Choosing plants for a new tank

[cannon]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone can offer some assistance here.

I've recently set up a new 150L tropical tank with a layer of plant substrate - you know, the stuff that looks like small round granules - and then sand on top. I planted some twisteadsly plants about a week ago and have been adding some plant food tabs and liquid carbon over the past few days. I've also added a few tons of CO2 this week. However, the plants aren't looking too great (check out the pics). Can anyone suggest what might be going on or if there's a way to save them?

Thanks in advance for any help

[barnicle]

I'm inclined to think the liquid carbon might be the culprit. Vallisineria, in my experience, grows just fine without all the extras - fish waste is more than enough fertilizer.

[sSjey]

Vals are notorious for being finicky with liquid carbon, often resulting in them melting. It's no surprise, really - many folks steer clear of these products due to their glutaflakedehyde derivatives. If you look up glutaflakedehyde, you'll quickly see why.

[cannon]

Not good at all. I'll stop adding the liquid carbon straight away. Now I'm worried I've damaged the plants beyond repair. Is there anything I can do to rescue them or is it too late? I don't have any fish in the tank yet, so I'm not getting any natural fertilisation from them.

[sSjey]

I'm not optimistic about saving them, but it's worth a shot. If the roots haven't rotted, there's still a chance, though recovery might be a slow process.

[cannon]

Thanks for the advice. Should I just leave them be and give them time to recover or is there something I can do to help them along? Maybe cutting them back a bit would help, or is that not a good idea?

[sSjey]

Remove the worst affected leaves, but leave any that still seem to be holding on - they might just help the rest of the plant recover.