Aquarium Plants --> Dying?

Benmc · 4th February 2008, 4:05 PM

Hi

Does anyone know what is happening to my Aquarium plants. I'm usinga 75 Litre Aquaone Tank. Obviously they are dieing in some form or another, but it seems that it is only the swords which are affected. I can't check on the water quality or anything like that as i am away from home, but my sister notified me the plants were brown. The tank has no fish in it as i had left it to cycle and its been doing about 3 weeks of cycling now.

The larger leaf plant (don't know what its called) is fine tho, but the three swords (Don't know which variety either). When i set up the tank i put a root tablet near each plant root. Along with that i also dosed it with some liquid plant food. The gravel i'm using is the medium fine.

Sorry for the low resolution photos, but my sister who is sending them to me has no idea she is taking photos in 640x480 mode.

Anyone got any pointers?

Cheers

japes · 4th February 2008, 4:32 PM

What lighting has the tank using and how long are they being run a day?

Benmc · 4th February 2008, 11:21 PM

Hi Japes

The tank is using the supplied lighting which are just the normal fluoride tubes.
According to the specifications it says 2 x 11W PL lamps.

They haven't been turned on recently so that could be the problem. But i thought since the room received a fair bit of natural light it would be fine???

Cheers

Doofus · 4th February 2008, 11:49 PM

Are you feeding the plants?

With no fish during a cycling (unless you are adding ammonia) then there is no waste so less nutrients. Cycling should be done with either hardy fish for bacterial colony buildup from waste etc. Read up on cycling.

As for your plants, it could be lighting or food issues. Nil fish waste or fertilizer problems.

BMW · 5th February 2008, 8:54 AM

Try putting the lights on a timer for about 5 hours a day

Daft_Munt · 5th February 2008, 9:58 AM

Looks like one of the sword plants in the picture has been planted a little too deep in the gravel.

Benmc · 5th February 2008, 10:16 AM

How deep should the swords be in the gravel???

kr0nic · 5th February 2008, 5:52 PM

Give them light!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My planted tank gets 160Watts of light for 9 hours a day, yours gets 22watts for a few hours a week ? First step is buying a timer and have the lights on 10 hours a day and see how it goes.

Daft_Munt · 5th February 2008, 7:48 PM

I have always had the crown (where the leaves sprout from) about 5-10 mm above the gravel. If they are too deep the leaves start to die off and new ones wont grow.

I also suspect lack of light, 22watts for 75 litres isnt great. Mind you I have 36w for 130l and my swords are fine. Also get the lights on a timer and make sure they bulbs on the floros are not your everyday variety as they dont have a great colour spectrum for plant growth.

Benmc · 5th February 2008, 7:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kr0nic

Give them light!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My planted tank gets 160Watts of light for 9 hours a day, yours gets 22watts for a few hours a week ? First step is buying a timer and have the lights on 10 hours a day and see how it goes.

Hi kr0nic

So do you think the plants are dead or are they just malnourished and need light to bring them back to greeness again??

Cheers

Daft_Munt · 5th February 2008, 8:38 PM

I think the plants could be saved. Sword plants usually have a woody/solid root stock at the base of the leaves. You could try and float them when the lights are on for a few days. That way you can get your sister to look at the root stock. I would wait for Kros reply.

kr0nic · 5th February 2008, 10:37 PM

Pick off the dead leaves, even if that just leaves you with a little mass of roots, pull the whole lot up about 1-2cm so that light can get to the bulb/root system & then just wait. Might take a week or two but hopefully it may start to sprout again.

jayc · 6th February 2008, 2:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daft_Munt

I also suspect lack of light, 22watts for 75 litres isnt great. Mind you I have 36w for 130l and my swords are fine. Also get the lights on a timer and make sure they bulbs on the floros are not your everyday variety as they dont have a great colour spectrum for plant growth.

The OP has 22W of PL or Power compact lights in the Aquaone AR510 75L.
That's sufficient light for swords. As long as you give them 9-10 hours a day, as mentioned.

Daft_Munt · 6th February 2008, 2:40 PM

Sorry didnt realise the aquaone had compacts as I dont like the aquaone tanks

Benmc · 6th February 2008, 4:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayc

The OP has 22W of PL or Power compact lights in the Aquaone AR510 75L.
That's sufficient light for swords. As long as you give them 9-10 hours a day, as mentioned.

