Is my water too hard for plants to grow?

[Aquarius Aquatics]

On 9/2/2021 at 10:27 PM, Ken said:

I forgot to mention that I do supplement with Seachem Pottasium. The leaves green up better and no more holes. I put in too much of it also. You'll have to figure out what works in your tank. It takes forever, a low tech aquarium plant's reaction time is measured in weeks.

Thanks guys I will look for seachem potassium. Healthy plants here we come!! I'll update a few weeks after I start dosing.

[anewbie]

On 8/30/2021 at 10:23 PM, Aquarius Aquatics said:

I've had a handful of different plants and most have died. My Swords and Anubias survive but don't grow very much even though I've had them for a couple years now. The only plant I've ever gotten to grow is a Madagascar lace of all things. 

Well it isn't of all things; madagascar lace likes harder water than some plants. There are a lot of crypts that also prefer harder water. Also quite frankly your water isn't that hard; it just isn't super soft. My kh is 3 and gh is 7 so i can't provide first hand experience in your water but crypt, anubia and various vals should do well in your water. There are many other plants but i would try some of those as well as some different aponogeton - esp crispus and  bolivianus and longiplumulosus.

[KaitieG]

I have water that's a lot harder than yours (GH over 300, KH about 200) and I've had good success with a lot of plants, but I've also had some that just won't grow.  The duds for me have been bulb plants and java fern.  I also killed java moss a few times before finding a local source.  Anubias do fine (they even blossom) though they grow very, very, (very) slowly.  Hygrophilia Augustifolia has done extremely well, along with val, red flame swords (the regular green ones survive but don't grow nearly as well/fast for me), crypts, and water lettuce.  Most other floating plants haven't done great.  Guppy grass does well.  Pogostemmon Stelatus Octopus does fine, though it's not my favorite looking plant...pretty tall and spindly, at least for me.  Hornwort is a moderate grower for me.  

I have fairly high nitrates (it's in my well water), so I don't use easy green, but I do use root tabs.  The swords get the most (3 each every month to month and a half).  One thing with the root tabs--I have had horrible luck placing them with the super long tweezers I bought to help me reach the bottom of my 95 gallon tank.  If I burry them with my fingers, they usually stay put, but I really have to dig them in.  Otherwise they pop up (even when I poke holes in them) and I get water column fertilizer instead.

[Tanked]

It might have been Irene that said the short answer is "it all depends". 

Because it is usually a combination of things, finding balance in a planted tank can be elusive. I find that the more reading I do the more confused I get. 

I have very hard water, and have killed  12 different easy plants.  My water company might say that my GH= 142, KH= 99, and PH= 9.5.  At the tap, test strips indicate GH=>300, KH= 40, and PH=6.2.  In the well lit planted tank, the anubia  are 3 yrs, old this month and are the only original plants. Among others, the Wisteria is long gone and the PSO will soon join it. 

 My project tank is lit by a discarded LED flashlight.  For now at least, the Wisteria and PSO are thriving. The both use he same water and recommended amounts of Easy Green.  I will soon move some Wisteria back to the planted tank.  If it dies, the water hardness is not the problem.

[Aquarius Aquatics]

On 9/3/2021 at 4:38 AM, anewbie said:

Well it isn't of all things; madagascar lace likes harder water than some plants. There are a lot of crypts that also prefer harder water. Also quite frankly your water isn't that hard; it just isn't super soft. My kh is 3 and gh is 7 so i can't provide first hand experience in your water but crypt, anubia and various vals should do well in your water. There are many other plants but i would try some of those as well as some different aponogeton - esp crispus and  bolivianus and longiplumulosus.

Thanks ill give them a try

[Aquarius Aquatics]

On 9/3/2021 at 8:44 AM, KaitieG said:

I have water that's a lot harder than yours (GH over 300, KH about 200) and I've had good success with a lot of plants, but I've also had some that just won't grow.  The duds for me have been bulb plants and java fern.  I also killed java moss a few times before finding a local source.  Anubias do fine (they even blossom) though they grow very, very, (very) slowly.  Hygrophilia Augustifolia has done extremely well, along with val, red flame swords (the regular green ones survive but don't grow nearly as well/fast for me), crypts, and water lettuce.  Most other floating plants haven't done great.  Guppy grass does well.  Pogostemmon Stelatus Octopus does fine, though it's not my favorite looking plant...pretty tall and spindly, at least for me.  Hornwort is a moderate grower for me.  

I have fairly high nitrates (it's in my well water), so I don't use easy green, but I do use root tabs.  The swords get the most (3 each every month to month and a half).  One thing with the root tabs--I have had horrible luck placing them with the super long tweezers I bought to help me reach the bottom of my 95 gallon tank.  If I burry them with my fingers, they usually stay put, but I really have to dig them in.  Otherwise they pop up (even when I poke holes in them) and I get water column fertilizer instead.

Ya I gave my Swords 3 root tabs last time to see if that would help but its only been a few days so ill have to wait and see if that helps the growth. I also have to use my fingers I dont know how anyone uses tongs to bury them in the substrate.