[kalabao]

Hello all!

Sorry my first post is a cry for help, but hey those are the breaks I guess. Anyway, I have a few questions for more experienced planted tank folks. I have a 55g tank (first time I did a planted one) and it was fine the first month and the second month not so much.

I have some issues that I can't identify so I can't fix with my tank. Namely, my myrio filigree was awesome and growing by inches a week almost, but now the bottom leaves are brown and gross.

My rotala indica was an ok grower as well, but some of the leaves now appear feathery almost.

I have corkscrew vals that have runners like crazy, but the mature leaves are browning at the tips and edges and some go translucent.

My golden nesaea has these weird brown spots on it like they get burned almost.

Pretty much the only thing that's working out are my christmas moss, weeping moss, cardinal plant and my HC. What's going on? I'm very new to plants, but not corals and am a moderately experienced aquarist.

Thanks to anyone in advance for any tips, advice or solutions they may give out.

Hardware Info: 55g tank w/pressurized CO2 system, API Filstar XP-M, Finnex Planted+ 24/7 (on for 10hrs and on a timer with the CO2 system)

Inhabitants: 6 cardinals, 6 gold white clouds, 5 black neon tetras, 2 panda cory, 1 albino cory, 3 otocinclus, 1 GBR, 2 nerite snails

Tank info: Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrate 10ppm, Phosphate 1ppm, 74 degrees, add potassium once a week (don't have a test kit for that), add flourish twice a week as well (all products used are seachem), CO2 system is at about 2-3 BPS and I do a 10-20% WC weekly.

I don't know if my plants are starved of something, too overdosed with something, or diseased. Kinda sucks, because I liked watching it grown taller and seeing my first runner was pretty sweet also, but now some of my charges aren't doing well and that's a bummer.

Pics are sideways. I don't know how to rotate an upload. :frown2:

 

[roadmaster]

I Might would reduce light period to eight hours total for the day.
Might would place CO2 on it's own timer to come on an hour or two before light's come on.
Would dose a tad more of all nutrient's Macro's and micro's.
As plant mass increase's from what it was in early set up,might not be enough for them now.
Cannot speak to Seachem's dosing suggestion's but might explore dosing dry mineral's as per estimative index for your size tank .
The dry mineral's contain all that seachem's product's do minus the water.and are cheaper over the long haul.

 

[Doogy262]

I Might would reduce light period to eight hours total for the day.
Might would place CO2 on it's own timer to come on an hour or two before light's come on.
Would dose a tad more of all nutrient's Macro's and micro's.
As plant mass increase's from what it was in early set up,might not be enough for them now.
Cannot speak to Seachem's dosing suggestion's but might explore dosing dry mineral's as per estimative index for your size tank .
The dry mineral's contain all that seachem's product's do minus the water.and are cheaper over the long haul.

agree 100%

 

[kalabao]

I Might would reduce light period to eight hours total for the day.
Might would place CO2 on it's own timer to come on an hour or two before light's come on.
Would dose a tad more of all nutrient's Macro's and micro's.
As plant mass increase's from what it was in early set up,might not be enough for them now.
Cannot speak to Seachem's dosing suggestion's but might explore dosing dry mineral's as per estimative index for your size tank .
The dry mineral's contain all that seachem's product's do minus the water.and are cheaper over the long haul.

Should I still have the light and the CO2 switch off at the same time? What are the benefits of doing that? I'm trying to get a broader understanding of the idea behind it so that I can get a better grasp of what's really going on in my tank. EI is more of a daily dosing regimen, yes? I've only come across it on my research and didn't really delve into it that deeply.

Thanks for responding by the way! :grin2:

 

[Nlewis]

Should I still have the light and the CO2 switch off at the same time? What are the benefits of doing that? I'm trying to get a broader understanding of the idea behind it so that I can get a better grasp of what's really going on in my tank. EI is more of a daily dosing regimen, yes? I've only come across it on my research and didn't really delve into it that deeply.

Thanks for responding by the way! :grin2:

You should have the co2 turn off roughly and hour before the lights go off.

Yes, EI will be dosed Dailey on alternating days with the micro and macro fertilizers and a 50% water change at the end of the week. The idea is to flood the water column with the nutrients your plants require and reset at the end of the week. As mentioned above, dry ferts are cheap and will last a long time.

 

[roadmaster]

CO2 on an hour or two before light's when plant's begin to photosynthesis is more critical than later in the day.
CO2 on at same time as light's, mean's plant's must wait on CO2 level's to achieve good saturation while being bombarded with light.(takes a while)
CO2 off an hour before light's off is what most of the gurus who use the gas do.

 

[dpod]

It all comes back to the basics of photosynthesis. The plants need to have CO2 dissolved in the water where it's available when they photosynthesize, but that process is driven by light and it isn't immediate. By turning the CO2 on before the lights, you give the plants a chance to take in the gas and be ready to use it as soon as they have enough energy (or more specifically, when photons hit the chlorophyll molecules.) The same delay in CO2 uptake and explains why turning it off an hour before the lights is helpful too. The plants can use up the excess CO2 and keep the levels low overnight.