Search found 74 matches

by shakinStevens
Mon Mar 17, 2025 11:47 pm
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Help with a struggling water sprite
Replies: 12
Views: 2849

Re: Help with a struggling water sprite


I've had a pretty mixed experience with Water Sprite, too. It's supposed to be one of the easier plants, but mine did alright for a bit then just kinda stopped thriving. No idea what went wrong, to be honest.


This issue is quite common and usually stems from nutrient depletion in the tank ...
by shakinStevens
Mon Mar 03, 2025 10:36 pm
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Help with plant care and advice
Replies: 6
Views: 3795

Re: Help with plant care and advice

I've also got a couple of other issues going on - one of the Anubis plants is dropping leaves daily, and some of my other plants have this dark green/black stringy algae growing off them.

It seems like you're dealing with algae, which can thrive even in low-nutrient water. Plants, on the other ...
by shakinStevens
Sun Feb 23, 2025 11:48 pm
Forum: Cichlids
Topic: fish survival in prolonged absence of care
Replies: 11
Views: 3246

Re: fish survival in prolonged absence of care

My experience with a month-long absence from my planted tank has been mixed. I've gone three weeks without a water change, no problem. Before I leave, I double-check everything, including the fish feeder, to make sure it's working correctly.

However, I have had issues with the filter pump and water ...
by shakinStevens
Sun Feb 16, 2025 1:00 pm
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Why aren't my plants growing?
Replies: 5
Views: 4487

Re: Why aren't my plants growing?

When plants stop growing, it's often because they're lacking a necessary nutrient. The soil you're using will have some nutrients, but these will eventually deplete. A complete liquid fertilizer can help resolve this issue. I'm not clear if you're currently using a liquid fertilizer or not.

I'd ...
by shakinStevens
Sun Feb 16, 2025 3:46 am
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Growing dwarf hair grass on a coco mat.
Replies: 8
Views: 6830

Re: Growing dwarf hair grass on a coco mat.


I'd advise against using Dwarf Hair Grass, as it's not a true aquatic plant and will likely struggle in your tank. It needs extremely bright lighting, CO2 and a lot of fertiliser to even stand a chance - and even then, it's a gamble.

If you're looking for low-growing options, I'd recommend Pygmy ...
by shakinStevens
Wed Feb 12, 2025 4:25 am
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Help a novice grow their plant: what am i doing wrong?
Replies: 5
Views: 3631

Re: Help a novice grow their plant: what am i doing wrong?

To better understand the situation, could you please provide us with your tank's water parameters? This includes pH, GH, KH, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia levels. Are you using tap water, RO, or distilled water to fill the tank? If it's tap water, what are the tap parameters? Knowing these details ...
by shakinStevens
Tue Feb 11, 2025 2:17 pm
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Hornwort struggle: from thriving to barely surviving
Replies: 9
Views: 5322

Re: Hornwort struggle: from thriving to barely surviving


I'm going to take a bit of a wild guess here, but could it be a nitrogen deficiency at play? I know it sounds counterintuitive, especially given the tank's overall health, but I've read that hornwort are notorious nitrogen hogs.


Sometimes a water change will help if the water has the missing ...
by shakinStevens
Mon Feb 03, 2025 9:39 pm
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Hornwort struggle: from thriving to barely surviving
Replies: 9
Views: 5646

Re: Hornwort struggle: from thriving to barely surviving


I'm going to take a bit of a wild guess here, but could it be a nitrogen deficiency at play? I know it sounds counterintuitive, especially given the tank's overall health, but I've read that hornwort are notorious nitrogen hogs.


Sometimes a water change will help if the water has the missing ...
by shakinStevens
Thu Jan 23, 2025 7:31 am
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Where to buy plants in bulk affordably
Replies: 3
Views: 3466

Re: Where to buy plants in bulk affordably

You can also try checking out Amazon. I mean, if you just type in "Live Aquarium Plants", you'll get a bunch of results - 115 to be exact. Not all of them are actually for aquariums, but a lot of them are. If you're looking for something specific, just type in the name of the plant you want, and ...
by shakinStevens
Wed Jan 22, 2025 5:28 am
Forum: Fresh Water Plants
Topic: Growing vallisneria in soft water
Replies: 17
Views: 9369

Re: Growing vallisneria in soft water


My water's around 5.7 dGH and I've found vallisneria does alright, I think the key is it's a root feeder so it's probably more about the nutrients in the substrate or using root tabs.


Calcium and magnesium are essential for plant growth. Without enough, growth is slow or the plant dies. Most ...