plants that floats up, twist the roots together and plant it back.

Just my little experiences.

[kurty]

For hair grass what I do is I really stick them as deep down as I can. If they still float back up it means ur substrate level is too little
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XJHk6bbUwuE

interesting video, i guess its a different when you managing them wet and dry..
let me see if i can do some rework tonight..

How long has your tank been running? If it's just only a few days ~ 2 weeks, i think it's the transitional period.

If the plants has been previously grown in a co2 tank, high light setup. Then it is taking some time for the plants to get use to your current setup.

Some browning is ok but if they start to turn all brown, then there is an issue.

If you really want to check your co2 level, it's best to get a co2 checker and put it inside your tank. In that way, you can know whether your co2 level is enough or not.

Thanks.

ermm, think only a week+
no co2, only using excel and occasionally co2 tablets.
with regards to excel, do i still need a co2 checker???

Yeah, i also plant hairgrass in my tank. If they are floating up, means that clump of hairgrass is too little. But yours is abit too much.

Separate them by smaller bunches and push it in deeply into the soil and cover the soil on the intersection.

For me, if the plants floats up and it's too thin, i will just throw away.
If too many float up, i will gather together those thin plants that floats up, twist the roots together and plant it back.

Just my little experiences.

twisting the roots! thats the missing step and it seems to be relatively important.

i guess for my situation, i'm working with tight space..
i don't have much room for the hairgrass as i have other plants at the side.

[Shadow]

If it done properly, it should not float up. Also you need to wait until the tank fully cycle before you introduce any fauna by that time the root is already established and wont float even if the fauna disturb them.

[kurty]

2 question:

if my java moss has these black wool like on them, what does that suppose to be?
they don't look plants to me, likely to be some cotton wool that accidentally caught.

OF all in one fertilizer, is that suffice? any good products to recommend for the plants?

[kurty]

If it done properly, it should not float up. Also you need to wait until the tank fully cycle before you introduce any fauna by that time the root is already established and wont float even if the fauna disturb them.

my biggest mistake was that i introduce the plants after the fauna, hence i suffering daily from the housekeeping.
i'm just too anxious..

applies for both tanks..

[strat]

2 question:

if my java moss has these black wool like on them, what does that suppose to be?
they don't look plants to me, likely to be some cotton wool that accidentally caught.

OF all in one fertilizer, is that suffice? any good products to recommend for the plants?

looks like black wool? sounds like BBA (black bush algae)...

[wuguidan]

my biggest mistake was that i introduce the plants after the fauna, hence i suffering daily from the housekeeping.
i'm just too anxious..

applies for both tanks..

It always best to do the planting initially but I also suffer the same mistake when i started as well. But as time goes by, with me planting new plants, de-planting old plants, rescape, etc...

My planting techniques improved over the experiences.

I believe when you are into the hobby for a longer period of time, you will get used to it and minimize planting, re-planting errors.

[Urban Aquaria]

with regards to excel, do i still need a co2 checker???

Excel is a chemical substitute for carbon... its not actual carbon dioxide, so drop checkers wouldn't be able to measure it.

[kurty]

looks like black wool? sounds like BBA (black bush algae)...

nope, don't look like BBA as i also have SAE, if they are. The SAE will eat it

It always best to do the planting initially but I also suffer the same mistake when i started as well. But as time goes by, with me planting new plants, de-planting old plants, rescape, etc...

My planting techniques improved over the experiences.

I believe when you are into the hobby for a longer period of time, you will get used to it and minimize planting, re-planting errors.

Thanks for the encouraging words..

Excel is a chemical substitute for carbon... its not actual carbon dioxide, so drop checkers wouldn't be able to measure it.

thank you guru, so based on your expertise. could you introduce some goodies for my plants to make sure they are well and green?
something simpler for me..

Or It's my lighting?