Hi,

I set up my 44g tank a few months ago. I put live plants in there. There are always pieces breaking off, leaves floating around, etc. Yesterday I took them all out & put back together stems that had uprooted & were floating all over the place. I had to throw one plant out - it was all scraggly and ugly. Plus I got brown algae growing on my fake as well as my live plants!!! Aaargh!!

Now please help me out here. What do I need to know in order to have green, healthy, luscious plants? Oh yeah - and they're bound at the base by that sponge strip thingy & flexible (metal - not sure) pice over it to keep the stems together. Yesterday when I took them apart to fix'em, some stunk like22. Is this normal? One of the floating plant stems was actually rotting in the water - I took it out on time I think.

Anyway for your info, I had for the 3 months I had the tank, the original fluo bulb that came with it, a 18 inch 'eclipse' 'natural daylight' bulb. This weekend I bought a Hagen 'Power Glo' (15 watt is all they had), hear it is better for the plants, fish and to stop the brown stuff. Is that true?

If anybody can help it would be much appreciated.

Pls give me some tips!!! I wish I could keep my plants & make them thrive, but things are not going so well so far.

thanks

Rap

The ones that stink horribly are rotting, and will soon be dead.
Little bits floating is pretty normal as your fish munch on them. If the bits are yellow or brown, the plant is dying/dead.

To do the best with your plants, it is easiest to buy low-light or medium light plants. Amazon swords seem to do well with the goldies. It also just takes some trying lots of different things to see what works for you.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the pots the plants come in are not ment for them to stay in- I've always transplanted them into the substrait or a pot in the tank.

good luck!

featherjinxer

First do we know what kind of plants we have in there. What kind of gravel is in the tank?

Do you have any Plant food for them?

What is the nitrates in the tank ?

No I don't know the names of the plants. I have just natural gravel as substrate. Now featherjinxer, how do you plant the plants in the substrate / or in pots? I can't see the bunches staying together if I remove the binding around the stems?

Also, do you have responses to my other questions i.e. type of lighting, brown algae, etc.

thanks

PS - will also post in the general forum as some questions could be "general".

tks

Rap

You can get plant weights. I just tuck mine under the larger rocks. I still have a few in pots but not many. I net out the floating plant parts and I fertilize with plate fertilizer ever now and again. So far I have taken out all the plants the goldfish rip up and but them in my tropical tank. Trial and error is how I found plants that work for me. I have Java Moss, Water star, and several different kinds of sword plants. The fish dont seem to bother those. Now I just need to find something tall for the back that the gf wont tear up. Good Luck.

humm

Same with my anubias.. some of the leaves come off, and heaps of roots coming from them.

Whoops, i mean, my anacharis!