Rescaped tank, what now?

[scoobiemandan]

I have recently rescaped my Roma 240 and reused most of the plants that I already had!

I was using a plant substrate topped off with gravel but I required sand for the Cory that I have in the tank which is one of the reasons I needed to change everything. The plants that I reused had been established for quite some time and are low light level plants.

I have decided against a plant substrate this time and have a sand substrate only. I removed any dead leaves from the plants and cut down their roots and have planted straight into the sand. I carried on dosing the liquid carbon and ferts at the same levels (LC 5ml per day, TNC Complete 25ml three times a week) as I had previously been doing before the change but am thinking to myself that this probably isn't really what I should be doing. I have noticed that the plants are beginning to get brown edges and am assuming this is down to something I am doing or not doing. I still currently have the lights on for 4 hours per day also.

Could you please offer up some advice as to what I should really be doing to ensure these plants don't all die off?

 

[Martin in Holland]

Sounds like plant got a bit of a non nutrient shock which before was provided by your substrate, now with sand plants can only get nutrients through leave uptake, mostly CO2 (obviously not coming from any substrate) and KNO3, but also other. Some plants do not like liquid carbon and will start to get brown, mostly though I think it's nutrient uptake and light. Light hours have less effect than intensity, the amount of PAR can be to much for he provided carbon source available to your plants.

 

[scoobiemandan]

Thanks for your reply.

Excuse me if I'm being dumb but what is PAR?

On a side note, I accidentally sucked a plant out of the sand this morning whilst doing my regular maintenance (vacuuming) and noticed that it had already shot out two decent length roots so I assume that the plants are taking and perhaps it's a transitional period and also, like you mention, perhaps some non nutrient shock. With regards to the liquid carbon, the plants were doing fine (although I had a major stag horn algae issue) with the regime before I changed the substrate so am assuming it's not the problem here!

I've removed a few of the browning leaves also this morning hoping that all the energy the plants have can go into root and new shoot growth.

Do you have any other suggestions or just to keep an eye on things and see how they progress?

 

[Martin in Holland]

PAR stand for Photosynthetic active radiation which is your actual light intensity, Watt per liter or Gallon doesn't say anything about your light bombardment into your tank. To much light will give you algae and other problems.

 

[scoobiemandan]

Right, thanks for that!

So.......I have two T8 40w tubes (Power Glo and Aqua Glo). I would have thought the light intensity of those wouldn't be great but I'll be buggered if I can find information pertaining to them and not about to go out and find a meter to read the intensities myself!! Would you suggest to remove the carbon source gradually? If so then I'd need to reduce the ferts also wouldn't I?

 

[Martin in Holland]

This might be helpful. Best to aim for low to medium light.



I don't think you need to stop dosing carbon, just watch out with plants like mosses, they don't like it if you dose to much.
Keep doing large water changes to remove algae spores as much as possible for now, after things settle down you can go back to weekly WC of 40-50%

 

[scoobiemandan]

Appreciate the time taken to respond Martin

 

[Martin in Holland]

No biggy....that's way you become a member of a forum like this.