Java Fern and now Amazon Swords....HELP

[bobbdd]

I had posted some questions about my Java Ferns that were dying a few post ago.

Now, some of my Amazon's leaves are kinda turning yellow and have tiny holes throughout the leaf.

It almost seems like fertilizer burns or something in the water that is doing this.

I do water changes each week, 25-30%, ph runs 6.0, KH/GH 3-4, my apistos are doing very well. 2 New flourescant 40 watt bulbs, on about 9 hours a day.

I had used Kent Freshwater Plant fertilizer according to directions. I have held off for now, until I figure out what is going on in this one tank. My other tanks are the same parameters and all of the plants are doing well.

So what do you guys think? Should I just do water changes and hold off on the fertilizer? I'm puzzled............... :cry: :cry: :cry:

 

[farm41]

What size tank?

Do you have any snails?

 

[bobbdd]

it is a 75 gallon and no snails........ :roll:

 

[farm41]

Not very much light for a 75, swords could use quite a bit more light. Wouldn't hurt the java fern to have more light too.

Try more hours, about 12 a day.

I run mine 10 hours a day, but my light is 3-3.5 watts per gallon.

 

[vancat]

I would think you need to keep your lights on 12 hours, esp since that's not much wattage for a 75.

vancat

 

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

To grow most plants, including swords, you'd need to double the
amount of light you've got in that tank.

 

[Discus Man]

swords can live with just over 1 watt per gallon. All of my tanks will attest to that. The yellow and holes in the leaves of the sword are form a lack of nutrients in the substrate around the roots of the sword, try a jobe stick or a bit of top soil shoved in amidst the roots. Also, with low wattage Farm is totally right. The lights need to be on from 12 to 14 hours per day. If any day light is available in the room you can set a timer to turn off for a couple of hours at the brightest point in the room but then the lights need to come back on for a total of 12 to 14 hours of decent light.
My Amazon plants are about 6 years old, over a foot tall, and I have taken the plant several times and sliced the base in half to create a new plant. Another thing that many aquarists have said is impossible.
IME life finds a way!

 

[Mike]

Sounds to me that one of two things. PLant is dying cause of low light, but more like to be lacking in potassium.

Get some sulphate of potosh (K2SO4) or Muriate of potash (KCL)

and add 1 teaspoon full neat to the filter or water.

Dont use KCl if you are using Sodium Bi-carb though. (will make brine)

 

[Jason]

Plants need a certain level of light intensity and not a combined amount of light. So 10 hours of high intensity light do not equal 12 or more hours of low intensity light.
Also, the taller the tank the higher the wat/gal ratio should be, because the distance to the bottom of the tank light have to penetrate is greater.
1 wat/gal is too little and may only be enough fo keep Java fern or Java moss alive, but not enough for them to grow nicely. Adding fertiliser at this light leves will be feeding algae. Fertiliser helps plants grow faster, but will not revive dying plants.
Adding more light :idea: will solve the problem.
Jason

 

[Discus Man]

Normally I would not bother to restate a post but Jason specifically says 1 watt per gallon will not keep plants alive...
To keep running costs down I choose only low light plants and I run anywhere from 1 watt to 1.2 watts per gallon on several tanks.
Not only do plants grow but they reproduce.
Java fern, moss, bolbitis, Anubias (three species), amazon swords, lilaeopsis brasilenisis, crypts, and that carolinia stuff that looks like Cabomba. I am not saying its the best way but it is possible.
I never said a longer photoperiod equated to higher intensity. All I said was they will live, grow and asexually reproduce at low light levels.
Fertilizer should be added but at about 1/6 of the dose recommended and only replaced with water changes. 12 to 14 hours per day is required.

My measure of success is six years of pruning back these low light plants. Want some bolbitis?
My point is, I am not exaggerating, I do not buy plants... I grow the ones I've got. My orignal sword plant has reached a height of 14 inches and has over 50 leaves... quite a solid mother plant. twice it sent off this odd little runner plant like Spider plants do and twice I cut it in half to produce other swords.

 

[farm41]

Discus Man,

I agree with you there, there is more than 1 way to skin a cat, and more than 1 way to grow plants. If it works for you, that's great. Somethings that I do may not work for others, and vice versa. :?

I have a friend that has a 75g planted tank with only 80 watts. He has loads of java moss, and a red flame sword that I gave him 6 months ago now has a runner with a few plantlets on it.

It can work. I'll have to check with him on the light cycle though.

 

[aspen]

i've never kept a java fern but i can attest that e. amazonicus will grow fine with 1 watt per gal. assuming that your light is ok, i would check into the other growing conditions. make sure there is some fert now and again, but with low light levels, there is not much need for too much, and will likely result in a healthy algae bloom, if over fed. but, make sure that the fert you are using has all the things that plants need, like iron, potassium and all the trace elements necessary. is the fert old?

i concur with the 1/6th to 1/4 dose every week. that is quite enough, and if you have been doing at least that, i would look for other reasons your plants aren't doing well. is the new growth or old growth most affected by the light colour leaves. if it is the new growth, this indicates an iron deficiency.

have you got any plecos in that tank? esp bushynose or regular ones, that may be munching on them?

rick

 

[Jason]

Discus Man,
You have touched a sensitive subject now: I have never been able to keep bolbitis alive! Even though I've tried I can't remember how many times! No thank you, I do not want any, but would appreciate any bolbitis related suggestions.
Does any sunlight reach your tanks? I have my fishroom in the basement so artificial light is the only source of light for my plants. I can see a big difference in plant growth between a 20gal with 40wats and a 30gal with the same amount of light. And I do not think some of the plants would grow at all if I reduced the ligh, especially the crypts that do not reach the upper parts of the tank. I do not use any fertilisers on regular basis, just maybe once every two months.
Jason

 

[Discus Man]

LOL, sorry Jason... plants are odd things. I found the plants I currenlty have by buying one of each plant (under 5 bucks) in the LFS and trying each one. If they croak, I write that on my list of higher light plants. If it lives it gets on my list of good for low tech tanks.
Some crypts do fine at low light others do great for a couple of years and then vanish... others dropped dead as soon as I planted them! Its trial and error.
With bolbitis I bought it for my African tank and it dropped dead. I tossed a tiny little bit when I bought it into a 10g tank with a 15w bulb. There was a pair of apistos in there and 100% rain water. The stuff took off like a weed and is now in all my rain water tanks.
Since that 'discovery' I have since read a ton of posts saying the same. No more than 1.5 w or else you need to diffuse any direct light. Also the softer the better for the water...

 

[2la]

Well, Discus Man, I'm going to blow your theory right out of the water, my friend. :wink: I grew bolbitis directly under 3W/gal, with the leaves easily touching the surface. Even got them to pearl with DIY CO2. I have noted that these things seem to love current. Proof positive:

 

[Woodsy]

If your crypts die off under subdued lighting, keep in mind where they were and try not to plant directly over them. If you get crypt die off, they should come back in a few months. It's happened to me a few times, they should all still do well under subdued lights.