Hi everyone,

I now have fake plants ... one is a silk big one. One that you would never see in the ocean. But back to the point. When I had live plants like a fern or a Anacharis (Egeria Densa) ( which kept falling apart in leaves and died ) they would last alittle but then die. My fish didnt bother them. What could of killed them ? Also my goldfish have a line across there sides . Could this be from scraping agianst the plastic and silk fake plant ?

Thank You


S>A

P.S --> I also have pick of the silk like plant if u need to see it.

Well it could have been alot of things. We're you adding fertilizer's to the water? How many watts per gallon do you have? They really do need alot of light, and without it, they will die.

As BR&BW mentioned, low light is the most common cause of plant death.

As for the line, goldfish have what is called a lateral line down both sides. It is a fine line comprised of a series of tiny dots. Do you think this could be what you are seeing?

well im not really sure about the line , but for the plants I have a 20 gallon and I keep the light on every night and off in the morning. Are plants like fish need enough room ? I never heard of that though. Like for example. one fern needs a ummm ... 5 gallons. Liek that or it doesnt matter ?


-- Thanks
- Stephaniea

It would be best turn your lights on during the day, and off at night in order to provide a period of darkness for your plants (and for your fish if you have any).

Do you have only one bulb in your tank hood? Also, what type of bulb is it?

As for the amount of room, it doesn't really matter if plants are crowded as long as they have enough nutrients and light. Some plants will grow taller rather than bushier if they have other plants right next to them, but generally it wouldn't cause them to die unless they were being totally shaded by other plants.

I have a fluecent light. What are the best and easiest types of plants to keep in the tank ?

I have had the best luck with anubias, java fern, java moss, cryptocornes and vallesnaria in low light tanks. Just a few to try