Cannot get plants to grow ...

[Aaron]

Hey everyone, I have set-up a small (somewhere between 10 - 20 gallons, not quite sure) tank, specifically to grow plants in. The substrate is plain, washed play-sand. I used this in a pond in the summer, and it worked great for growing plants. It is about 1.5 inches of sand. The tank is using a small filter that I had laying around, mainly just to move the water around a bit. It has MORE than enough light, a total of 4 bulbs on the tank, which is for sure at least 4 - 5 watts per gallon on such a small tank.

The problem is, the plants will NOT grow. They have been in there for a week and a half, with NO visible growth at all. The lights are on a 12 hour timer, the water was taken from a different tank (which has plants growing successfully),

What could be the problem? The plants are all covered in bubbles, looking like they are going through photosynthesis, but no growth at all, not a single bit.

Help!

[little sea]

What kind of plants? Whats the pH? Is there any filtration/ water movement?

[Aaron]

There is some filtration, with a small filter, and the ph is at 7.

[little sea]

There is some filtration, with a small filter, and the ph is at 7.

What kind of plants are they? What's the temp?

[Willfishguy]

I think Colby is on the right track here by asking what type of plants you have, as many species are naturally slow growing. Another thing that it could be is that many plants need time to adjust to the new environment, especially if they were propagated in a very chemically different type of environment then what they are in now.

What is it you are doing to get the waters pH to 7 and then maintaining it there?

[FishEdGirl]

It has MORE than enough light, a total of 4 bulbs on the tank, which is for sure at least 4 - 5 watts per gallon on such a small tank.

I'm no expert (far from it)...but don't you need CO2 at that wattage?

[Willfishguy]

It has MORE than enough light, a total of 4 bulbs on the tank, which is for sure at least 4 - 5 watts per gallon on such a small tank.

I'm no expert (far from it)...but don't you need CO2 at that wattage?

Not necessarily, but yes and this also explains why the pH is where it is!

Good eye FishEdGirl.

[werner]

Light is important, but plants need a source of carbon to grow. You could try one of those Hagen CO2 systems, or DIY CO2: http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

Also necessary are macronutrients (NPK), micronutrients (eg. boron, zinc, etc.), and iron.

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/bas...s/01_intro.html

Edited November 4, 2006 by werner

[Shai]

If you want to find out for sure how much water your tank holds, you can use this calculator:

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/information/calculate.htm

[jvision]

Also, new plants will go through a lag period. I had plants growing in other tanks, but when I moved them into a new 90 gal setup, they stopped growing for a couple weeks. But, on the 3rd week, they all (fast-growing, slow growing, etc.) started to grow well.

And, yes... you will need some form of Carbon for your tank, as well as nutrients. for a small tank like yours, I'd recommend DIY CO2 (perhaps supplimented w. Seachem Excel) and small addition of dry ferts.