Help Choosing Plants For My Fish Tank

Plants, like all living things, require carbon.  Typically in our tanks this carbon comes from two sources. Preferentially, plants use carbon dioxide. It is easier for the chemistry, apparently. Failing easy access to carbon dioxide, most plants can use carbonate ions from dissolved chemicals, as a source of carbon. So-called "liquid carbon" provides these carbonate ions.

AM

EasyCarbo, Excel etc are Gluteraldehyde mixes.

It is MUCH cheaper to buy it neat and dilute it. 30ml of Glut to 970ml of de-ionised water.

Keep it in a dark place (I have mine in a black HDPE bottle)

Dose it BEFORE lights on, if practicable.

1ml per 40L or 50L of tank water.

If you overdose it too much it can be toxic to fish. Try not to get the raw, undiluted Glut on your skin- it will stain it brown. Prepare the mix in a well ventilated room (I did mine on the patio).

Decant in to small 100ml black HDPE bottles to allow easy use of an appropriate syringe (both found on ebay).

Dose it EVERY day, as it has a half life of 10.4 hours (or something like that).

Hope this helps!

Aquamaid has hard water and so one would imagine it already contains plenty of carbonates.
With hard water and plenty of fish, I doubt if adding any other carbon source would help me, my plants already grow as fast as I can cope with.

I really don't think 5 hours a day is anywhere near enough. Plants use light to grow, it's their source of energy, if they don't have enough they won't grow. Plants outdoors in the wild would never receive that little light. My lights are on for 10 hours, tropical plants are used to 12 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Hi Aquamaid,
Don't get too disheartened, its all a learning experience. You've made cracking fish choices and I'm sure you'll get your plants right sooner rather than later.

Brown diatom algae is often found in a new aquarium, usually when the lighting is too low or too high. I'd go with 8 hours for now and see how you go. Also lay off of the fertilisers if you're using them and food too, as excess nitrogen is another common cause.

As Richard has said on many occasions, there is usually one factor that limits plant growth. As you've bought the Easycarbo, I'd stick with the recommended dose until the bottle has finished as this will ensure that CO2 is not the limiting factor. The fish will be providing most of the other nutrient requirements, provided you're not going mad with your gravel vac!

You might want to get some very easy growing plants to begin with to see how they do. Anacharis, Cryptocoryne, Hygrophila polysperma and Wisteria are all pretty easy adaptable plants that are also algae inhibitors. They're usually cheap and easy to find. Once they are established you could try something a bit more adventurous.

The diatoms are pretty easy to shift as algae go. Otos and Nerites would gobble it up happily!

I am by no means an expert, but think it's best to start small/easy and work up from there. Good luck!

Oh dear... My plants seem to be doing okay for the most part, though my platies have taken to munching my Anarchis, only planted it Sunday and half the leaves are gone!

If you just want something that will grow, go for some Hygrophila polysperma. I have had butcher mine because they were taking over a corner of my tank. When I pulled them up I could not believe the roots they had. They were everywhere! Very easy to take cuttings too, so you can quickly cover a large area of your tank relatively quickly.

Up the lighting to 8 hours and reduce the fertilizer and I'm sure those 'orrible diatoms will be gone soon enough.

At least the grass is doing well!!!

Thank you Richard, i did wonder as the tank manufacturers (Aqua One) installed the 2 x 39w i assumed it must be suitable for some if not all plant growth and i am reluctant to cover or remove a bulb, but have got confused as to wether it is light wattage or period of light on that may be the problem. Ive only had fish in for two months, so i hope it is just a matter of things still settling down and getting the balance right?

Hi Fiona, i think we have been here before lol but it still isn't sinking in with me, i constantly being told i have "too much light" as im using liquid carbo Co2, but i have what the tank was made with, 2x39w bulbs so when i'm told to "decrease the lights i pressume it is the length of time they are on, as i aint taking a bulb out. Sorry to be so dim, but i just can't grasp the concept of what the plants need, and what to do to grow healthy plants without lots of brown diatom algae stuff, less wattage, less hours, less Co2, more of everything ?

But who are the people constantly telling you that you have too much light? Nobody here, I think.

I'm curious who is telling you that too!

Your lighting is standard for the size of tank so don't think about changing it, it's suitable for all the plants we normally grow  but only if you leave it on for long enough.

Your plants need at least 8hrs of light so take the shading off and leave the lights on for longer and see what happens in a weeks time.

I'd leave the lights on for  8hrs + if I was you AM, the plants will thank you for it and by all means use the fertilisers.

PS: you still haven't said who told you that you had too much light.

I wonder if it's the long lost twin of an idiot in St Albans MA who told me not to worry about water quality with regards to my betta tank as bettas live in puddles in the wild