Mmiller2001

How about doing a Barclaya longifola?

Ozelot Red?

Just use them sparingly. And truth be told, tabs are not necessary with proper water column dosing.

I would just not use the stratum or the coral. Stratum strips KH out of the water and coral adds it back. You will also raise GH by using coral.

I don't, but I tried various settings and the light was just a let down. Very over priced lights.

I would try just bumping up slowly. Shoot for only 8 hours max. Ramp up in 30 minutes and ramp down in 30 minutes. By slowly, I mean a few percent per week. You will probably have to bump up co2 as well. I could never get those Fluvals to produce what higher end lights could do. I might start with double checking co2, nutrients and water first. Make sure those are doing well first.

I just noticed your light. I had to run 2 3.0's on my 75. In the end, I bought a single better light and it's infinitely better than running 2 Fluvals. Could explain some of the stem melt on your stems.

Could be nutrients, lack of light and lack of CO2. Sometimes, temperamental plants will do that on me if something is off. Things I did that improved my tank overall. RO water 0dKH Dropping GH to 4.5 degrees Upgraded light. Front loading Macro nutrients and dosing .5pm Fe. .4ppm Fe as proxy from CSMB and .1ppm from 11% DPTA All in one fertilizers get problematic when trying to dial in specific issues. Greater than 50% water changes really improves the health of the tank. Dropping TDS also makes a big difference. This is a big problem when using tap water.

What's your substrate?

Okay, I think what you are running into are plants that just grow too fast in CO2. I'd imagine you like the grouping look but hate the constant cutting. I know I do. I've found that sticking to easy to medium difficulty plants and sticking to slow to moderate growth speed is going to make your life easier so you can enjoy the tank more. All my suggestions will be around ease and speed. Any Bacopa, but Colorata is amazing Bacopa Salzmanni Ludwigia Natans, Super Red, Ovalis. Stay away from Ludwigia Repens. Val Leopard or any val really S. Belem Myrio Green or Foxtail. Though on the faster side. Almost every Rotala, wallichi and bonsai can be tricky. Tiger Lotus, dwarf Lilly, Taiwan Lily Giant Baby tears Pogo Helferi Pogo Erectus Cryptocoryne all kinds Spatulata Creeping jenny Try to stick to individual groups vs the same plant in several places. Also mosses are nice, but need trimming more often than I like.

You do use CO2?

Yes. No problem. Leaving a few is beneficial though.

It'll come, keep an eye on it.

You are going to see several types of algae while the tank cycles. To minimize the amount, I'd drop dosing to hit 12 to 16ppm NO3 as proxy from Easy Green. I would have a consistent water change cycle to minimize ammonia. Each water change should come with a dose of EG right after. You want to minimize ammonia while still feeding Macros and Micros to your target.

I dose potassium between 15 to 30ppm. I'm currently dosing 25 to 28ppm K.

It's some type of AR and I would increase potassium dosing a bit. Make sure you have the correct chelate for your iron.

Twirl it out with a toothbrush every time you see it. Drop light intensity a bit and reduce duration to no more than 8 hours. Increase water change and lean down your dosing a bit. Stay the course.

Are those the plants in your tank? I'll admit, I've been contemplating the universe this evening 😁..so forgive me.

I'm absolutely ecstatic and thankful for everyone's vote. Thank you to all the people involved with NERM''s week events, and those who make it all happen. Seriously, thank you!

Interesting things can happen around 68 degrees. I saw a guy growing some of the most difficult plants using cooler water. Looked like a co2 tank.

Here's what too high of co2 looks like before they begin passing out. Once they pass out, there's still time to save them. https://youtu.be/lPW8_WrigH8

It can get confusing when the word Hardness is used. There's soft and hard water (GH). And then there's Karbonate Hardness (KH). KH is the buffering capacity of the tank and made up of carbonates, bicarbonates and phosphates. This can affect the alkalinity of your water. As KH rises, alkalinity shifts water more alkaline (above 7.0pH). And vise versa. GH is simply a measure of calcium and magnesium in the water. It can be one or the other or a combination of both. But GH represents true soft or hard water. At a 5.5dGH, your 100mg/L is a perfectly acceptable range for your plants and livestock. The information you really want to know, if interested, is the ratio of calcium to magnesium. This matters a lot. Ideally you want a 4:1, 3:1 or 2:1 calcium to magnesium ratio. See if that water report lists Ca and Mg.

Any time my Erectus acts funny, I know I am a bit too high on Nitrates. Mine likes between 16 and 18ppm. I think the tank is looking good and can't wait to see it really grown in.

That's O2 coming out of the damaged leaf. I would cut that leaf off so the plant doesn't waste energy on it.

Yes.