gagaforfish Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 I got some plants for my guppy tank, so the fry had some where to hide. They look real cool so now I want to have the whole tank properly planted. But I need ALOT of advice... Here is the plants I currently have... bad light + crud camera = bad photos The light I had for the tank died the other day, so that needs replaced.. What else can I do to help my plants grow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 my plants were ok with just light but really didn't grow until I added fertilisers. This was ok for the hardy plants like the ambulia but nothing else was really growing steadily until I added co2. Now the plants are growing like crazy and they're all 'pearling'? at least half the day. I'd imagine it's better with a pure co2 input as well but the days I've lowered the ferts I've noticed there is less growth (yeah, i can see the difference in a day with co2 + ferts + light). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 You'll need to take the hairgrass out of the pot at least, splitting it up into blades of 3-5 would be better, 10 if you can't be bothered. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagaforfish Posted October 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Once my light is fixed, I might think about doing some kind of DIY co2 thing. Is that any good, or not worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Once my light is fixed, I might think about doing some kind of DIY co2 thing. Is that any good, or not worth it? CO2 is awesome, BUT what type of light do you have? How much light?, What sort of Ferts are you using? What are the tank dimensions? It takes more than just adding CO2 to get your plants to grow. See here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=48813 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagaforfish Posted October 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 CO2 is awesome, BUT what type of light do you have? How much light?, What sort of Ferts are you using? What are the tank dimensions? The tank is an 60-30-30cm. The lighting was two lamps from the warehouse, with those energy saver bulbs, but they randomly stopped working, so they need to be replaced or something. I think being on for eight (more or less) hours a day, is not what they are made for. I am using my AR-380 light right now... Fertilizer, I have that API Leafzone stuff, and am dosing just 5ml a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice222 Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 Untill you get better lighting, there's really no point with C02. The AR380 light is pretty dismal if you're wanting nice quick growth, about the only thing that visibly grows in my tank is the ambulia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagaforfish Posted October 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 Untill you get better lighting, there's really no point with C02. The AR380 light is pretty dismal if you're wanting nice quick growth, about the only thing that visibly grows in my tank is the ambulia. Once my light is fixed, I might think about doing some kind of DIY co2 thing. Is that any good, or not worth it? The co2 is maybe after the light is replaced/fixed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 I personally feel DIY CO2 is best for tanks that are 70 to 150L - anything smaller than that can be quite unstable with the variable CO2 produced by the yeast. Plants do need carbon though and the most stable way to provide that in a smaller tank is by dosing with Flourish Excel. It is very affordable and safe when dosed as directed (about 1ml/40L of tank water, every day or every other day depending on your lighting). If you add Flourish Comprehensive at around the same dose and rate as Excel you will get a good spectrum of micronutrients and macronutrients. All of this will result in very good growth with that amount of light (as long as your photoperiod isn't so long as to cause algae). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I personally feel DIY CO2 is best for tanks that are 70 to 150L - anything smaller than that can be quite unstable with the variable CO2 produced by the yeast. Plants do need carbon though and the most stable way to provide that in a smaller tank is by dosing with Flourish Excel. It is very affordable and safe when dosed as directed (about 1ml/40L of tank water, every day or every other day depending on your lighting). If you add Flourish Comprehensive at around the same dose and rate as Excel you will get a good spectrum of micronutrients and macronutrients. All of this will result in very good growth with that amount of light (as long as your photoperiod isn't so long as to cause algae). Hey Jen... If one was to dose with Excel & Comprehensive - would you give both daily? AND could you pre mix the excel & comprehensive into one bottle and after a good shake dose with 2mls/40l of tank water? Thanks JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I don't know about mixing them but personally, I wouldn't do it. The frequency of dosing depends on the amount of light and carbon you have. Technically, the 'life' of Excel is only about 24 hours so daily dosing is fine. Daily dosing with Comprehensive is fine, if you have the light and carbon to support it, although keep in mind that lighting intensity can be low but if you leave it on for too long you will still have a higher demand. You also need to do a big water change once a week if you are adding lots of ferts or they could get out of balance. If you have lots of light though you will eventually get more success if you add additional nitrate and phosphate since comprehensive doesn't have enough for a high demand system. You should see a lot of new growth within 7-10 days, if you don't then it is time to reevaluate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzyJeff Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Thanks Jen - I will refrain from mixing them. I will try daily dosing over the next 7 days see what improvement I can see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I believe that Excel is light sensitive. I may be wrong but I avoid keeping any of my ferts etc in clear containers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 the dosage is slightly different for each product as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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