Planted tank not winning

Hi Guys,

I'm having issues with my planted tank and have literally tried a few solutions that have not given me much success.
I have a 4ft planted tank, 2 x15W aquaglow lights on 10Hr burn, 10L sump, no airation (bubbles), use seachem liquid ferts
NPK pack + comprehensive and excel, do water changes weekly with prime. Have 15cm silica and a mix of good substrates, cant remember the name but it was costly.

I have a community stocked tank with 7 big tiger barbs, 1 angel, 2 chinese suckers, 6platties, 2 swords, +-13 various tetra's and 1 red tail shark.
I got rid of my large pleco as he was breaking the plant stems.

Okay so the issue is, the plants keep uprooting. Daily i find plants floating and most have brown / rotten roots or lower stems.
I have planted them 15+cm down and then a few days later they basically dying or floating.

No idea on what to do? i was thinking i should lay aluminium mesh at the bottom of the tank so plants can root onto it but aluminium might cause toxins at lower ph.
Plants overall look okay, so look very thin and others seem droopy.

I follow the liquid fert guides to the tee and remove any plant matter/ dead fish asap as to avoid toxins.


Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

ps, the fish are healthy and have no signs of stress or disease.

 

Hi 2x 15 w globes are not good enough for a four foot tank. It is important for us to know what substrate you are using. I know you said it's a mix can you send us a picture? Also, what plants ate giving you a problem. Are they true aquatics?

 

hey yeah you dont have enough light at all

 

+1

 

Ah okay i had a feeling about this after looking at a few aquascapes and seeing how lid they are. my tank isn't dim but not that super bight sunlight effect.
The substrate is Seachem Flourite Dark which is about 2cm thick in the 4ft.

 

Thanks for the feedback, where could i get stronger lights, what would you recommend?
Keep in mind that i do this as a hobby and don't intend on breaking my wallet to get stuff - just putting it out there.

So anyone have some good options, DIY fitting ideas and a good place to get a product that will be sufficient.
Appreciate any good help! :wink:

 

Yes they are true aquatics, i had my share of pond plants and what not and they just don't work.
The majority of the plants are from the lps - i generally buy from Interpets (think that's the name) in Clearwater Mal.

 

well builders warehouse has opple (something like that) t5 lights you can use that

 

Thanks, Price? and are they suitable for plant growth.

 

yeah you get them in 6500k think its something like R200

 

If its low tech then maybe get, as was mentioned, 2x 39 watt T5's or something like that.

 

thanks.
So what makes Aquaglow and plant specific lights differ from the Builders Opple T5's?

I think i will give those a try as they are really reasonable and if they work well then it's a bargain
@Ryno does a higher "K" be better in this case?

T5 vs T8?

Who has or is using these OppleT5's and a comparison between them and other aqua lighting.

 

here is a few people using them. t5. i personally like a mix of 6500-8000k

 

Thanks for the advice. Will stop @ builders tomorrow and pick up some lightning and post progress updates.

 

i use the opple lights in my 3ft low tech. i don't use any ferts just diy co2. here is a pic of my tamk. excuse the overgrowth. i need to trim my plants

 

Hi

You should also look into a new ballast for higher watt tubes if yours is only rated for 2 15watt tubes. Builders also stock these so you can havd a look if needed, then you can get some waterproof endcaps at a lfs for your tubes.

 

So i had a look again and my light is a 30w and another 15w, either way i went to builders and bought 3 4ft T8 day lights (28w 6500K) which i will be running together. so 84w should be good enough
The tubes will be spread above the tank about 20/25cm. Will let you know how it goes.

Ps for anyone looking Builders Warehouse in Clearwater has plenty, dont ask them as the say they have none but i looked in another isle and there were loads of all sizes. (Opple brand)
4Ft T8 28w tubes R17 or the slim fitting with reflector & tube R99

 

Hi how I understand it you need about 2w for every 4l of water in the tank. You will need c02 if you go any higher. I would have rather used t5 tubes but the t8 should be fine. You could also get reflectors on your lights it will help.

 

your substrate is way too thin . it should be at least 4-6cm deep for plants , thats why they are not able to root properly