Not seeing any growth

[happyfishkeeper]

I have had my tank set up with plants for a month. I have not seen any noticeable growth with some plant drying off and floating to the top of my tank

I would add some pictures if I knew how

Thanks

[lesfromlakeshore]

Do you know what kind of plants they are ? Also what type of lighting. ? Substrate ?

The answers will help us help you .

[freshwater]

Also what fertilizers are you using?

[happyfishkeeper]

I have a mix of plants. Moneywort, is the only plant I can remember off hand. For substrate I’m using a mix of seachem (red clay) and fluval(black tiny balls). I am dosing with sea hem flourish once or twice a week as digested.

[freshwater]

I have had good luck with the sea-chem root tabs. What light and how long is it on, probably need around 10 hours of light per day. I use light timers to keep them on a regular schedule

[gabor129]

It would be very helpful if you could show us pictures of the plants.

Also what fish do you have in the tank? My angels eat moneyworth as well as Valencia. Also when they pull on the plant it uproots and floats to the surface!

With all that said the “Fluval black balls” and the “red clay” substrate are both plant substrates. If they are new, no need for root tabs, however if they are older than a year, root tabs are highly recommended.

This brings me to lighting. Too much light and you will get algae, not enough and the plants not going to grow. It is a bit of a trial and error until you dial it in. As Keith recommended 10 hours is a good start. Remember fish do not need light, it is for the plants and for your enjoyment. What I personally found is if you brake up the light cycle algae will be outcompeted by the plants. I have my lights on from 6:15 am to 10:15 am than dark until 4:00 pm, when the lights come on (and I get home from work) until 10:00 pm. I do use a bit too much light as I still get spot algae, however almost no other type shows up unless I overfeed the fish.

Hopefully you find some helpful information here. Please let us know how things work out.

[Crazygar]

Sounds like the substrate is Seachem's Flourite Red and Fluval Stratum substrate.
Which Flourish product are you dosing? Comprehensive (Macros and Micros) or Excel (Organic Co2 and a great algaecide)?

As Gabe and Freshwater have stated, watch how long your lights are on (Photoperiod). Some plants can thrive under lower/medium light conditions while others require higher lighting and requirements.

Best start if you could ID the plants for us. We are having a meeting on Sunday, 10am at Cramdon's on Dougall. You are welcome to come down (bring pictures on your phone) so we can help at least ID the plants.

If I can see what the plants are, I can at least figure out what they need.

Gary