# How long til plant growth/adverse effects?



## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

I planted my tank 4 days ago and have followed instructions on adding flourish, root tabs, and excel. I did a "hard to kill" package for a 20-40 gal tank. My tank is a 30 gal and i have a total of 46 plants in it. Some of the plants are java ferns, red foxtails, vallisneria, anubias nana narrow leaf, lutea, and others including a variety of cryptocoryne plants. Question is this, how long will it be til i see any adverse effects and or growth? My ozelot red sword has a leaf that has some yellowish coloring at its tip, my wisteria looks a little "droopy", like the leaves r slightly withering, but not bad or anything. Is this slight withrring normal when just adding plants or should they be taking off right away?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Where did you hear that you should add flourish, root tabs and Excel? 
and why is the water soooo cloudy?

what you are seeing is common, but also a bad sign in those plants. Many plants hate to be disturbed and will die back a little afte being shipped, planted, etc. Stop adding root tabs, flourish, Excel, etc. 
When the plants have settled in, you can begin adding the Excel at half strength. 
No fertilizers until plants are growing. :thumb:


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## JAyliffe (Feb 29, 2012)

Number6 said:


> Many plants hate to be disturbed and will die back a little afte being shipped, planted, etc. Stop adding root tabs, flourish, Excel, etc.
> When the plants have settled in, you can begin adding the Excel at half strength.
> No fertilizers until plants are growing. :thumb:


+1

I do dose weekly with Flourish but that's all I do. All I look for is whether I have some of each type of plant (and I only have two types) showing growth somewhere, that's good enough for me


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> Where did you hear that you should add flourish, root tabs and Excel?
> and why is the water soooo cloudy?
> 
> what you are seeing is common, but also a bad sign in those plants. Many plants hate to be disturbed and will die back a little afte being shipped, planted, etc. Stop adding root tabs, flourish, Excel, etc.
> ...


 Ok, I never had been told when to use, only to use it, so i assumed you began using it right away. Will my plants still be okay? I have only added flourish the one time for the once a week feeding and excel has been added two times as directions say every other day. Also, I didn't do the initial amt of excel that it said to do, I did the amt it says to use after the initial larger dose. How long until you consider them settled in? A week or two? How long will it usually take, on avg., to see growth and start using Flourish? And finally, I have already placed the root tabs, should I try to dig them all back up?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Dont touch the substrate or root tabs. Whats done is done... The issue is that with all that plant food, if the plants arent eating, then the algae will.

What you will have to do now is focus on the plants and just ride out the algae blooms that will kick in now.

For the plants, is the water really that cloudy? Any thoughts on why? New sand substrate? Early stage of an algae bloom?


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> Dont touch the substrate or root tabs. Whats done is done... The issue is that with all that plant food, if the plants arent eating, then the algae will.
> 
> What you will have to do now is focus on the plants and just ride out the algae blooms that will kick in now.
> 
> For the plants, is the water really that cloudy? Any thoughts on why? New sand substrate? Early stage of an algae bloom?


 I had purchased Flourite substrate for the plants, but still wanted sand for the Cichlids. So I did about a 2-2 1/2 in layer of Flourite for the roots, then added about 1- 1 1/2 in of sand as my Rams love to sift in it. I rinsed the heck out of the Flourite, but it still clouded the heck out of the water. It's crystal clear now though. I know the answer can vary, but how long, on average, will it take to start seeing growth? Once the plants begin to eat, will the algae die off with the plants taking bulk of the plant food?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Once you are an old hat at this, Swords can start growing within a few days... crypts seem to like growing roots before leaves, so you don't see them growing for a couple of weeks sometimes.

Death in Crypts is quick with the crypt usually melting... death in swords is long and drawn out.

You aren't adding any NaCl to this tank right?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

One exception for swords. They are often grown emmersed. When first submerged the stiff leaves from above the water are likely to die, but new leaves that flow with the water will start growing almost immediately.

My wisteria never wilted. It does take a while to grow roots though and in the meantime the stems got uprooted a lot.


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> Once you are an old hat at this, Swords can start growing within a few days... crypts seem to like growing roots before leaves, so you don't see them growing for a couple of weeks sometimes.
> 
> Death in Crypts is quick with the crypt usually melting... death in swords is long and drawn out.
> 
> You aren't adding any NaCl to this tank right?


