Optimal conditions for plants to grow

[qngwn]

hi bros,

i have just started a planted tank and gotten some plants from my friend to start off.

however i am worried that my plants are not growing.

so i am asking if below are the several conditions that have to be met for plants to grow.

pH value
fertilizer
CO2
lighting
soil


the soil that i'm using is ADA Amazonia II and it's a new pack, so i'm not sure about the pH value of this new soil, but i havent not really changed to water. read from here that new soil the pH will be around 4.5, which is not good for plant growth. is that true? on top of that i do not have a pH value checker to determine the pH value. please do advise.

regarding fertilizer i'm using ADA soil, so should be okay. (correct me if i'm wrong)

regarding CO2, i'm currently using CO2 tablets while in the meanwhile trying to source for some good deals for 2nd hand CO2 cylinder.

lighting i'm using 55W PL light. shld be alright?

soil i'm using ADA. shld be ok huh?


please advise if my plants will grow under such conditions.

thanks.

[Shadow]

the soil that i'm using is ADA Amazonia II and it's a new pack, so i'm not sure about the pH value of this new soil, but i havent not really changed to water. read from here that new soil the pH will be around 4.5, which is not good for plant growth. is that true? on top of that i do not have a pH value checker to determine the pH value. please do advise.

pH will raise after few week of tank cycle. Nothing to be worry about, plant will survive though fauna not.

regarding fertilizer i'm using ADA soil, so should be okay. (correct me if i'm wrong)

You still need liquid fertilizer.

regarding CO2, i'm currently using CO2 tablets while in the meanwhile trying to source for some good deals for 2nd hand CO2 cylinder.

Forget about CO2 tablet, tried before, I don't think it is working. If you do not have gas CO2, try seachem excel instead.

lighting i'm using 55W PL light. shld be alright?

Depend on your tank size

soil i'm using ADA. shld be ok huh?

Of course, many people are using it.

[qngwn]

so the plants will survive through a pH of around 4.5? is that the pH of new ADA Amazonia II soil?

my tank size is 2ft, i guess 55w PL Light is enough?

alright shall get seachem flourish excel to replace CO2 tablets.


anyway, how would i know if my plants are growing, and usually take how long a period of time before i can notice that they're growing (from the first day i planted them into the tank)

[Shadow]

so the plants will survive through a pH of around 4.5? is that the pH of new ADA Amazonia II soil?

That is not the final pH, when you first fill in the water, the ammonia inside the soil sip out and create nitric acid that cause the pH to drop. It is only a while until your filter media mature. Final pH is around 6. My ADA amazonia II tank was drop around 5 when fist started.

my tank size is 2ft, i guess 55w PL Light is enough?

yes enough for almost anything

alright shall get seachem flourish excel to replace CO2 tablets.

The best is still CO2 injection. Note that some plant will melt due to excel

anyway, how would i know if my plants are growing, and usually take how long a period of time before i can notice that they're growing (from the first day i planted them into the tank)

Difficult to answer because it is depend on the plant. Some stem plant will show some grow within few day. hairgrass probably around a week before you see new runner. HC take even longer.

[qngwn]

i see. my HG is turning yellow.. thats the only change i spot in them.

[Viper007]

i see. my HG is turning yellow.. thats the only change i spot in them.

Well not to sure if 55W lighting for 2 ft is good enough... But what is the depth of your tank?

[ADA SG]

i see. my HG is turning yellow.. thats the only change i spot in them.

Do not worry too much about the yellowing.
Most of the plants we get from the market are emersed, meaning they are grown terrestrially. Some of the leaves will fail to adapt to their new underwater environment and then die off. Leave them alone.

Also, we hope that you have split up the hairgrass into small clumps instead of putting the whole chunk into the soil. Breaking up the hairgrass into small clusters and spreading them around the area you want them to grow with ensure that you get a quick lawn.

However, speed and health of your plants depends on three factors. Nutrients, light and CO2. Any one of it is limited, the growth will be limited. From your description, your CO2 seems to be limited.

If you want to go on a cheaper alternative other than a canister system, you can try the good old yeast method as well.

[torque6]

so i am asking if below are the several conditions that have to be met for plants to grow.

pH value/ fertilizer/ CO2/ lighting/ soil

the soil that i'm using is ADA Amazonia II and it's a new pack, so i'm not sure about the pH value of this new soil, but i havent not really changed to water. read from here that new soil the pH will be around 4.5, which is not good for plant growth. is that true? on top of that i do not have a pH value checker to determine the pH value. please do advise.

regarding fertilizer i'm using ADA soil, so should be okay. (correct me if i'm wrong)

regarding CO2, i'm currently using CO2 tablets while in the meanwhile trying to source for some good deals for 2nd hand CO2 cylinder.

lighting i'm using 55W PL light. shld be alright?

Hopes this helps. As with all threads in AQ, try not to generalise questions or issues if you are facing. Always start by indicating the plants you're keeping, the fauna followed by the equipment that you have.

Some plants do ok with co2 tablets , so dont. Some plants require a lower PH to grow well while others don't.

[qngwn]

Well not to sure if 55W lighting for 2 ft is good enough... But what is the depth of your tank?

it's around a feet.. dont know if it's enough yea..

[qngwn]

Do not worry too much about the yellowing.
Most of the plants we get from the market are emersed, meaning they are grown terrestrially. Some of the leaves will fail to adapt to their new underwater environment and then die off. Leave them alone.

If you want to go on a cheaper alternative other than a canister system, you can try the good old yeast method as well.

leave them alone.. and let them die?

old yeast method? whats that?

[Viper007]

it's around a feet.. dont know if it's enough yea..

Hi, yes it is enough in your case as your's is 12". Cos some tank have a depth of about 17.5" to 18"... in those cases they need at least 72W... in my case I use up to 96W.

[k3nlim]

In certain situation, T5/T5HO lights can penerate the tank better than a higher watts PL lights.

With stronger lights,more CO2 and ferts will be required for optimal growth.

[beetroot]

what plants are you keeping/planting?

[mtinghl]

Hi everyone, Sorry to interupt. May I ask about the liquid fertilizer , Seachem excel to replace pressurized co2. Is it sufficient for most moss? Thanks.

[Viper007]

Hi everyone, Sorry to interupt. May I ask about the liquid fertilizer , Seachem excel to replace pressurized co2. Is it sufficient for most moss? Thanks.

Hi bro Martin, nice meeting you ytd... Actually Moss do not need anything from my understanding...Check out those low tech tank.

[mtinghl]

Thanks bro VIPER. I still have a lot to learn from all of you. Happy New Year to you all.