Why does my tank suck?

the question is why does my tank suck i have a good t5 light i have fluval plant stratum capped with sand some of the easiest plants you can get but they still die....why?

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Comment by Peter on September 2, 2012 at 11:04pm: your tank doesnt suck, u can just take ur plants out and say its a hardscape :p ... but seriously are u dosing ferts? like seachem products? try to get hardier plants like anubias or crypts they can grow on driftwood. dont worry about the easy plants dying because i have the same problem w/ jungle val i cant seem to grow that plant in my tank lol i can grow dwarf baby tears and micro sword and dwarf hairgrass but j.val is almost impossible for me to grow in my 55g :(

Comment by Austin Graystone on September 2, 2012 at 11:10pm: ya i dose with ferts i had excel and the normal flourish but my excel just ran out

Comment by Robert Jango on September 3, 2012 at 2:43am: The sand might be hurting your plants if the cap is too thick. Keep the cap as thin as possible (Fluval substrate doesn't need to be capped anyway) or get rid of as much of it as you can.

Almost everyone can relate to Peter's experience. I've had "difficult" plants thrive in my tanks while "easy" ones died. I just buy a bunch of different plants and see what catches on. I know this sounds callous but the conditions in my tanks are set for breeding difficult fish and they won't be changed to accommodate a plant.

Comment by Balaam ramirez on September 3, 2012 at 4:02am: When I was doing research on how to add co2 to a tank I ran into a lot of forums that say excel will help some plants out while it will kill others. Jungle Val. is on that list. I had the same problem with my java fern. Excel would "burn" the leafs (they would turn brown/black and rott off) I haven't added excel in other a month and switched to presurized co2. I'm just starting to see healthier leafs. Try adding some DIY co2 without the excel. If your getting good results think about going pressurized. (google/bing/yahoo/ask: pressurized co2 with paintball canister. It cost me about $50 total.)

Comment by Austin Graystone on September 3, 2012 at 12:27pm: ok i have set up my old 10 gallon and dirted it and threw some plants in there as an experiment

Comment by TONY K on September 3, 2012 at 8:16pm: the thing i found out is it takes alot of trial and error when doing the planted tank thing! at first i watched all the videos about, t5 lighting, dirt, co2. ect. if your just starting keep it simple! high tech tanks are for those who live and breath aquariums. if you don't have all day to keep up your tank keep it low "tech/light" and only buy plants that require low "light" low tech! there are plants that grow very well under low light and will grow in plain old gravel, liquid ferts help but aren't nessesary thats where the fish come in since they give off ferts. liquid ferts help but remember too much = algea the same with light 6hrs a day on a timer! this formula is working great for me! p.s low tech tanks take patients as far as the amont of growth your going to get but in the end when your tank fills in it will be worth it. i can't keep high lighted plants either don't have the time :) or the money$

Comment by Mr Puffer on September 3, 2012 at 10:58pm: Sand, if allowed to compact, will deprive the plant roots of oxygen and they will die.

Comment by Austin Graystone on September 4, 2012 at 1:47am: what are the best low light plants? apart from java moss

Comment by Robert Jango on September 4, 2012 at 3:26am: Cryptocorne species and Java Fern. Floating plants and stuff like Hornwart and Cabomba will grow in any kind of light.

Comment by TONY K on September 4, 2012 at 8:23pm: by looking at the picture of your tank all the plants in there require moderate to high light, moderate being on the low end! just because you have t5 lighting doesn't mean its penetrating enough light all the way down to the bottom! thats one of the things i found out the hard way i bought what i thought was a good t5 light fixture good because it was "t5" but on my 29 gallon high 46 watts wasnt enough to grow "high light plants" there are more variables than just a t5 bulb.

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