Ricca not growing......pls help

[bslong]

Tank: 60cm X 30cm X 30cm
Light: 2 X 36Watts PL
Light Duration: 10hrs
Water Temp: 30 degreesC
NO3: 10 mg/l
NO2: 0 mg/l
GH: >6d
KH: 3d
PH: 6.4
Liquid Fert: TetraPlant FloraPride

Tank is setup about one mth.
Ricca bubbling only on the first day when I bought it.
Now Ricca is not growing and its leaves seems to be turning black....
Xmoss is turning brown with only a few new green leaves.
Currently only 6 neon tetras and 1 oto in the tank.

Pls help....thks....

[Simon]

how about yr co2 system? i find the temp abit on the high side, which explains y yr moss is turning brown

[PeterGwee]

What test kit are you using for your NO3 reading? If you are really sure about the reading, then try adding K2SO4 to up your K level to 20-30ppm. After that, up your traces to 5ml 2-3X a week....finally, find your PO4 reading if possible or add 2 rice grain of KH2PO4 2-3X a week.

[wynx]

The sins of riccia is that you want it to do well, you must have carbon dioxide. Not 2 ways about it. []

[bslong]

sorry.....miss out my CO2, it's a DIY Co2. Giving about 1bps.

[PeterGwee]

Ahhhhhhh..DIY CO2! Are you sure? It is amazing that you can produce a CO2 level of 35ppm with DIY......Is it consistent? What is your CO2 level at the end of your light cycle?

[bslong]

ya, find my co2 on the high side also......but fish still looks ok to me.
i think my water is too soft, that y the high co2.....izzit???

[Goondoo]

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On 5/23/2003 8:50:26 AM

ya, find my co2 on the high side also......but fish still looks ok to me.
i think my water is too soft, that y the high co2.....izzit???
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No, I think your drift wood explained your lower PH.

[PeterGwee]

Okay...lets go through this. What is your KH test kit's initial colour when you do the drop by drop testing? It should be blue or else you have a KH of less than 1. Newbies make the mistake that the initial colour was slight yellowish and then add more and more and finally say they have some KH level...do read the instruction on the kit carefully.

What are you using to test your pH? A test pen might be a better choice but make sure it is calibrated before using.

[bslong]

mmm.......driftwood will lower ph also???
me using tetratest 5 in 1, so the readings might not be accurate.
does the KH really matters so much to the grow of plants??

[PeterGwee]

Alright..that pretty much explains everything. Not to say tetra products are bad but the 5 in 1 test kit is not good enough. You need to get individual test kits for precision or so to speak. pH and KH are important as these are the 2 readings that would tell you how much CO2 is in the water. I bet you have little CO2. Get a KH test kit as well as a pH test kit or test pen (preferred but more expensive).

[wynx]

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On 5/23/2003 8:32:16 AM

sorry.....miss out my CO2, it's a DIY Co2. Giving about 1bps.
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I seriously doubt you can hit 35ppm with just one 1bps.Anyway, diy co2 not stable and therefore production of carbon dioxide cannot be regulated.

However, I think it is likely that your pH is low is due to 2 factors, the low kH and the driftwood. If you didn't know, driftwood will leach tannic acid into the water column and acid does bring pH down.

[bslong]

ok,thks for the fast reply...

so it's seems that i gotta get a proper kit.
so in my case(if based on the not so accurate readings), i need to raise the levels of ph and kh, rite???

so the next question is wat do i do to raise the kh and ph??
me already spending alot of $$$ liao....argghh....

[geoffrey]

I agree with Gwee that 5 in 1 is a no-no. But I will not agree with him that DIY CO2 will not suffice. With the right delivery, you can still get max, 30~50ppm of CO2. As for consistancy, we can overcome with 2 bottles. Consistancy can be ensured by maintaining a constant BPS too. The only advantage from pressurised cylinder is convenience.

[naturetan]

Get a proper test kit for KH & PH. Check to maintain KH at 3. Tap water KH is usually 0. Buy cheap baking soda to increase it to 3.

Achieve PH at good range of 6.5 or 6.6 by adjusting CO2. The more CO2 produced, the lower the PH, and vice versa.

Your bioload is low. Can consider increasing it. Your lighting is on the high side too.

[DEA]

funny
how are you adding the co2 into the tank?
reactor? diffusor?
i'd firstly suspect co2, because riccia is essentially a floating plant
once you manage to overcome that hurdle, you must also take note that riccia doesn't have roots, and you'll need to dose liquid fert regularly in order to keep it healthy
try adding some potassium first
it's cheap, and you can't overdose on it (look for seachem flourish potassium)

increasing the kH to adjust the pH, etc, isn't really necessary
just give the plant what it needs to grow and it usually does

[liam]

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On 5/23/2003 9:33:42 AM

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On 5/23/2003 8:32:16 AM

sorry.....miss out my CO2, it's a DIY Co2. Giving about 1bps.
----------------

I seriously doubt you can hit 35ppm with just one 1bps.Anyway, diy co2 not stable and therefore production of carbon dioxide cannot be regulated.

However, I think it is likely that your pH is low is due to 2 factors, the low kH and the driftwood. If you didn't know, driftwood will leach tannic acid into the water column and acid does bring pH down.
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Is the tannic acid perpetual? Or run out after a period of time?