# New Plants already dying



## macfish77

Hello,

I am very new to aquatic plants. I have had fish tanks for 10 years and have always avoided live plants because they always die. I recently decided I would try again. After giving away my cichlids I started fresh with a clean tank, clean water and new gravel. Because of this I don't think I have any of the necessary nutrients or CO2 levels needed for these plants to survive. After speaking with a pet store worker I was told that I could purchase some simple plants and with some light they wouldn't need additional CO2, fert or substrate. From her recommendation I purchased Anubias Congenis and Bacopa Monnieri (MoneyWart).

After buying the plants I removed them from their basket and root covering and attached the Congenis to drift wood and attached the Moneywart to rocks.

Its now day two and the plants are already losing color and beginning to die. I went to the store and tried to find seachem but all I could find was "plant care solutions" Water Conditioning Fizz Tabs and "Plant Gro" Iron Enriched. I used a tad less than the recommended doses of each. 

My questions are:
1. What recommendations do you have to keep these plants alive?
2. Do I need substrate? If yes, what can I use that does not cloud the tank and is inexpensive?


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## cs_gardener

Plants usually go through an adjustment period so it's not unusual for them to show stress during the first few days. Is there any new growth at all? 

How much light do you have? While anubias can survive with low light, bacopa needs more. Bacopa is also a stem plant and is normally planted in the substrate. 

When you fertilize you need to fertilize both macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients. I don't know what the fizz tabs are but the iron isn't enough for the plants. Anubias grows slowly and needs relatively little fertilizer, bacopa being a faster grower needs more. They'll get some of the food they need from fish waste. If it had been an established tank with mulm buildup the plants would have used the nutrients from that. With the plants you have you can get away with not having a special substrate. 

Without knowing more about your tank - light, fish load, etc - it's difficult to say what you need to do to get the plants to grow well.


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## davemonkey

+1 on Catherine's comments.

Check out the article linked in the first post of this thread:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/new-planted-aquariums/8790-basics.html

I believe that will answer many of your questions. Then, tell us more about your set-up and we can help find your way to a healthy planted tank.

-Dave


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## macfish77

Thanks for the info guys. To answer some of your questions the light is old and I would make the assumption its definitely low light. As of right now I have one arrowana and a couple of guppy feeders. With this one small fish and clean water I don't think there is any waste build up.

I bought the tablets because it was the only thing the store sold that released CO2. Specifically the tablets say " Each water conditioning tab releases trace elements, CO2, and many electrolytes to condition the aquarium for aquatic plants." The plant gro advertises "contains beneficial iron and trace elements that make plants thrive."

I did read the article you attached before going to the store. After reading the article which was full of great info, it still left me wondering exactly what I need to buy?

Can I continue to run the tank with out substrate? Can I purchase a solution or tablet that produces CO2? What fertilizers do you recommend? I want to grow simple starter plants but don't want to add substrate unless absolutely necessary and don't want to buy expensive CO2 or run a yeast tube.

Thanks again for your help. Sorry for the long response.


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## Pinto

If you want to go low maintenance aquarium. You should follow AaronT Mineralized Soil. You can grow just about anything and it can be low maintenance at the same time


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## macfish77

ok, I am changing my tune a bit. After talking with a friend he insists I need to put down a substrate (plus a fish store worker said the same thing). In doing some research I see a few names that are popping up; Flourite, Eco-complete and ADA Amazon. In my research it looks like Eco-Complete is the easiest to put down with out clouding the tank. Any thoughts? Should I plan on adding a sand base on top of the substrate? Should I be concerned with cloudiness?


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## surpera1

proper substrate , nutrients , light are needed


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## cs_gardener

I've never had problems with Eco Complete. In fact I use it as a cap in most of my tanks over a soil substrate (I had it already when I switched to a soil underlayer). While it may sound messy a soil substrate is actually pretty easy. You just have to move slowly when pulling up plants or moving them around.

Are you just trying to grow a few plants or do you want your tank full of them? You could use an inert substrate like gravel or sand and put root tabs where you have plants if all you want is a few plants.


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## Tominizer

Check out the NPT section on these forums............. there's some great info there for low cost successful planted tanks.


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