Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi, I was told that not all plants grow well in every tank. But I'd like to know how to keep this specific plant alive since I'm having trouble with it in my tank.

My tank's pH is 7, GH is around 4. It's low tech, but I occasionally add a CO2 booster. I also have fish in the tank and use liquid nutrients.

Looking at the floating plants in your tank, I think the one on the right is a Salvinia, but the dying one on the left, I'm not sure - could be water lettuce or another Salvinia.

Light and nutrients are key for plant growth. Can you tell me more about your lighting setup? And aside from the liquid carbon, are you adding any other fertilizers?

Regarding the liquid carbon (I'm guessing it's the API CO2 Booster), it's not going to help your floating plants much. Since they're at the surface, they can use atmospheric CO2, which is way easier for them to absorb. Plus, there's plenty of CO2 in the air, so they're good to go. The thing is, liquid carbon supplements can actually harm some plants, and if you overdose, it can kill everything, including your fish. These additives end up inside your fish, and we want to minimize that for their sake.

Thx for the info about the co2 booster, really appreciate it. I'm not sure if my lighting is enough for the plants, I've attached a pic below.

So I'm using 2 x T5 24W for my tank and it's 36 inches long, is this enough for my plants?

I'm going to take a guess here that fertilizers are the main issue. The lighting appears to be LED, but that's about it - I don't have any other info. You didn't mention what other fertilizers you're using, aside from the carbon supplement. I'd recommend getting a comprehensive supplement. I've had good luck with Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive - it's a complete supplement and highly concentrated, so you only need a little. Another option is Brightwell Aquatics' FlorinMulti. Both of these should provide the nutrients your plants need. Floating plants grow fast, and they can take CO2 from the air, but they still need other nutrients from the water to grow. I've seen similar problems with my own plants, and adding a fertilizer like one of these usually does the trick. The light in your photo looks like it's got a good spectrum, and there's some warmth to it, so I think that's probably okay. Try adding a fertilizer for a few weeks and see how it goes - just follow the dosing instructions on the label.

Your tank water parameters seem fine for plants, pH 7 and GH around 4 is a good starting point. I'm not a fan of CO2 boosters, in my opinion, they're more of a trend. Plants don't necessarily die from low CO2 levels, they just go dormant. In most cases, a lack of essential nutrients is the real issue. Fish food provides some mineral nutrients, but it's usually not enough. Many fertilizers on the market don't contain all the necessary nutrients plants need to thrive. I've found that Seachem's Flourish and Brightwell Aquatics' FlorinMulti are two of the best options available. When plants are deficient in these nutrients, it can cause leaf death, which might be what's happening in your tank.

I had a bottle of API CO2 Booster, used it for 5 weeks, didn't see any improvement with my plants. Then I read the ingredient list, Glutaflakedehyde is the main one, and it's not good for humans, let alone fish. Causes skin irritation, eye, nose, throat, and lung problems, headaches, drowsiness, and dizziness. I'm not using something that's not safe for me to touch or inhale around my fish.

I've had great results with my Aqua One LED Mini Touch LED 6w on my 20 gallon low tech betta sorority, it's working great for me.

Never used API, but Glut in general shouldn't be the culprit for the Salvinia's struggles - it's probably just not getting much benefit from it, given its access to atmospheric CO2. My own experience with the plant is that it thrives on macronutrients and micronutrients. Initially, growth was slow, but once established, I dose it with a generous amount of fertilizers - about 4 handfuls a week.

The lighting in your setup does seem questionable, but I've had success growing it under sunlight. One thing to consider is the water flow - make sure it's not getting too much, as this can also hinder growth.

boomer wrote: ↑Sun Apr 06, 2025 7:47 pm Looking at the floating plants in your tank, I think the one on the right is a Salvinia, but the dying one on the left, I'm not sure - could be water lettuce or another Salvinia.

Light and nutrients are key for plant growth. Can you tell me more about your lighting setup? And aside from the liquid carbon, are you adding any other fertilizers?

Regarding the liquid carbon (I'm guessing it's the API CO2 Booster), it's not going to help your floating plants much. Since they're at the surface, they can use atmospheric CO2, which is way easier for them to absorb. Plus, there's plenty of CO2 in the air, so they're good to go. The thing is, liquid carbon supplements can actually harm some plants, and if you overdose, it can kill everything, including your fish. These additives end up inside your fish, and we want to minimize that for their sake.

Thanks so much for the advice, I really appreciate it. I'll give one of those fertilizers a try and see how it goes, hopefully it'll make a difference for my plants.

shakinStevens wrote: ↑Mon Apr 07, 2025 1:27 am Your tank water parameters seem fine for plants, pH 7 and GH around 4 is a good starting point. I'm not a fan of CO2 boosters, in my opinion, they're more of a trend. Plants don't necessarily die from low CO2 levels, they just go dormant. In most cases, a lack of essential nutrients is the real issue. Fish food provides some mineral nutrients, but it's usually not enough. Many fertilizers on the market don't contain all the necessary nutrients plants need to thrive. I've found that Seachem's Flourish and Brightwell Aquatics' FlorinMulti are two of the best options available. When plants are deficient in these nutrients, it can cause leaf death, which might be what's happening in your tank.

I'll def give it another shot with a new fert, thx for the advice, will see how it goes [emoji1]