Help! Can't keep plants alive...

[golfstronger]

I need help! I cannot keep plants alive and thriving. I have a 45 gallon tall tank with a fluval 34" wide plant led light. Hang on back filters with co-op black mesh filter media. Used to run carbon filters but no longer... Haven't for a few months as a recommendation to help plants survive. Have purchased numerous plants over the past 8-12 months to try and create a nice planted tank and they all wilt, wither and go brown within weeks. All the big leaveas get holes too. I use root tabs and easy green fertilizer and was recommended to even dose iron. I started with fluval substrate to create a nice gravel base. I do weekly water changes (sometimes 2) at 25% and monitor water levels to stay in healthy ranges. I use prime on all water I add in water changes.  Temp is 80 and pH is always between 6.6 and 7.2. My fish, 2 plecos, 3 dwarf chain Loaches, 4 rainbow fish, 3 danios, 4 raspboras, 3 silver tip tetras, 1 petricola, 1 rainbow shark, 1 reticulated algae eater, 6 sterbai Cory and 2 Roseline sharks. 

The only plant that does remotely well is floating dwarf lettuce. I appreciate the help and feedback... I don't know what else to try. I just want to be able to grow nice healthy plants. 

[BaRanchik]

I saw on a specific YT channel that some types of plecos love destroying amazon swords, so this might be the cause for the swords having trouble. What other plants do you have that are having trouble?

[Gator]

I've had Clown plecos and Bristlenose plecos and they've never bothered any of my plants and that doesn't look as if that is the problem with your Amazon's. Try dosing with an iron supplement at each water change to see if that corrects the problem.

[Isaac M]

Hello, I am sorry to hear your plants are not doing well. There can be a few reasons why certain plants may not do well. 

What plants are currently struggling? 
How long are your lights on for every day? 
How much and how often do you fertilize? 
How often do you replace your root tabs? 
What are your water parameters? 

My initial thoughts are that if only the floating dwarf lettuce is doing well, it could be hogging all of the available nutrients. Floating plants typically hog nutrients as they are closer to the light source (and can shade aquatic plants below it) and have access to as much carbon dioxide as they would like. 

[Tanked]

Based on your photo and the floating dwarf lettuce doing "remotely well", it looks like a nutrient deficiency.  If the lettuce is off color, Yellowed?, I would think your plants are starving.  If you are doing weekly dosing, I would add an extra shot or two, midweek to see what changes.  Also, cut back on the water changes.

 

[Mmiller2001]

5 hours ago, Isaac M said:

Hello, I am sorry to hear your plants are not doing well. There can be a few reasons why certain plants may not do well. 

What plants are currently struggling? 
How long are your lights on for every day? 
How much and how often do you fertilize? 
How often do you replace your root tabs? 
What are your water parameters? 

My initial thoughts are that if only the floating dwarf lettuce is doing well, it could be hogging all of the available nutrients. Floating plants typically hog nutrients as they are closer to the light source (and can shade aquatic plants below it) and have access to as much carbon dioxide as they would like. 

If you can, in addition to the above, please include KH and GH.

[Trish]

I might be OCD with my plants but I've found if I don't remove any offending or sick leaves immediately, there seems to be a progression of others declining.  Bacteria?  New growth seems to return faster.  I've never grown swords but understand they are real fertilizer hogs... are you feeding regularly?  

[Hobbit]

37 minutes ago, Trish said:

I've found if I don't remove any offending or sick leaves immediately, there seems to be a progression of others declining.  Bacteria?  New growth seems to return faster.

In general, trimming plants (on land or in water) stimulates them to produce new growth. That’s why they tell you not to prune plants in the fall—the plant uses its stored energy for new growth and has less to help it survive the winter. Plus the new growth is fragile and often dies. Now you know!!

@golfstronger looking forward to getting more info about your tank so we can help you!

[Trish]

Hi @Hobbit...Are you applying that to plants/trees in general, I would agree.   I've never noticed new growth to be a problem in the tanks unless it's being "mowed over" by the fish!  

[Hobbit]

@Trish oh yes, that’s just for land plants 😅 Aquatic plants in temperature-controlled tanks have no seasonal limits on pruning!

[Acara Mom]

Potassium level could be low??

[Ben C.]

To add, I've noticed for my tanks the water lettuce is a total nutrient hog. Like, obscene. Never enough ferts. So if your lettuce is doing okay, it may be eating up everything before anything else can get it.

[Emil]

The stem on the hygrophila looks like it was grown emersed. It'll die back no matter what. New growth is what's important. If everything keeps dying in couple of weeks, I'd suspect light. It's either too much or too little (intensity and/or duration).