Last week I added some Amazon Swords and Wisteria to my gf tank. I planted the roots of both in the gravel. Today I noticed that while the Wisteria seem to be doing fine, the Swords are turining pale yellow (I had to remove a couple leaves already). I just read here that they Amazon Swords are root feeders and need root tabs but I am not sure what exactly to use and I am worried about adding anything that can alter the tank parameters or hurt the fish.

My lfs has 2 diiferent things - are either of these ok and if so which is better?

1) Plantabbs - made by Aquarium Produicts. This says it is 11-15-20 plant food and to use 1 tablet for every 5 gal of water every 10 days. It says the pH reaction in the water is mildly acidic and a neutralizer may be used.

2) FLourish Tabs - made by Seachem. This says that it is a 0.28-0.17-0.16 gravel bed supplement for planted aquariums. It says to put one tab in the gravel for every 4-6 in of radius and to replace every 3-4 months. It says tabs should not alter pH but may have slightly acidic properties similar to peat moss.

I know nothing about what the ratio numbers mean but they are very different with the Plantabbs being very high. I am not sure which if either would be good for the tank - any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Before you add any chemical, let's check out the light setting. How big is your tank and what kinda lighting system are you using?

Thanks, you are right I would prefer not to add any chemical although the link I read said that Amazon Swords require root tabs (I wish I realized that before I bought them ) I had anacharis in my tank a while back and it did fine and the Wisteria seems to be fine so I guess it might be something particular for this plant type? I would love to add the anachrais back but the only ones I can find are in a tank with fish and I am worried about bringing something nasty into my tank (as has happened before).

My tank is a standard 16 gallon eclipse with about 1 in of gravel in the bottom. I vacuum the gravel twice a week so I imagine it is pretty clean and without a lot of plant nutrients. The ph usually stays about 7.6 and I use crushed coral in my filter bed as a buffer. I usually leave the lights on from about 7AM to 7 PM and the room the tank is in has a lot of sunlight.

What do you think? Is it better not to add any chemical and just keep the plants that can survive in the tank as is?

I would stay away from chemical. But you might want to wait responses form someone else.

The only chemical that I am using is PRIME.

With most plants you NEED to add fertilizers, chemicals if that is what you want to call them. As long as you follow the instructions on the box it should be safe. I would not choose the tabs that may alter the pH. That is unecessary so go with seachem or another product. Jungle Labs also makes a similar product and it's cheaper. Swords and other root feeders definately benefit from root tabs, but you might need a liquid fert, such as an iron supplement. Yellowing leaves is a sign of iron deficiency, so if they still yellow, try Seachem's liquid iron supplement.

Depends if it's the older leaves on the outside turning yellow or the newer leaves in the centre of the plant turning yellow, which is a deficiency in nitrogen and iron respectively. Just add a general complete aquarium plant fertiliser as per the instructions on the label.

I'm with Fred about the question of your lights. It's the most important thing because without good lights, no amount of fertiliser will help them grow because they need light to process it. On a 16 gallon tank, you would need about 30 watts of fluorescent tubes (it's usually written in the tube itself on one end) or more for Amazons. The Wisteria will grow in dim light, but it willl be long and stringy rather than thick and bushy.

PS. I believe the numbers usually refer to N:P:K, which is the nitrogen, phosphate and potassium ratio. Because it's a ratio to each other, the decimal point doesn't really matter, ie 0.2:0.1 is the same as 2:1.

I want to have some plants in my barebottom tanks as well. Now I am in the middle of saving money to buy a lighting system.

Thanks for all the good info. I think part of the issue with my plants doing poorly stems (no pun intended ) from the fact that in their q-tank (which was a bucket) there was minimal light so they might have taken a hit there and need time to recover (that's what I am hoping). It is the outside leaves that look the worst.

So for clarification:
1) It is ok to try the Flourish gravel supplement but I may need a liquid fertilizer as well? Is the Jungle product a liquid fertilizer? Do you need to keep adding it every time you do a water change (I guess that is an advantage of a root tab?)
2) My lights are on for 12 hours but I'll check the wattage. Would natural sunlight work as well, better or not as well as the tank lights?

Oh, one last thing - are plants affected by meds such as Parasite Clear, the maracyns, or salt?

Thanks, sea

I believe natural sunlight is the best. But watch out for algae if you don't want green water effect in your tank.

The jungle product that I mentioned are the gravel root tabs. Strong florescent lighting is the best lighting for an indoor aquarium.