# Help my plants look better



## Jamila6452 (Nov 3, 2014)

I have a 5 gallon tank with a single betta. Heated, filtered (almost done cycling). Close to 4 weeks ago I added live plants, so I'm a total noob here. I don't think any of them have grown at all since then and several seem to be doing pretty poorly. 

Here's what I have:
- 1 Amazon sword (getting brown edges on leaves)
- 1 anubias
- dwarf water lettuce (at least half of what I started with has melted away)
- Myrio (this in particular is looking really bad, lots of rotting leaves that I've picked off, lots of pieces breaking off)
- Ludwigia Lacustris
- Subwassertang 
- Ludwigia Atlantis (this is doing the best so far)
- Rotala

I also had some wisteria but that seems totally gone now. 

I have a lamp on a timer for about 10 hour, with a 6500k light. I'm planning to get root tabs, at a minimum for the sword, but don't have any idea which one. Advice?

I've also thought of getting Flourish or something, but 
(1) there are a ton of options and I'm lost on the difference, and 
(2) I've heard Subwassertang doesn't do well with Excel and that's like my favorite plant in there. T/F?

I do plan to get more plants in the near-ish future, maybe after Christmas. I've been eyeing this package from Planted Aquariums Central. I especially want some foreground plants to stop my betta from glass surfing the front of the tank.

Here are a few pics:







icky sword and DWL








(I've since taken the subwassertang off the mesh and tied it directly to a rock, which isn't working so well. I've seen Flourish brand glue? Would that be a good thing to use here?)








Myrio is planted all across the back, but you can't even see it b/c it's so puny

ETA-hmmm, let me put pics separately


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## Jamila6452 (Nov 3, 2014)

Here are the pictures:


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

What wattage is your light and have far above the substrate is it?
The fact that your sword, Myrio, and water lettuce are having problems you probably have too weak of a light (but that can be confirmed or ruled out depending on the wattage and distance from substrate). 
Water lettuce genially doesn't travel well (in mail) and will melt in a new environment but usually spit out babies or new leaves adapted to the tank. 
Does the sword have any new leaves? if so are they solid green or also have brown tips? Are the new leaves transparent/melted looking?
If you have several small new leaves cut off the browning old ones. The sword cannot mend those and will just waste energy on the damaged leaves it could instead put towards new leaves. If there are no new leaves, you can cut some (but not all) of the old damaged leaves (cut off the ones with the most browning). Definitely get the plant a root tab (comprehensive macro and micro) and either a iron specific root tab to also stuff in there or iron liquid fert to add as swords are big iron hogs.
I have no experience with Myrio or Subwassertang to give advice or suggestions for it.

Knowing your tanks nitrate levels, as well as your tap (if that's what you use for water changes) chemistry, including hardness and trace element in it (contact your water company and ask for a copy of the water report for your area) will help determine what if any liquid ferts would be best. 
I use Seachem: Excl, Flourish, Pottasium, Phosphorus, Iron, and Nitrate (2 of my tanks have so much plant mass (in comparison to fish/snail bioload) the readings are always 0ppm, the other tanks do not get nosed with nitrate). I'm actually increasing the fish population in one of the 0ppm nitrate tanks to try to keep it at 5-10ppm so I don't have to dose and use $ on that specific fert.

[edit] added info

plantaquariumscentral has great plants, absolutely recommend buying from them ^^ I've gotten (not in that package but separately) pennywort, java fern, anacharis, narrow leaf pygmy chain sword, and anubias narrow leaf as well as some other plant species. I especially love anubias from this site!! Seriously don't trust buying anubias from anyone else (it can come with a disease known as rhizome rot, buying from other places most had the disease, but every anubias from p.a.c. was perfectly healthy! Sadly lost all them to rhizome rot brought in by anubias bought elsewhere -its contagious- x.x). I plan to buy from them again in the spring once I finally settle on my fish and plant stock list for my 20g long, and get some narrow leaf again if I have room to cram it in my 6g. My pennywort and Bacopa melted when I first got it but new growth came in adapted tot eh tank and its currently in my husbands 12g long taking over the place!


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## Jamila6452 (Nov 3, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> What wattage is your light and have far above the substrate is it?
> The fact that your sword, Myrio, and water lettuce are having problems you probably have too weak of a light (but that can be confirmed or ruled out depending on the wattage and distance from substrate).
> Water lettuce genially doesn't travel well (in mail) and will melt in a new environment but usually spit out babies or new leaves adapted to the tank.
> Does the sword have any new leaves? if so are they solid green or also have brown tips? Are the new leaves transparent/melted looking?
> ...


Thanks for that! The light is a 10w CFL, equivalent to 40 watts. I couldn't find any higher in the 6500k temperature. I do have some 60 watt equivalent ones at 5000K. 

I move the clip on lamp around because my tank has a solid black lid, so I clip it at various places angled around the tank (or I take the lid off, supervised, and hang the light above for a little while) to spread the light around. The farthest it gets from the substrate is about 20 inches, average is about 14 inches. I plan to make one of the clear lids you wrote about in the DIY thread when I have some funds, and then it will be directly above at 20 inches above the substrate.

