Plants not doing well

[PeterGwee]

Actually if all the nutrients are available and the lights as well as CO2 are right, you should see a drop in NO3 level...how much I don't know though. [] Or should I say the NO3 nutrient level should drop..(NO3 not good for fish and algae problems come with it mah..so better less)

[wks]

Peter:If NO3 drops, will PO4 drop as well?

Mrs budak:Any Apex pharmacy in AMK? If yes, whats the block no.?

Koah Fong: I feel like dumping all the fertilizers in and wish for a jungle to appear outright![]

[bclee]

But don't dump everything in and find an algae soup...

Be patience, do it step by step and observe... then you can learn from the observation.

BC

[PeterGwee]

Yup..do it slowly pal [] ...Main cause of algae is usually abundance of NO3 and PO4.. Thing is to control their availability. (This method was extract from an article from APD) >> Dose your liquid fert preferably with magnesium if not supplement it...Get the iron level to your desired level slowly within a week or more. Measure the NO3 level of your water after you get your iron level right..if NO3 level is less than 2ppm you can proceed to dose potassium nitrate so as to bring up the nitrate level to 3-5ppm. If nitrate level is very high, try dosing potassium daily so as to bring the nitrate down to near zero...if nitrate does not drop, then some macro or micro nutrient is limiting optimal plant growth and you will need to find it.

For my case, now I am using Dr Mallick's LushGro-Aqua with supplement of calcium using reef complete...still testing though but looks good and hopefully can cut down on green spot algae soon. []

Current test seems to be working great..nitrate level is zero..as tested with sera NO3 test kit. 7 up tank [] ...Lots of O2...hahahahaha

[wks]

Don't worry BC and Peter, its meant to be a joke.[] I agree with both of you completely. I still have another 2 weeks before the holiday runs out, so I shall concentrate fully to "fine-tune" my tank.

[DEA]

jason
your temp is a bit high
c. balansae does better at ard 26~27
i had trouble growing mine until i started turning on the AC fan

[vinz]

That explains the condition of my balansae.

[Allen_1971]

Hmmm true... My balansae also not doing well... never considered the temp...

[juggler]

My previous C.balansae is the larger type (up to 2ft long). It kept growing even at high temps.

[wks]

DEA, I used dc fan, but the temperature refuses to go down, the best that I can get is 29C in a warm day.
This means I need to find a replacement for C. balansae. My original intention is to use it as background plants. My ideal background plant would be a fast grower, provide thick and lush growth to cover the background tank's glass. It should not grow too tall, overshadow the mid and foreground plants.
Any recommendation, guys and gals?[]

[Allen_1971]

Just curious, if you want a background plant thats a fast grower and provide thick lush growth, why did you choose a C.balansae? Its not exactly fast, thick, or lush... and it can grow quite tall... seems like a contradiction with your requirements?

[vinz]

I you're looking for something similar to Balansae, Criniums and Aponogetons are a few to consider. Browse/search Tropica and Dennerle websites for their images. They don't spread much but they put out leaves faster then Crypts.

[wks]

Haha, you are right Allen, things that are ideal are often more difficult to achieve. So I compromised, hoping that C balansae will grow well and I placed the plants quite near to each other.