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I am failing with a low tech

Looking much better. What did you dose?

TNC Complete

Rootfeeders is a misleading term. They can feed from the column more easy

If that is so, then surely with my dosing, my swords should grow and not be stunted? Dosing is helping a lot with my floaters though! I am pretty convinced right now that some form of soil is necessary, ADA Aquasoil, garden soil or something.

Syphon out all the mulm, around the plant bases and remove any damaged leaves.

I deliberately do not siphon out mulm because I read that mulm is nutrients for the plants?
 
I changed things around a week ago and have a spare tank half full of plants. There now all growing quickly in a low tech tank.

My advice would be to fill the tank up with lots of plants, the faster-growing plants will help win the algae battle.

Your welcome to them free of charge.

If in a few months you decide you want something else I won't get upset if you throw them away.

There all pretty bomb proof.
 
Hi
The floating plants seem a bit battered by the flow of your filter (hense the browning) Try to section them off with some fishing line and suction cups sothey out of the area where the filter outlet is.Will fo more strong and healthy that way.
Regards Konsa
 
I hear that mulm replenishes the soil in a heavily planted aquarium, so maybe it is better to leave the mulm in

Hmm not really, its just waste organic matter the same that collects in the filter. Far better out than in so syphoning off is the best bet. Certain substrates which have high cec values have the ability to absorb and store nutrients from the water column but this is a different matter. Inorganic nitrogen from fert salts is a good thing decomposing organic matter isn't.
 
Here is an update for you all

First of all, thank you @Barbara Turner for the plants, they arrived well packaged

After some reading into Diana Walsted's book, and reading some advice from people in this thread, I have decided to go for a soiled tank. Literal garden soil.

I have also moved the spray bar low so it does not kill the floating plants.

I decided to put the fish back into tank immediately because Diana's book said it will be ok if the tank is planted.

Before:

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After:

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LlI0R4W.jpg
 
The plants look a bit bedraggled from being posted. I'm sure in a week or so they will settle down and hopefully start growing like crazy.
Once everything settles down you might find you want to swap some of them for something that grows a little slower and requires less trimming.

Personally I follow Tom Barr method on estimative index.. I'm not completely convinced by Diana method. Never understood how the results she got were as good as they were.
Very different to the EI method I would guess most people on here follow. There is more info here if your interested.
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.../what-you-need-to-know-about-ei-plant-feeding

After changing everything arround Watch out for an ammonium and nitrite spike that might give the fish a hard time. Hopefully the bacteria in the filter will stabilise your ammonia.

There is a good guide here.
https://tropica.com/en/guide/get-the-right-start/tropica-90-days-app/
 
Here is an update after 2 weeks

I will give the Diana Walsted method a good try and we will see the results. Estimative Index from what I have read is that its primarily for CO2 high tech tanks. This is a non-CO2 one. So EI-ing would be overkill for this tank IMO

No fish deaths yet. Probably because I am re-using the old filter, old gravel and old water!

Seems like after the die out of the plants, they appear to be re-growing. I added some Elodea densa to the tank too

Photos:

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CNkitct.jpg
 
Estimative Index from what I have read is that its primarily for CO2 high tech tanks
True but don't forget to feed the plants anyway. It can be low dose, just don't skip entirely. ( Darrel's "duckweed index" can help in which he uses floaters to see wether he needs to feed)
 
You were dosing tnc complete before the rescape. I'd keep dosing that, at least once a week. The tank has newly been set up, the root systems will be developing. So dosing the water column seems sensible. Plus your floating plants will appreciate it. If the floating plant growth becomes stunted then dose more frequently.

If memory serves then three times a week of TNC complete is equivalent to EI dosing.
 
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