[Poorboy]

Really in desperate need of help here. Dwarf hairgrass just does absolutely nothing in my tank, dwarf four leaf clover really didn't do much and was also impossible to keep rooted under my floramax substrate, and dwarf sag grows good and healthy but doesn't produce runners. I'm such at a loss here. Please tell me what I can do in my low tech tech to have a decent carpeting plant. Plants I should try or something I can do different. My info is: floramax substrate. Dual 48" t5ho 6700k bulbs (6 hrs a day). I have root tabs and dose seachem excel. Filtration is a fluval 305 can and a fluval 405 can. My willow hygro, crypt wendtii, and golden lloydeillia grows fine... Not so much my swords or java fern is that is any help to your suggestions on my problem. Thanks in advance.

 

[aquarist]

What size tank do you have? And how much excel and fertilizer are you dosing if any? How old are the root tabs?

It can often be hard to grow a carpet in a low tech tank. Plants like SHG really need high light and co2 to thrive and grow into a nice lush carpet.

You many also want consider replacing your root tabs if they are over four months old. Also I didn't see that you were dosing any fertilizers other than root tabs, you may want to looking into dosing a few things at least. Even low tech tanks can use dry fertilizers you just need to use much less that someone that is doing EI dosing.

Also consider increasing your light cycling, six hours is kind of short unless you are battling algae, I run my lights for 9 hours everyday, and when I had a low tech setup I ran them for 12.

 

[Poorboy]

I am battling algae is why I went for 8 to 6. It's a 55g. Temp is 78f. My root tabs aren't quite 4mos old but I will consider replacing them. I overdose seachem excel bc of the algae issues and I don't turn my filters off when I dose. What kind of dry ferts should I look into? I'm new to this so should I keep the root tabs along with the excel while dosing dry ferts?

 

[aquarist]

So there are two main types of ways plants get nutrients, that is through their roots and their leaves. So keeping a well fertilized substrate is a good thing, but you many need to increase what nutrients you have in the water itself. So it's a good idea to dose root tabs and fertilizers.

What kind of algae are you having issues with? There is a good thread on here called " The One-Two punch" you should check it out and it could help you with your algae problems.

As to what dry fertilizers you need that's based off what plants you have really. But you can generally just but the fertilizers that are needed for EI dosing and just use a much reduced amount. There is also another system that I am not familiar with called PPSPro I believe.

 

[Seadon]

I was pointed to lilaeopsis mauritianae for a low tech without the best substrate, it's a really nice microsword


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[Poorboy]

Thank u for your recommendation seadon, and aquarist I am battling bba. I've trimmed back everything, overdosed excel, cut the lights back as well as feeding, my parameters are fine, and it still seems like a loosing battle

 

[philipraposo1982]

why not carpet with dwarf sag?! I am fully low tec, 8 days into my first tank and i think my growth is awesome

here is my tank with dwarf sag carpet, it obviousl will fill in (give it a month)



i don't fert or tab or nothing

 

[Italionstallion888]

Dwarf hair grass likes flow and co2, even diy co2 will help it grow

dwarf sag, once you get a few clumps grown, you need to pull them up and space them out. This will cause them to send out runners. I started my 55g with 6 small plants of dwarf sag, after 6 months I have a full carpet.

 

[Seadon]

why not carpet with dwarf sag?! I am fully low tec, 8 days into my first tank and i think my growth is awesome

here is my tank with dwarf sag carpet, it obviousl will fill in (give it a month)



i don't fert or tab or nothing

Really nice for a first tank in the first YEAR, in general, let alone the FIRST TWO WEEKS!!?! that's awesome, looks better than my first 3 month old tank does.


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[Poorboy]

Philip your tank is amazing. And I'm not sure why my dwarf sag isn't producing runners... Maybe a bad batch