Hi
I have a relativly new (2months) tropical tank, i have some fish (1 catfish, 2 tetras and 1 minow) in it and 3 plants. However my plants are just disintergrating and i dont know why. basically the leaves look water stained then just disintergrate really quickly - go white and just turn like bits of thread.
The levels in the water (nitrate etc) are all good (not that i know if this will affect the plants) and i have plant food that i put in every so often (prob once every 2 weeks), I have an LED light set up that gives 14hours light before switching to night mode (blue LEDs). i dont have my tank near a window as i dont want to cook my fish.

Is there anything i can do to make sure my plants stay alive?

Thanks

Need more info to give proper suggestions. Tank size? Filter type&size? Light wattage?

For plants to thrive, require:
1) Light. Ur LED lighting may not be bright/powerful enough.
2) CO2. Do u hv tis?
3) Fertilizer. Since u hv some fish, their poo acts as fert.
Most important is items 1 n 2 for plants to survive as a starting point.

Interested w ur LED setup. Relatively new tech. Low power usage. Cool running. But not sure if its bright enough. Either need many-many LEDs, or some really powerful ones.

Another thing is water hardness level. Do u buffer ur water? plants need certain KH level to survive.

Example my setup. 6'x2'x2' tank. Discus, tetras, corys. Under tank plant filter (reverse lighting). 11x 40W PC lights on12hr. CO2 1bub/sec. Liquid fert 20ml 2x/week. Water hardness 3-4KH. Change water 50% weekly.

Happy gardening

I have a 60L BiOrb with LED inteligent light:
Specifications:
- 12V AC Power 50/60 Hz
- 3x Daylight Power LED's
- 1x Moonlight LED
- Built-in Electronic Timer
- Optional Modes
- Low Power Consumption

CO2 i dont know how to test for, i have an airstone with central tube that pumps air into the tank.

Filter is BiOrb specific with carbon and sponge

Standard BiOrb heater

I've only had fish in my tank for about 2weeks - long cyle to make sure as its my first tropical. I got 3 small fish (about a week after my plants) that i rescued from the local pub where they were being neglected and i have 2 small bristlenose catfish which i got Friday just gone. all are doing well apart from my plants.

My PH, nitrate etc levels are all good

no point testing CO2 now as it will be very low. You got to induce CO2 into the tank. Either you do a DIY or buy a CO2 tank. Just search around the forum for DIY CO2 thread.

Ya, I agree. Lack of CO2 is the most likely culprit. Normal air just pumped into the aquarium does not have enough CO2 in it.

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