Vickie

I have just been told this evening that carbon in the filter helps get the tannin out of the water....I have just put water logged drift wood into my aquarium and have tea like water, nothing too bad though and I do know that the fish like the tanin.

How have you got these plants to grow so well? what lighting are you using? I have a new 2'x2'x2' tank that I have just planted (no fish in it yet) but in the past I have not had much success with plants. Also does anyone know what I can do about really soft water, The tap water I use (from town supply) is very soft then stays that way when in the aquarium, this I think will be fine for the discus I will eventually put in there and for the amazon type environment I'm trying to create but I worry that it will get even softer, I don't know much about hardness only how to test for it.