Not getting optimum growth

[kribkeeper888]

Ok so as my signature suggests, i have a 60 gallon planted tank and a couple months ago my plants were just going crazy and I had to prune almost every other day, now, Im seeing little growth at all, although I havent changed a thing, that i can think of..... Heres my specs, let me know if you have any suggestions please.

Filtration-
Fluval 305 w bio media and filter pads, no carbon.
Emperor 400, filter pads, no carbon.

Lighting-
Current quad t5 high output with 3x 6700k daylight and 1x 10000k highspectrum

Heater-
Hydor theo 300w, temp at 81f to 82.5f

Co2-
2 diy 2 liter bottles at about 2b per sec

Ferts-
seachem flourish trace and seachem flourish twice weekly

WC-
twice weekly at 50% and 30% and I dose ferts after each

Water parameters-
ph 7.4- kh around 120ppm-ammonia-0 nitrates-0 nitrites-0

plants are Echinodorus rubin-Pogostemon erectus-Rotala rotundifolia-Giant baby tears -Java fern-Saggitaria subulata-Amazon swords-Nymphaea zenkeri Green (i think)-Bacopa monnieri

Woops, forgot that my substrate is pool filter sand with some flourite and natural basalt gravel

[Cboss]

With high light and CO2 you might be running a little lean on fertilizer. Your 0 nitrates could be the culprit. No/little nitrogen will have a large effect on plants.

I would either up the amount of flourish you are dosing or get a specific nitrogen fertilizer and see if anything changes. Maybe some root tabs would help too.

[kribkeeper888]

Hadent thought of that, thanks, Ill post a pic of my tank later this afternoon

[livingword26]

With that high of light, you are going to have to dose nitrates, phosphates and potassium somehow. I would recommned using kno3 for the nitrates and potassium and kh2po4 for phosphates, along with your flourish . Flourish trace is a waste of water in my opinion.

http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizer.html

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fe...-regimes_.html

[livingword26]

I would also recommend a drop checker to help with knowing how much co2 is in your tank. I doubt that 2bps is going to be enough in a high light tank.

[kribkeeper888]

Why would you say trace is a waste?

[kribkeeper888]

Originally Posted by livingword26

I would also recommend a drop checker to help with knowing how much co2 is in your tank. I doubt that 2bps is going to be enough in a high light tank.

Yeah I just dont have the money right now to go with pressurized

[livingword26]

Originally Posted by kribkeeper888

Why would you say trace is a waste?

Look at the bottom of both of these pages, and compare the charts:

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...rishTrace.html

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod.../Flourish.html

[BBradbury]

Originally Posted by kribkeeper888

Ok so as my signature suggests, i have a 60 gallon planted tank and a couple months ago my plants were just going crazy and I had to prune almost every other day, now, Im seeing little growth at all, although I havent changed a thing, that i can think of..... Heres my specs, let me know if you have any suggestions please.

Filtration-
Fluval 305 w bio media and filter pads, no carbon.
Emperor 400, filter pads, no carbon.

Lighting-
Current quad t5 high output with 3x 6700k daylight and 1x 10000k highspectrum

Heater-
Hydor theo 300w, temp at 81f to 82.5f

Co2-
2 diy 2 liter bottles at about 2b per sec

Ferts-
seachem flourish trace and seachem flourish twice weekly

WC-
twice weekly at 50% and 30% and I dose ferts after each

Water parameters-
ph 7.4- kh around 120ppm-ammonia-0 nitrates-0 nitrites-0

plants are Echinodorus rubin-Pogostemon erectus-Rotala rotundifolia-Giant baby tears -Java fern-Saggitaria subulata-Amazon swords-Nymphaea zenkeri Green (i think)-Bacopa monnieri

Woops, forgot that my substrate is pool filter sand with some flourite and natural basalt gravel

Hello krib...

That's one seemingly complicted setup you have there. You're giving your plants a lot of light and a lot of fertilizer. Have you tried lowering both or just one or the other? If you have a well stocked tank, fish wise, then you can likely do without all the ferts. Nothing works better, long term than the ferts the fish produce.

Water changes will keep a high level of minerals in the water, which are good for the plants. A 50 percent change every week is recommended. Don't fret over the soft or hard water. The fish and plants just need stability and the large, weekly water changes do that.

Lighting doesn't have to be complicated if you stick to 6500 K T8s and T12s. Then, all you need are three or four 32 to 40 watt bulbs and you'll be able to grow most of the aquatic plants on the market.

Maybe all that needs to be done is to make lighting and ferts a little simpler and the plants might respond with better growth.

Just a thought to consider or not.

B

[kribkeeper888]

Originally Posted by BBradbury

Hello krib...

That's one seemingly complicted setup you have there. You're giving your plants a lot of light and a lot of fertilizer. Have you tried lowering both or just one or the other? If you have a well stocked tank, fish wise, then you can likely do without all the ferts. Nothing works better, long term than the ferts the fish produce.

Water changes will keep a high level of minerals in the water, which are good for the plants. A 50 percent change every week is recommended. Don't fret over the soft or hard water. The fish and plants just need stability and the large, weekly water changes do that.

Lighting doesn't have to be complicated if you stick to 6500 K T8s and T12s. Then, all you need are three or four 32 to 40 watt bulbs and you'll be able to grow most of the aquatic plants on the market.

Maybe all that needs to be done is to make lighting and ferts a little simpler and the plants might respond with better growth.

Just a thought to consider or not.

B

Yea thanks I realize all of that. You sound like a low tec person lol. Ive never had good succsess with low lights and baby tears and if you look i did say i do wc twice a week and doing no ferts just doesnt work in a heavily planted tank. no offence or anything.

[kribkeeper888]

Originally Posted by livingword26

Look at the bottom of both of these pages, and compare the charts:

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...rishTrace.html

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod.../Flourish.html

Yeah thanks I just did lol. I plan on getting some dry ferts here soon now. how long would one lb of ferts last me in a 60 gallon twice weekly ?

[kribkeeper888]

haha when they say "trace" theres no fooling around with that LOL. VERY trace.

[livingword26]

They say that there is about 110 teaspoons in a pound of sugar. We will use that because I can't find anything better. According to the 40-60 gallon dosing scheduel on the link I posted earlier:

110 teaspoons of kno3.....

1/2 teaspoon 3 times a week

=

1 1/2 teaspoons a week.

110 total teaspoons

divided by

1 1/2 teaspoons a week

=

73.3 weeks or a year and a half.

guestimate

[chicken]

Two things jump out at me: with that much light, you should be dosing N, P, and K, and you need more co2. It's hard to do diy co2 on a tank that size. If you're not able to go pressurized, I'd add a couple more 2 liter bottles of diy co2.

[Hoppy]

The best thing you could do is run the light with only two bulbs on, unless you have a cheapie, like a FishNeedIt or Odyssea light. With those you may not even have high light with all four bulbs on. A good T5HO light, with good reflectors, and an appropriate ballast will give you more than enough light with only two bulbs on. Right now, you have no way to provide enough CO2 to keep up with the growth rate the light should be driving the plants to. And, of course, as others pointed out, you need to be fertilizing per the sticky in the fertilizing forum, http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fe...-regimes_.html or equivalent.