# Water Chemistry and plants



## LouiCypher (Mar 10, 2003)

I'm not sure if I should post this here or in equipment, but here will do I suspect.

I need to know if there is anything I can put in my tank to promote better plant growth without harming the fish in it. I've tried the plant fertilizer that lfs's sell but I didn't really notice an improvement. They get plenty of light, though i'm not sure they get enough co2. So i guess thats another queston...

What can I do to promote better plant growth and how can I get more co2 in the water?


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## Samuel (Jul 18, 2003)

LouiCypher said:


> They get plenty of light, though i'm not sure they get enough co2. So i guess thats another queston...
> 
> What can I do to promote better plant growth and how can I get more co2 in the water?


 I think the problem with your plants is CO2. What kind of filter do you have? if your filters and powerheads agitate the water too much (like biowheels or wetdry), you plant can die because there will be nearly no CO2 in your tank. For a planted tank, I would go for a canister (learned this from sad experience).

Also, what plants do you have? If you cant live without surface agitation, you should probably get java fern, java moss, and water sprite -> they basically require no care at all.

You can also inject CO2, and there are a lot of CO2 generators that will help maintain high concenrtation in the water. There is also a DIY method that involves yeast/sugar but that's not very easy (lots of trial and error to get the CO2 and substrate amount right)


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## LouiCypher (Mar 10, 2003)

I just get by with two ac500's on a 120g. As far as plants o, I have a couple amazon swords, 4 ruffle swords, 2 very thick stemmed something or others, 6 Frazeri and a ton of sagittaria. The ruffles, amazons and something or others or doing great, whereas the sags and Frazeri aren't. I wish I had my digi working so I could show you what I mean. The leaves are browning, but the root structure is doing fine.Should I maybe try moving the less fortunate specimens to a lower light area for a few days? Also, I'll try and get some co2 in there, but I dont think thats the problem for some reason.


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## Samuel (Jul 18, 2003)

LouiCypher said:


> The leaves are browning, but the root structure is doing fine.Should I maybe try moving the less fortunate specimens to a lower light area for a few days? Also, I'll try and get some co2 in there, but I dont think thats the problem for some reason.


 This might indicate trace element deficiency. What do you currently add to your aquarium (fertilizer, chemical)? All the plants you listed should do well under the lighting you provide (low-medium for frazeri and medium for others), so I guess it is either CO2 or trace elelment. frazeri is not an easy plant to keep in an aquarium.

You should test your CO2 first. CO2 is always recommended for anubias.


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## piranahman (Aug 13, 2003)

i dont put anything in my water for my plants! shoud i????


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## LouiCypher (Mar 10, 2003)

> piranahman Posted on Aug 28 2003, 12:45 PM
> i dont put anything in my water for my plants! shoud i????


I'm in his boat, which happens to be what started this thread. I tried a fertilizer once but didn't get a noticeable improvement.


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## DelusionalMind (Apr 4, 2003)

u try a DYI CO2 system?


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