Floating plants not growing.

[Danlyall1986]

Hello. I've had a low tech planted tank set up for around 3 weeks my tanks an ea freshwater 250 liters, i have 2 twinstar 900s lights set to 30% each (got two because i wanted a more even spread of light and the tanks quite wide) substrate is tropica soil and I'm feeding with tnc complete (dosing as instucted on bottle even tried dosing 2x) I'm also dosing chempak sequestered iron. Lighting is on for 7 hours. I can't seem to get any of my floating plants to grow and eventually they're turning brown and dying. Ive tried frog bit, currently trying salvinia aruticulata I've ive cut the surface agitation right down as they were being blown about, also now using the fishing line trick to pin them over 1 side of the tank but still no growth. All my plants otherwise are doing fairly well my anubias does have twisted new growth though so im wondering if my soils doing the job for my plants that are in it but anythingg relying on the water column ferts is struggling💁‍♂️ wondering if theres an issue with my water, would love someone to give me some feedback on my water report if poss as i cant really make sense of it (postcode is sk101dd water company is united utilities) any help would be much appreciated 🙏

 

[whiskyfish]

Thats frustrating.

I will say that my waterspangles need absolutely flat calm water to grow. Even the tiny ripple of an airpump has stopped their growth in my betta tank, whereas my other tanks are covered.

The leaf of the java fern in the top right of the second photo is directly over the airpump and absorbs the force of the bubbles so there's no ripple at all.

You could try making them a little floating barrier or something.

 

[hypnogogia]

Definitely looks like nutrient deficiency to me. As they’re floating they‘re not CO2 limited so should grow well,if the have sufficient nutrients. I used to add TNC complete at the recommended dose 3 X per week, i.e Tripple dose in one week.

 

[Danlyall1986]

Definitely looks like nutrient deficiency to me. As they’re floating they‘re not CO2 limited so should grow well,if the have sufficient nutrients. I used to add TNC complete at the recommended dose 3 X per week, i.e Tripple dose in one week.

I agree, but i have added double so far and no improvement, ill tripple it and see how that goes, i have used the method of daily water changes 1st week, every other day second week and every 3 currently, could the amount of changes be disrupting them too much?

 

[PARAGUAY]

You have very good water for aquatic plants, it's soft coming from upland resorvoirs ,it needs remineralising, you could add some Epsom salts at each water change, just remove any dead floaters ,they should recover as quite a few look healthy

 

[Danlyall1986]

You have very good water for aquatic plants, it's soft coming from upland resorvoirs ,it needs remineralising, you could add some Epsom salts at each water change, just remove any dead floaters ,they should recover as quite a few look healthy

Thankyou would you add calcium too? I do have a remineraliser aqudur i think it is. Forgot to mention my kh was 1 (if the test accurate) gh 4.

Thanks

 

[John q]

Thankyou would you add calcium too?

No. On average you have 25mg/l Calcium coming from the tap, that's more than enough.

 

[Danlyall1986]

No. On average you have 25mg/l Calcium coming from the tap, that's more than enough.

Thqaanks john. I have been adding magnesium (10ppm) for the last week and a half as I'd read a good few posts with this advice but no improvement, would you add more john?

 

[John q]

Thqaanks john. I have been adding magnesium (10ppm) for the last week and a half as I'd read a good few posts with this advice but no improvement, would you add more john?

Well you have around 5ppm (average) Magnesium in the tap water, plus the additional 10ppm you've been adding suggests to me Magnesium deficiency isn't the answer to this puzzle, so no, you definitely don't need to add any more.

