# F*%@ IT!!! i give up :(



## gmcmillan (Nov 6, 2004)

i give up on live plants! they grow good for a couple weeks than they start to die than they grow again than they start dying again! i dunno what the hell is wrong

my amonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are fine, my pH is a little high around 7.6 but that should be fine, i have small gravel for substrate, and i have a co2 system installed. the tank is 55gg and i have 2 - 48" powerglo bulbs and they are on for 10hrs/day

so i have no idea why they keep dying on me?! they just start leaning over and turning brown/yellow


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## PiranhasaurusRex (Feb 23, 2004)

substrate, you need some flourite or something


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

gmcmillan said:


> i give up on live plants! they grow good for a couple weeks than they start to die than they grow again than they start dying again! i dunno what the hell is wrong
> 
> my amonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are fine, my pH is a little high around 7.6 but that should be fine, i have small gravel for substrate, and i have a co2 system installed. the tank is 55gg and i have 2 - 48" powerglo bulbs and they are on for 10hrs/day
> so i have no idea why they keep dying on me?! they just start leaning over and turning brown/yellow
> [snapback]800117[/snapback]​












I gave up too, I have exactly the same problem


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## illnino (Mar 6, 2004)

try 12 hours a day, and some plant fertalizer


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## Seifer (Apr 10, 2003)

you need more wattage and less time.

get a power compact light. you should have at least 2 watts per gallon. then your plants will grow fine.

if you get a power compact you will probably have closer to 4-6 watts a gallon depending on the size of your tank. also one thing you have to understand, if your tank is tall, it puts the plants farther from the light and you need to adjust your wattage accordingly.

ive got a standard 20gal, with 2 18watt plant bulbs, but the tank is not very tall. so it works fine, in fact my plants grow like weeds. i havent purchased anything at my LFS in over a year because of all my fish credit from plants i trade in









you also need to select the right plants for the lighting conditions. if you live in a hard water region why waste time trying to get your water soft? buy plants like valenesaria, or cryptocornes, or some sword plants do fine in harder water, java fern and java moss seem to do fine in my 8.0ph water.

you also need to realize that you need about 6-8 hours of light a day, 10-12 is overkill and you will get algae blooms, your plants grow when its dark so the more your tank is dark, the faster they will grow, IF THEY HAVE GOOD LIGHT. i dont use c02 or fertilization.

all i have is about 40 watts over my 20gal, and flourite substrate. my val grows like weeds, my crypts are all huge in only a few months already sending off tons of baby plants that are the same size as the crypts i baught. my java moss gets so big and bushy i get at least 10 dollars in credit for it every 3 months.


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## micus (Jan 7, 2004)

Seifer said:


> you need more wattage and less time.
> 
> get a power compact light. you should have at least 2 watts per gallon. then your plants will grow fine.
> 
> ...


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## Phenix 05 (Dec 3, 2004)

dude
let me tell u what to do
build a co2 system from online guides
it will cost u about 1-2 dollars TOTAL and no more than 15 minites of your time
u probably already have the supplies laying around the house
just search google for DIY CO2
i did it and my plants look superb with little light 
when u build that, then take a gatorade bottle and cut three panels from the dented in sides and then feed the airline from the co2 system to it and submerge it in your aquarium to let the boubles stay submerged in an air pocket to allow longer time to disolve into the water
hope this helps
if you have any questions at all just email me directly at [email protected]
peace out


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