my plants

Question
QUESTION: i have a relatively new planted 55 gallon tank. the plants were fine for a few weeks but all of the sudden my vallisneria crytocorynes and anacharis started melting. I didnt change anything other than a few new plants. can you help me

ANSWER: Hi Sam,

Melting can be caused by several different contributing factors.

Plants need light.  The most likely candidate for a plant issue is an aquarium light.  Insufficient lighting causes the plant's leaves to lost strength, and they deteriorate and with time, the plant perishes.

Use of specific medications for fish can cause plants to die also.

Ammonia and high chemicals in the tank can kill plants.

Insufficient nutrients in the substrate and water can cause them to die.

I would troubleshoot these areas first.  

Without first knowing your specifications of the aquarium, lighting, water, and what animals are being kept in the planted tank, it's very hard to diagnose specifically where the issue comes from, however, the most common 2 factors are poor lighting and improper plant feeding.

Lighting needs to be a light spectrum specific to plant growth.

Feeding the plants a plant food will enhance growth, but no plant survives without ample light.

I truly hope this helps you out.  If you want to add more information and write back, perhaps I can add some information to this response.

I want to give you the best answer possible.

Some things you might consider sending me in a response would be:
1. Size of aquarium.
2. Type of filtration and size of filter and make/model #.
3. Water changing habits.
4. What lives in the aquarium with the plants?
5. Temperatures plants are kept at.
6. Do you run CO2?
7. Light specifications, make and model #.
8. Do you use plant food?  If so, what dose do you use and what brand do you use?
9. What are the tank's ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, Ph, and other readings?

I am an avid plant-keeper as well, and it just breaks my heart to see them die.  You can purchase nice looking fake plants, but they just don't have the pure beauty of a real plant in the aquarium. I feel for you.

Last, but not least, you can send me your followups, adding information to the questions asked or for more answers.

I truly hope my expertise helped you out.  

Sincerely,
Renee

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok so its a 55 gallon aquarium
with an aquaclear 50 filter (I know its probably not the best an I already had it and i didnt want to go buy another one)
20% water changes every week
various types of tetras, corydoras catfish, angelfish, guppies, and a gourami
78-80 degrees F
I use this lamp designed to mimic the sun its not actually meant for aquariums but it emits 150 watts
no i dont run co2
no plant food yet (this could be it) the woman at the fish store said i would be ok for a while because it is a new tank
ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10

Answer
Hi again Sam,

I'd like to modify my answer just a bit, because of the new information.

Aquaclear 50 filter, rated for a 50 gallon aquarium is really sufficient enough for a 30 when there are more thana couple fish.

Tetra require 72 degrees.  All species.

You should consider lowering the temperature to around 76 because plants will do better in lower temps.  The only fish in your system requiring 78 is the angelfish.

You need another filter.  Ammonia is 0?  Whatever test you are using is incorrect.  There is no way with 10 nitrates, that the ammonia can be 0.  If it is, it's because the plants are utilizing the ammonia.  (Something plants do for us, and it's a good thing, but it can cause readings not to show the problems at hand entirely).  Nitrates of 10 with plants in the tank show that they are actually much, much higher.  Plants living on waste, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and the bad things in water.  This is possibly why there are issues.  

Your plants are being poisoned slowly because they cannot filter out all the waste in the water.  This is a filtration issue.

Another point to remember is that there is allowable only 1 inch of fish per gallon.  If you have 2 inch fish, they are allowed 2 gallons.  Goldfish five gallons each.  Plecostamous are five gallons each as well.  Angelfish are five gallons each, as well.  

So, using the above calculation, make certain your fish are only as many as allowed in the tank.  Especially with low filtration, you must be concerned with water quality.

Plant food is easy.  But, you don't need any for now.  Not with that many fish and the nitrates at 10 with plants present. They are getting plenty of fish emulsion. :)

One more thing- the 150w light- it's not meant for an aquarium or aquarium plants.  Its bulb has to be replaced with a plant growth bulb in order to properly support the plants in the tank.  The spectrum is wrong, if not designed for plants.

So, here is a brief recap:

1. Lower temps to 76.
2. Get a new filter and add it aside the one you have.
3. Get a new bulb for your lamp.  One in the proper spectrum for plant-keeping in the aquarium.
4. Do more water changes if you can.  Nitrates at 10 ppm, with plants present in the aquarium mean they are more like 40ppm, and the plants are cleaning the waste somewhat.  This is too much for the fish to survive in properly.  Also, this means the plants have to filter the ammonia it produces and that is why they are dissolving.  Yes, for now they are doing their job filtering, however as they dissolve, your ammonia levels will increase.  Please consider adding zeolyte crystals to a net and putting them in the filter.  I swear by them.  They are cheap, and filter out all trace levels of ammonia. :)

Well, I certainly hope that this is a help.  I suspect it will be a big help for you and your plants will love you for it.

If you need anything else, please feel free to follow up.

Happy fish-keeping!

Renee