martinmin Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 This tank was made about 3 months ago. Now it's very clear, almost algae free. But as you can see, the red plants look not healthy. It's almost dark red, but light red. Looks dry. It has Co2 injection. It's Alternanthera reineckii. It also has three times a week fertilizer dosing. What may be the issue causing this? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 I have tried to grow this plant probably a dozen times and absolutely failed with it every single time. The longest I've gotten it to function is about 10 days. Step 1 I would recommend is to verify your GH and KH with liquid test kits. Second to that I will point you to this specific care guide. https://www.flowgrow.de/db/aquaticplants/alternanthera-reineckii-rosaefolia @Seattle_Aquarist @Mmiller2001 @gjcarew Do any of you have advice for this specific plant in question? I think it is one that is the most commonly "failed" stem plants, just speaking from my own experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 It looks like it needs more light. AR is probavly the plant most responsible for me improving my plant keeping skills, and also the plant I have struggled with the most. I have had times with robust, compact, algae free,vibrant red growth suddenly become algae infested and lose 3/4 of ots leaves… It is the plant I love to hate and hate to love… I have learned to not give it an overnight seltzer soak as it, along with hornwort tends not to like that treatment. It tends to be an algae magnet, which is problematic as it tends to like really strong light too… The best way of dealing with algae with it that I have found is removing infested leaves as they do not tend to recover… https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/freshwater-aquarium-plants-guide/how-to-grow-ar this care guide is one of the best I have come across… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Can you give more information about water parameters? Also, AR is a great indicator plant for Micros being too high, but I’ll need more information to say for sure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 On 6/1/2024 at 11:57 PM, martinmin said: This tank was made about 3 months ago. Now it's very clear, almost algae free. But as you can see, the red plants look not healthy. It's almost dark red, but light red. Looks dry. It has Co2 injection. It's Alternanthera reineckii. It also has three times a week fertilizer dosing. What may be the issue causing this? Hi @martinmin, The problem you see could be caused by a number of different issues. More information would be needed to narrow it down to the most likely ones. Otherwise it is like going into the doctor, telling him you stomach hurts, and asking him why? Please provide as much of the following information as possible: pH: dKH: dGH: Nitrates (NO3 ppm): Substrate: Also the size of the tank (dimensions), brand and model of light, and how long per day you run the light. Lastly, what fertilizers are you using, how much, how often? Otherwise we are like the doctor with no information other than you stomach hurts. -Roy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 When I was growing AR it did best closest to where the light source was. For me that was a few inches from the back of the tank, directly under the light strip. You can find your sweet spot/no go zone by planting it in a few different spots and observing. If it were me thats where I would start, find better placement and observe how they react. Also starting with already converted AR was a huge step towards success. Im not sure if this was an issue in your case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmin Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Hi, thanks for all the reply. As for the water parameters, please see this test strip below. By looking at this, I can't exactly tell what value for each parameter. Usually, how do you determine values for such a test? According to this care guide, it seems it lacks calcium? https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/freshwater-aquarium-plants-guide/how-to-grow-ar If your plants are healthy (both new and old leaves) but the leaves are curled more than usual, try increasing calcium levels in the tank. Here are some related articles for further reading. But also, it does look like it needs stronger light? It's a 20 gallons tank and the light is Fluval Plant 3.0 LED Planted Aquarium Lighting, 22 Watts, 15-24 Inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmin Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) For the Aqua coop lights, are they strong enough to grow very lighting demanding colorful plants? Such as AR? Also, all the lights are only 5700K. Doesn't any of them have 6500K spectrum? A range of 6500K to 7500K is generally considered ideal for planted tanks. Edited June 3 by martinmin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 If you have the 3.0 on a 20 gallon its absolutely strong enough to grow AR. I have it on a 36g gallon and only use it on 40% for a few hours, the rest of my day cycle is ramping up or down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 On 6/2/2024 at 10:36 PM, martinmin said: Hi, thanks for all the reply. As for the water parameters, please see this test strip below. By looking at this, I can't exactly tell what value for each parameter. Usually, how do you determine values for such a test? According to this care guide, it seems it lacks calcium? https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/freshwater-aquarium-plants-guide/how-to-grow-ar If your plants are healthy (both new and old leaves) but the leaves are curled more than usual, try increasing calcium levels in the tank. Here are some related articles for further reading. But also, it does look like it needs stronger light? It's a 20 gallons tank and the light is Fluval Plant 3.0 LED Planted Aquarium Lighting, 22 Watts, 15-24 Inches. I have no idea what this translates to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 On 6/2/2024 at 9:36 PM, martinmin said: Hi, thanks for all the reply. As for the water parameters, please