Help me with helping my plants!

[Anti-Pjerrot]

All my plants seem to be in bad shape, even thought I think I provide them with what they need. The tank is from 19 Jan 2007.

Instead of describing it all, here are pictures of some of the plants and some of the deficiencies (and algae) I see.

Tank: 54L (14gal)
Lights: 1 x 20W CF (14 hours) + 2 x 20W CF (12 hours) @ 6000K
Filter: EHEIM Ecco 2232
Substrate: Elos Terra and Tropica Aquacare Substrate.

I dose EI using dry ferts dissolved in water, and Tropica Aquacare liquid for micro...
Compressed CO2, about 3 bubbles@second and I’m using a mister to dissolve it.

Every week 50 % water change.

Fish: 6 (small) SAE, 20 Boraras maculatus, 10 Hyphessobrycon amandae, 15 amano shrimps, 1 Otocinclus affinis, 3 Botia striata (small)

What I often see is that new shots quickly get black spots and later holes. Is it a deficiency or algae related?

I got lots of GSA – not much BBA, only a very little on the driftwood.

The pics:

Full shot:

Rotala green:

Hydrocotyle verticillata

 

[Anti-Pjerrot]

Anubias barteri var. nana

Glossostigma elatinoides

Bolbitis heudelotii

 

[Tom Barr]

Try 10 hours of light.

More CO2, that is about it, more current will help also if you have issues getting enough CO2 in there without issues with the fish.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Frolicsome_Flora]

I know its a bit algae-fied, but lovely Glosso bed very nice

 

[Anti-Pjerrot]

Ill try cranking the CO2 up a bit.
By the way i just did a pH/kH check - pH = 7,0 ; kH = 8,5dH
That should give me around 25ppm CO2 right?

Tomorrow ill try another reading at the same time and see if thats doing a bit.

- Just found thread algae today... Never happened in that tank before.

The tank needs a serous trim to cut away some of the bad glosso and rotala.

Im considering pulling everything up, vacuming the top of the bottom and replanting...

Could it be a NH4 related issue, due to a nasty mess under the glosso?

 

[VaughnH]

Measuring pH and KH will not tell you how much CO2 is in the water. You need a drop checker with known KH DI or distilled water in it to do that.

 

[Tom Barr]

I do not think you need to pull everything up, just mow the lawn so to speak, trim off the top layer of gloss, the plant will grown back, you may lightly vacuum Gloss or any foreground cover without uprooting it.

Some good water changes, cleaning, trim, add a bit more CO2, clean the CO2, filter etc, that typically takes care of about 90% of the issues.


Regards,
Tom Barr