# 50 Gal Planted Tank Revival



## edman2012 (Mar 26, 2013)

This is my 50 gallon aquarium with info on the setup: 50 Gal Tank - 50 gallon Freshwater fish tank
The pictures are slightly dated but I will take new ones later today for 'before' pictures. I've had the tank for almost a year now and I'm hoping to bring more life into the plants. I will document what I do here and will hopefully see progress. Any feedback will be appreciated.
For me plant growth has always been an issue with this setup. I'm going to manage nutrient levels more closely and I think I should get results. I live in Chicago and based on the city’s data and my own basic api water tests, here's what I got(without fertilizer addition):
pH 7.8
Nitrate 20ppm
Potassium 1ppm
Phosphorus 1ppm
Calcium 40ppm
Magnesium 13ppm
Right now, after weekly water changes I dose a capful of flourish for micros, and 15-20 mL of leaf zone for potassium. Growth has been unsatisfactory and I will set my target concentrations instead of following recommendations on the bottles. The only parameters I need to manage regularly are potassium and phosphorus since all others have been stable. My targets for those will be 10ppm and 1.5ppm, respectively. Phosphorus is the only parameter I have not dosed or tested for myself directly and I have a feeling it's been a limiting factor. I'm getting a test kit today and will start regulating it.
Please give me any recommendations and any feedback! I will take any advise into account, thank you!


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## beaslbob (Oct 17, 2012)

Tank looks pretty good to me anyway. I think you may have slower growing plants but what you do have sure looks healthy.

my .02


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## edman2012 (Mar 26, 2013)

Thank you beaslbob, although the picture doesn't show enough detail to show the defects that bother me, especially on the stem plants. The lower leaves consistently die off while showing signs of nutrient deficiency.


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## edman2012 (Mar 26, 2013)

I did a 50% water change last night and fertilized accordingly. Hopefully it will be successful. Here's what will be the 'before' picture.



Next I have attached closer pictures. On the anubias you can see green spot algae, which is generally an indicator of green spot algae. Before cleaning the tank there was a fair amount on the glass as well.






Above you can see the poor growth on the hygrophila. On previous setups the leaves would stay from the bottom of the plant all the way to the top.


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## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

You are growing "root feeding" plants in gravel. Gravel has no nutrents, and the ferts your adding don't help root growth. So that leads me to two ideas

First is the easiest option: root tabs, add them a few inches from the base of the plant trying to avoid direct contact. You want the plants to grow roots to get to the "food", it sets you up for better looking plants in the future.

Second option: plants love dirt: take it down, add an inch of dirt, cover with the gravel, replant.... Month or two of heavy WC. Then you will wonder why you didn't go with dirt before... I have noticed that dirt tanks grow better and require less time and money in the long run. After doing a few planted tanks I would only do this method


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## edman2012 (Mar 26, 2013)

You bring up a great point. I have tried root tabs but I have not had success.I previously used api's. Maybe I should try seachem's. Using dirt is a great idea but didn't use it from the start since I had successfully grown the same plants in a similar setup. A months ago I mixed in ecocomplete so I can increase the substrates cec, but clearly wasn't enough. In the near future I won't add dirt since it's a lot of work and I don't have time with college. Thanks for the excellent suggestions though.


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## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

Ya just make sure to place the tabs properly. Might try adding some clay to your mix, its less work and I have been told it helps hold nutrients. So I would dig a hole and do a clay layer, Root tab, another small clay layer, cover back up. 
So seachem tabs and the clay layering, making sure to place a few inches out. You dont want to take out too many roots. This is simmilar to using spikes in the garden or in potted plants.


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