 Nope, just the flourish, etc. So maybe in another week I should start adding the excel. Then, another week or so start with the ferts? I really hope they all make it and begin growth! My Rams and Curviceps seem so happy swimming through all the plants. On top of that, a planted tank looks down right amazing!!


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> One exception for swords. They are often grown emmersed. When first submerged the stiff leaves from above the water are likely to die, but new leaves that flow with the water will start growing almost immediately.
> 
> My wisteria never wilted. It does take a while to grow roots though and in the meantime the stems got uprooted a lot.


 It's not really wilted bad, some of the leaves just curl the tiniest bit, not even all of them, just a few. They've really been like that since first putting them in, but I figured it was just from the stress of shipping and planting. But it's been four days and though they haven't gotten any worse, they also haven't gotten any better. Maybe i'm just being too nervous/precautious?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Take photos if you can and use those to help you "see" growth. Have you checked to see what your CO2 levels are at?


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> Take photos if you can and use those to help you "see" growth. Have you checked to see what your CO2 levels are at?


 No I havent, I just keep checking ph, kh, gh, etc. I dont understand the chart to figure co2. My ph is 7-7.2, and kh is 3, there was a chart on freshwater aquarium plants where u could figure co2 levels with those readings, or atleast it looked that way.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*BigJag*
is it a pH of 7.0 in the morning and then more like 7.2 by mid day or afternoon?

Co2 levels sound like they are pretty good in the tank. Above 5 if the pH is at 7.0 in the morning. If you open windows in the summertime, expect the CO2 level to drop. :thumb:


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> *BigJag*
> is it a pH of 7.0 in the morning and then more like 7.2 by mid day or afternoon?
> 
> Co2 levels sound like they are pretty good in the tank. Above 5 if the pH is at 7.0 in the morning. If you open windows in the summertime, expect the CO2 level to drop. :thumb:


 No, it's always the same every time I check. I said 7-7.2, because it's a tube with solution mixed in it. Then u hold tube up to a chart and judge the ph by the color given on the chart matched with color of solution in the tube. It's hard to tell exactly what it is. How do you get the co2 reading from the ph and kh levels?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

You can't get a CO2 reading, just an educated hunch of what it is around... 
http://www.aquascapingworld.com/magazin ... nship.html

I hazard a guess that you are above 5. 5ppm is a very typical amount of CO2 in a fish tank inside a home. In winter it might be a bit higher as we close our homes up. Who knows if it's actually 4ppm, 5ppm, 6 ppm or some decimal in between and frankly who cares 

All we want to know is roughly where it's at and if we see it dropping during the day as plants use it up and grow. My guess is that is not happening yet... that could be from the Excel or it could be from the plants being new.

Use the photo trick and watch for the plants getting worse, algae blooming or the plants starting to grow. Remember, in our aquariums... only bad things happen quickly! :lol:


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> You can't get a CO2 reading, just an educated hunch of what it is around...
> http://www.aquascapingworld.com/magazin ... nship.html
> 
> I hazard a guess that you are above 5. 5ppm is a very typical amount of CO2 in a fish tank inside a home. In winter it might be a bit higher as we close our homes up. Who knows if it's actually 4ppm, 5ppm, 6 ppm or some decimal in between and frankly who cares
> How come the chart shows i have a bad level of co2 with what my ph and kh levels are? Also, when should i start adding excel? They've been planted for 6 days. Thank you for all the input, its been very helpful


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

The chart is one persons opinion and they (arbitrarily) said 15ppm good, lower is not ok. I agree that 15ppm and up is good, but so is 14ppm... Or 11ppm... Or even 5 ppm if you have a low light and low tech setup that is ok with that.

Excel helps with lower co2 levels... As soon as you see growth, start the excel at alf strength.


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## BigJag (Sep 26, 2011)

Number6 said:


> The chart is one persons opinion and they (arbitrarily) said 15ppm good, lower is not ok. I agree that 15ppm and up is good, but so is 14ppm... Or 11ppm... Or even 5 ppm if you have a low light and low tech setup that is ok with that.
> 
> Excel helps with lower co2 levels... As soon as you see growth, start the excel at alf strength.


 I have a T-5 HO lighting system ordered, it's on back order until the 26th. Once I get the better lights, will it change how I approach things?


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