So natural light from the room and from the sun when the blinds are open isn't good enough? Wat are power compact lights?

4th February 2008, 4:05 PM	#1
Benmc Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 293	Aquarium Plants --> Dying? Hi Does anyone know what is happening to my Aquarium plants. I'm usinga 75 Litre Aquaone Tank. Obviously they are dieing in some form or another, but it seems that it is only the swords which are affected. I can't check on the water quality or anything like that as i am away from home, but my sister notified me the plants were brown. The tank has no fish in it as i had left it to cycle and its been doing about 3 weeks of cycling now. The larger leaf plant (don't know what its called) is fine tho, but the three swords (Don't know which variety either). When i set up the tank i put a root tablet near each plant root. Along with that i also dosed it with some liquid plant food. The gravel i'm using is the medium fine. Sorry for the low resolution photos, but my sister who is sending them to me has no idea she is taking photos in 640x480 mode. Anyone got any pointers? Cheers __________________ Successful Trades With:Spada, Rickster x 2, Slayer, ArTy, Deckham, Kevlar, Cannula, Bthree, mr sti, AEKaBeer x 2, s4mmy, Tatts, r3s x 2, Bloar, dfcowell, TazBazz, naten, BlaCkAdDa, eat, Zapata, susmind, greenhawk, i4560011, JackTar, 838 La, $tealthFiga, ih8scool.

4th February 2008, 4:32 PM	#2
japes Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD Posts: 4,100	What lighting has the tank using and how long are they being run a day? __________________ Biotope Aquaria flickr: 815L Rio Madeira, Brazil Biotope + old setups. Hardware: Z77 Sabretooth, 3770K, GTX680, Xonar ST-X, Fractal Define XL, HX1050, Vertex II/IV. Peripherals: Das Professional, Sensei Pro, QcK+, ATH-AD700

4th February 2008, 11:21 PM	#3
Benmc Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 293	Hi Japes The tank is using the supplied lighting which are just the normal fluoride tubes. According to the specifications it says 2 x 11W PL lamps. They haven't been turned on recently so that could be the problem. But i thought since the room received a fair bit of natural light it would be fine??? Cheers __________________ Successful Trades With:Spada, Rickster x 2, Slayer, ArTy, Deckham, Kevlar, Cannula, Bthree, mr sti, AEKaBeer x 2, s4mmy, Tatts, r3s x 2, Bloar, dfcowell, TazBazz, naten, BlaCkAdDa, eat, Zapata, susmind, greenhawk, i4560011, JackTar, 838 La, $tealthFiga, ih8scool.

5th February 2008, 10:16 AM	#7
Benmc Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 293	How deep should the swords be in the gravel??? __________________ Successful Trades With:Spada, Rickster x 2, Slayer, ArTy, Deckham, Kevlar, Cannula, Bthree, mr sti, AEKaBeer x 2, s4mmy, Tatts, r3s x 2, Bloar, dfcowell, TazBazz, naten, BlaCkAdDa, eat, Zapata, susmind, greenhawk, i4560011, JackTar, 838 La, $tealthFiga, ih8scool.

5th February 2008, 5:52 PM	#8
kr0nic Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 981	Give them light!!!!!!!!!!!!! My planted tank gets 160Watts of light for 9 hours a day, yours gets 22watts for a few hours a week ? First step is buying a timer and have the lights on 10 hours a day and see how it goes. __________________ C2D Q6600 G0 @ 3.5Ghz\|Gigabyte P35 DS3p\|2 GB G.Skill DDR2 800 HZ\| Sparkle 8800 GTS \| To many HDD's to list....\| Silverstone 800W PS Successful Trades - sammy_b0i, Reetzy OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member

5th February 2008, 8:54 AM	#5
BMW Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Handlobraesing Posts: 943	Try putting the lights on a timer for about 5 hours a day

5th February 2008, 10:37 PM	#12
kr0nic Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Newcastle Posts: 981	Pick off the dead leaves, even if that just leaves you with a little mass of roots, pull the whole lot up about 1-2cm so that light can get to the bulb/root system & then just wait. Might take a week or two but hopefully it may start to sprout again. __________________ C2D Q6600 G0 @ 3.5Ghz\|Gigabyte P35 DS3p\|2 GB G.Skill DDR2 800 HZ\| Sparkle 8800 GTS \| To many HDD's to list....\| Silverstone 800W PS Successful Trades - sammy_b0i, Reetzy OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member