# Plants not doing so well, need help!!



## Madmaniakid (Apr 24, 2015)

Hello all

I need some help, I've not long started keeping live plants in my aqaurium and some are not doing soo well, the leaves are going yellow then going clear and falling off.

I have a 90L (23 us gallon) tank that has pressurised injected co2 at 2 bubbles a second.
I have a drop checker at the other end of the tank that has not really gone green stuck somewhere between green, blue.
I have a rainbar on the right pushing water to the left and the flow captures the co2 bubbles and takes them around the tank.
Lighting I have 2 18" 15w Life-Glo bulbs that are on 6 1/2 hrs a day.
The co2 turns on and goes off with the lights.
Water paramaters are 6d kH 7.0 PH which puts me at about 20ppm co2.

I've added a few pictures, what looks brown on the leaves in the photo are actually clear patches.

Can anyone help me??


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## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

There are a few things that I would do while waiting for the plants to adapt to your tank.
I would increase the photoperiod and start CO2 injection one hour before lights are turned on.
Decrease water surface agitation (submerge the spray bar) and improve CO2 diffusion method.
Unless your substrate is soil, I would use root tabs around swords. How deep is your substrate?
The driftwood will acidify the water, making CO2/pH/KH chart unreliable. The drop checker will not turn color at 20 ppm and I think you have less than that. Try measuring pH in a sample of tank water that was left for 24 hours in a cup. Any increase in pH will be due to outgassed CO2.


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## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

Are you using fertilizers? I'm no plant expert but it looks like it may be a deficiency of something. Also, what plants are in your tank?


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## Madmaniakid (Apr 24, 2015)

Thanks for your replies

@corina savin
I have moved the bar lower and increased lighting to 8hrs and set the co2 to start earlier.
The substrate is 2" deep and I have tabs near most of the roots.
I use a ceramic diffuser I brought an atomiser maybe I'll use that instead?

@jeaniel
I use ferropol liquid fertiliser as well as root tabs.
I can't remember the name of all of them but I know I do have a bacopa, a echinodourus harbii rose, a anubias 'ducky', Echindorus bleherii and some mosses. 
All are rating easy (beginner).


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## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

I see Java Fern in the middle and Vallisneria in the background. All are easy.
As long as you see some growth, even if old leaves are dieing, you are fine.
I have atomizer diffuser and I don't like it. It needs over 30 psi working pressure and it produces a fine mist that is clouding the water. I am now looking for a reactor.


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## kedi (Dec 24, 2015)

Just a newbie, but I have read that too fine a substrate can trap bad stuff, and not allow good circulation to remove the bad and provide the good, to the root systems.


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