 

[PARAGUAY]

The remineralisers are expensive eg Equilibrium, l did you use TNC GH Booster at one time, very helpful company and helped to work out what to add, but l believe it's unavailable now. If you think your floaters are really poor ,try a Tropica tissue culture pot Salvinia . I add 25ml TNC at weekly W/C and mid week two teaspoons(l believe its about right for my 200litre

 

[PARAGUAY]

Of Epsom Salts

 

[Danlyall1986]

The remineralisers are expensive eg Equilibrium, l did you use TNC GH Booster at one time, very helpful company and helped to work out what to add, but l believe it's unavailable now. If you think your floaters are really poor ,try a Tropica tissue culture pot Salvinia . I add 25ml TNC at weekly W/C and mid week two teaspoons(l believe its about right for my 200litre

Thankyou. The floting plants ive used so far have both been tropica. (Mgs704 i think) will that do the same job as epsom salts? Sorry im not clued up at all 🤯

 

[Danlyall1986]

The only thing i think i may be a bit lean on is phosphate as tnc seems quite low in that? No clue what my tap has though.

Thanks

 

[John q]

No clue what my tap has though.

Somewhere between 1 to 2ppm Po4, that's the levels i tested in my tap water a few years ago and got confirmation of these numbers from United utilities.

 

[hypnogogia]

I agree, but i have added double so far and no improvement, ill tripple it and see how that goes, i have used the method of daily water changes 1st week, every other day second week and every 3 currently, could the amount of changes be disrupting them too much?

How much water have you been changing? Have you added fertiliser to your replacement water? Otherwise you’re dosing ferts and then removing them with your water change regime.

 

[Danlyall1986]

How much water have you been changing? Have you added fertiliser to your replacement water? Otherwise you’re dosing ferts and then removing them with your water change regime.

I've been doing changes every 3 days but ive been dosing the water ive been adding back into the tank 👍

 

[LFNfan]

Fellow SK postcoder here (well, used to be).

I like your tank!

I had similar problems with floaters. Many months on I think I'm now on the right track.

Long story short I think there were two main issues: 1. insufficient ferts 2. insufficient light.

There was a third issue with my hard tap water, but that's less of an issue for yours, although I think adding epsom salts (MgSO4 7H2O - it's the same thing) is a good plan. I get mine from an SK company.

I have found that surface agitation doesnt' really bother my floaters so much.

Like you I also found that most of my totally immersed plants seemed to be growing fine, but when the floaters started to improve, the immersed plants noticeably picked up too.

 

[Danlyall1986]

Fellow SK postcoder here (well, used to be).

I like your tank!

I had similar problems with floaters. Many months on I think I'm now on the right track.

Long story short I think there were two main issues: 1. insufficient ferts 2. insufficient light.

There was a third issue with my hard tap water, but that's less of an issue for yours, although I think adding epsom salts (MgSO4 7H2O - it's the same thing) is a good plan. I get mine from an SK company.

I have found that surface agitation doesnt' really bother my floaters so much.

Like you I also found that most of my totally immersed plants seemed to be growing fine, but when the floaters started to improve, the immersed plants noticeably picked up too.

Thanks fellow sk'er! Ive trippled my ferts so ill wait and observe. My lights are twinstar 900s there 66 watt each ive got them set to 25%, was reading a few threads saying i shold aim for 0.5 watt per gallon (think im a touch over). Would you increase or just wait to see how it goes with the fert increase?

 

[LFNfan]

In my case I was 10W LED flood (so, wide-ish beam) for a 16 gal, for around 8 hrs a day. I think that's a bit over half a watt/gal. That's when I was having the floater issues.

Now I'm 40W which is 2.5w/g. For 12 hours per day. 40W does feel slightly 'turned up to 11' judging by algae and floater growth.

Personally, if I was you, I would be tempted to up the light one way or the other - that's the fuel that the plants need to use the ferts to grow. Maybe keep the intensity but increase the duration?

 

[Danlyall1986]

In my case I was 10W LED flood (so, wide-ish beam) for a 16 gal, for around 8 hrs a day. I think that's a bit over half a watt/gal. That's when I was having the floater issues.

Now I'm 40W which is 2.5w/g. For 12 hours per day. 40W does feel slightly 'turned up to 11' judging by algae and floater growth.

Personally, if I was you, I would be tempted to up the light one way or the other - that's the fuel that the plants need to use the ferts to grow. Maybe keep the intensity but increase the duration?

Ive currently got it on 7 hours maybe go with 10 hours but keep the duration?