Good to hear about the DWL. I haven't seen any babies, but I hope that's what will happen.

The sword _does _have new growth in the middle and they are a healthy solid green, so that's good! I'll pick off the brown leaves.

I literally just tested my parameters and did a PWC - ammonia .25, nitrites 0, nitrates 20 ppm. I've tested my source water in the past and it had .50 ppm ammonia and PH over 7 (don't remember exactly). I'll see what other information I can get from the water company.

Glad to hear good things about the P.A.C.! The anubias I have is from PetSmart, so I hope it isn't infected.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

9-14 watt 6500k is good if you do not go above 20 inches it shoudl be in medium light range (5000k is useless for your plants), but since you have to move the light around, the medium light plants (sword and myrio) are not getting sufficient light the whole time (as the light gets moved away from them). It should be better once you can keep it centered or have one light at each end with the new hoo.
Snip off old sword leaves at the base of the stem with a sharp finger snail or sharp scissors (be careful not to cut into eh main plant, just the stem).

If you've had the petmart anubias over a month and *do not see*: leaves turning brown and deteriorating, stems getting brown at the base right by the rhizome, roots falling off, rhizome discoloring (turning tan/brown), or soft spots on the rhizome (if you can push off a discolored part of rhizome with your finger nail (not pushing hard) it means its rotting), then you should be safe.. The disease shows it self with these symptoms usually within a few weeks (also people say if the place is removed from the tank and sniffed while showing these visual signs it typically smells like rotting garbage- my allergies keep me sense of smell dulled most times so I cannot confirm that one). 
If you are paranoid keep the new anubias in a bowl/jar/whatever of tank water next to the tank (so it shares the light) or by a window with decent indirect sunlight for a few weeks to ensure the petsmart one is healthy before putting the new one in the tank with it. All my new anubias (have tried a few new sources because p.a.c. was out of them when I wanted them x.x) are all in separate tanks for over a month to ensure they're safe. Some I'm iffy about as I fear I might have cross contaminated (put filer media from a suspected tank into another to cycle a new filter..oops) so i reset the timer on them to make sure they're safe.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I can speak from experience that Excel will wipe out Subwassertang. Low-light plants such as yours don't even need it. Stick with Flourish and root tabs and you'll be fine.

In future (or maybe Christmas?  ), here's a light I find works great for low-light plants using a clear glass canopy:
AquaVibrant

If you decide to order from www.plantedaquariumscentral.com, send me a PM for a 10% off code.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I can speak from experience that Excel will wipe out Subwassertang. Low-light plants such as yours don't even need it. Stick with Flourish and root tabs and you'll be fine.
> 
> In future (or maybe Christmas?  ), here's a light I find works great for low-light plants using a clear glass canopy:
> AquaVibrant
> ...


Damn how many sites do you have promos from/discounts for? And is the 10% off only for the holidays (up through Dec 24th for example?) I'm trying to weasel a 'giftcard' out of my family for that site and would love to use the 10% with it to stretch out my next order.


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## ellekay (Nov 11, 2014)

I just got my 10g starter pack from PAC and love it! I do have some melting happening, but hope it's just the transition to a new tank. 

And AA, I thought the same thing about the discounts &#55357;&#56842; but I used the discount on thanksgiving day, so I think it's an all the time thing.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Damn how many sites do you have promos from/discounts for? And is the 10% off only for the holidays (up through Dec 24th for example?) I'm trying to weasel a 'giftcard' out of my family for that site and would love to use the 10% with it to stretch out my next order.


Just two: TruAqua and PAC. However, if you send me photos of any TruAqua tank they might just send you a big discount code on your next purchase.  If they continue to offer Betta Fish members discounts depends on if the one they currently offer is used.

The PAC code is forever so gift card away.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Just two: TruAqua and PAC.* However, if you send me photos of any TruAqua tank they might just send you a big discount code on your next purchase.  *If they continue to offer Betta Fish members discounts depends on if the one they currently offer is used.
> 
> The PAC code is forever so gift card away.


Aw sweet I'll have to contact them to see! My most recent setup (Aristocoles' tank) is all from Truaqua (tank, heater, sponge filter) but themometer is not.. do they even have thermometers (the simply in tank ones)? But the last thing I need right now is ANOTHER tank, I have 105 gallons spread over 7 fish-in tanks (excluding less than 1g fauna-less picos and my excess plant dumping tank).


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Aw sweet I'll have to contact them to see! My most recent setup (Aristocoles' tank) is all from Truaqua (tank, heater, sponge filter) but themometer is not.. do they even have thermometers (the simply in tank ones)? But the last thing I need right now is ANOTHER tank, I have 105 gallons spread over 7 fish-in tanks (excluding less than 1g fauna-less picos and my excess plant dumping tank).


They asked that people send me the photos and I forward on to them. I'll do it as soon as.


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