# Help with dying plants.



## Kilohead36 (Feb 11, 2004)

I have 2 tanks both with java lace fern and the top pic I have a 55 gallon with a single 36 watt coral life 10K lamp..
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In my other tank I have a 40 gallon wiht a 40 watt spectramax 6500k lamp.. Can someone give me opinions on what is going wrong. 
View attachment 49269


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

10K bulbs aren't so hot for plant keeping from what I've read. That might be an issue there.

What are you fertilizing with?


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## PacmanXSA (Nov 15, 2004)

How long are your lights on?

What are your water parameters?

The bottom pics look to me as if they're shrivelling up due to lack of light... Not sure though...

Pac


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## yorkshire (Jul 27, 2004)

At a quick guess not enough light.
Also, is the coral lamp meant for a marine setup? Lamps designed for marine setups aren't the best option for freshwater plants.


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## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

your 55 gallon doesn't have enough wattage per gallon
aim for 2-3 watts per gallon


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## Kilohead36 (Feb 11, 2004)

Well Im pretty new to plant keeping but here goes.The plants in the top tank arent too bad its the one in the bottom that is shriveling up.I have 2 single strip lights for each tank. I went to the pet store and the guy recommended the coral life bulb. I have been keeping on the light just recently for about 10hrs. I had forgot it was on a timer as well. I use a seachem flourish if I am not mistaken. Ive done some research however, I'm a little confused about the 2-3 watt per gallon rule when it come to low light plants . When I went to the lf I specifically told them I want lace java ferns and I need a light bulb for this and he recommended this bulb. What you guys are telling me is that I have been basically wasting my money listening to people who are steering me wrong.Ugh!! Any suggestions on what to do about the lighting problem? In past I would of just gone out and bought the appropiate light but now with my wife expecting money is getting tight ..Hope you guys can help.


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## jonscilz (Dec 2, 2004)

go to home depot or lowes and buy a daylight or sunlight flourescent bulb of the appropriate length for your hood/canopy. this will work as well as any bulb you can find at a lfs for freshwater aquariums for a fraction of the cost. should be less than $10. (seems like ive used the "go to home depot or lowes" suggestions a lot the past few days... i love those stores)









*edit:* i didnt really mention which bulb (daylight or sunlight) is better because i cant remember which one is the full spectrum bulb. one has a slightly narrower light spectrum than the other. you should be able to see easily which one has the broader spectrum range right on the side of the bulb packaging if i remember correctly. price difference of about a dollar.


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## Kilohead36 (Feb 11, 2004)

Thanks! man you really made my night..Any suggestions on fertilizer I use the seachem stuff not sure if its enough?


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## jonscilz (Dec 2, 2004)

no problem glad to help somebody save a few bucks. husty_jim is the man to ask about fertilizer... i dont personally use any because my plants seem to get plenty of nutrients from the waste from my p's in the gravel. do some research in the aquatic plants section of the forums you will probably find something there too.


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## PacmanXSA (Nov 15, 2004)

Kilohead36 said:


> Thanks! man you really made my night..Any suggestions on fertilizer I use the seachem stuff not sure if its enough?
> [snapback]894295[/snapback]​


Yeah, if you've got a decent amount of bioload in the tank, you should probably be OK with regards to fertilizer. I'd make sure that you have some sort of iron source, however or I've found that you'll get brown spots on your plants. There are some substrates that will allow you to get the iron you need; or you can be like me and add it manually.

Pac


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