see this test strip below. By looking at this, I can't exactly tell what value for each parameter. Usually, how do you determine values for such a test? According to this care guide, it seems it lacks calcium? https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/freshwater-aquarium-plants-guide/how-to-grow-ar If your plants are healthy (both new and old leaves) but the leaves are curled more than usual, try increasing calcium levels in the tank. Here are some related articles for further reading. But also, it does look like it needs stronger light? It's a 20 gallons tank and the light is Fluval Plant 3.0 LED Planted Aquarium Lighting, 22 Watts, 15-24 Inches. Hi @martinmin, The test strip means nothing to me, I need the values that those colors represent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 (edited) If they are coop test strips (which arent the most accurate) It shows No3 0~5 No2 0 Gh 250~300 Kh 80 Ph 7+ Cl 0 Of course these values will be off if not read within 50s~1m from time the test was taken. Edited June 6 by JoeQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmin Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 On 6/6/2024 at 5:48 AM, JoeQ said: If they are coop test strips (which arent the most accurate) It shows No3 0~5 No2 0 Gh 250~300 Kh 80 Ph 7+ Cl 0 Of course these values will be off if not read within 50s~1m from time the test was taken. Thanks. Are these values good for the red plant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 On 6/6/2024 at 9:53 AM, martinmin said: Thanks. Are these values good for the red plant? 0 nitrAtes (no3) is not ideal for any plant. Addressing this would be a good starting point and help not only your AR but also your rotala in the background which looks spindley imo; a good indication that your plants aren't well fed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmin Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 On 6/6/2024 at 7:02 AM, JoeQ said: 0 nitrAtes (no3) is not ideal for any plant. Addressing this would be a good starting point and help not only your AR but also your rotala in the background which looks spindley imo; a good indication that your plants aren't well fed So how to increase No3? For example, COOP easy green fertilizer? By adding liquid fertilizer, I am afraid it will increase algae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 (edited) On 6/6/2024 at 9:02 PM, martinmin said: So how to increase No3? For example, COOP easy green fertilizer? By adding liquid fertilizer, I am afraid it will increase algae. Vibrantly growing healthy plants defend against algae very well. suffering struggling plants leach waste organics from leaf margins that Algae loves to feed off of. grow healthy plants…. Healthy plants need fertilizer to grow healthy. Personally I dose easy green to raise nitrates 20 ppm after a water change. 1 pump of Easy Green adds 3 ppm for every 10 gallons of water. This raises my tank nitrate level to 30 ppm… at end of the week I do a 50% water change. This lowers tank nitrate level and then dosing raises it back. Now I do have CO2 injection and high lighting in my tank and the plants are growing well and are fairly free of any visible algae. In my non CO2 injected fish bowl I dose to 15 ppm nitrate and have much lower lighting level and the plants grow much much slower but are still healthy. Edited June 7 by Pepere 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 ☝️ What he said, ill only clarify that the purpose of the water change isnt necessarily to lower nitrate levels. Its more to rebalance the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 On 6/7/2024 at 6:59 AM, JoeQ said: What he said, ill only clarify that the purpose of the water change isnt necessarily to lower nitrate levels. Its more to rebalance the system Yes. I didnt mean to imply that I was doing a water change to lower nitrate levels, though it is important to keep in mind that it is lowering them but not eliminating. I keep it in mind when determining how much fertilizer to front load after the water change. my purpose for water changes is to flush out and dilute metabolic wastes from the plants, and to flush out algae fragments after scrubbing tank walls, decor, and trimming off any leaves or roots that might be growing algae…. The more algae you remove from the tank, the less there is to grow more…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmin Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 So weekly water change of 50% and also weekly dosing easy green? I will try that. I didn't do water change weekly and didn't use fertilizer much. Also where did you get the round fish ball? I like the shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 (edited) I bought it through Amazon. It is the 19 inch diameter one. here is a link. https://www.amazon.com/Diameter-Multiple-Choices-Terrarium-VBW1916/dp/B00O7GOJ8M/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.3e23f907-b859-4094-8b45-cf96f8c9286b%3Aamzn1.sym.3e23f907-b859-4094-8b45-cf96f8c9286b&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Uax6ZD-kUIaPCGL5LJ7AlB-TAoVpD3ruIRYDSRpeiVkD9Pkw7fJKJoDRJSe-qr3cydSsRY3DAxkLHMZM6dYPghZGUYupRktuYkJ06gaBNucOXjjgJtK3AH0rLy4K4WVnpLTDJZS44L6BylpLcWubzY4YEAV00ytMNUej97-lyWet4CidBK2Nc71aa60Mzy1Us8AdubKYvN6OVF7a19Xvhx-tYv8gxPguNV-tTusy81AYCyTZx-BqgE0vep6GfxpKgYnSTE-ZrAAAmoIwqAt4zMvpyD9LCRo9s3R7ubFb7bU.c4-TwQ5Yi67VcMWdFlOb4s67raQ6mZQRrTkYWv5IXL0&dib_tag=se&keywords=giant%2Bfish%2Bbowl&pd_rd_r=926e6532-289f-4af5-b78f-d5ef53613b34&pd_rd_w=DjUDL&pd_rd_wg=LHGSq&pf_rd_p=3e23f907-b859-4094-8b45-cf96f8c9286b&pf_rd_r=SR7KQQ1P55JWPN9NJH5R&qid=1717763463&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1 Round fish bowls are great for keeping Nano fish in. The water in the sphere magnify the fish making them look much bigger. Edited June 7 by Pepere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmin Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 Is this glass or plastic material? I prefer glass. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 It is glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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