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My Discus tank plants aren't thriving like they used to. Running a 75-gallon with sand substrate, T5 lighting, and CO2 injection. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrates around 10 ppm. Temp's at 84°F. Any hacks to boost plant growth without messing with the fish?

Yo, raid, I feel you. Had the same issue last year. What's your light schedule? I bumped mine to 10 hours with a siesta period, and my Amazon swords exploded. Also, try root tabs if you're not already. They're a game-changer for sand substrates. What plants you got in there?

Root tabs for sure, but don't sleep on liquid ferts either. I dose Seachem Flourish twice a week in my 90-gallon, and my Anubias are popping. How often you doing water changes? Too clean can starve plants.

TankWarrior wrote: ↑Sun Sep 07, 2025 2:32 am Yo, raid, I feel you. Had the same issue last year. What's your light schedule? I bumped mine to 10 hours with a siesta period, and my Amazon swords exploded. Also, try root tabs if you're not already. They're a game-changer for sand substrates. What plants you got in there?

Second the light schedule tweak. I run mine 8 on, 4 off, 4 on. Keeps algae down and plants happy. What's your CO2 ppm, raid?

my plants were strugglin too till i added more fish lol. more poop = more nutrients. got 6 discus in a 55 with java fern and it's growin like crazy now. maybe just feed more?

Melodic's onto something, but be careful with overfeeding. Uneaten food can spike ammonia. Raid, what's your filtration like? High flow can strip nutrients before plants grab 'em. I run a canister with spray bar to keep it gentle.

Had a similar vibe in my tank. Switched to ADA Aqua Soil under the sand cap, and boom, plants took off. Also, check your KH. Low KH can mess with CO2 uptake. Mine's at 4 dKH, and it's sweet.

y'all overcomplicatin it. just add more light and ferts. my discus don't care as long as the water's clean. i use nilocg thrive and a cheap led, plants grow like weeds.

annerox wrote: ↑Sun Sep 07, 2025 12:47 pm y'all overcomplicatin it. just add more light and ferts. my discus don't care as long as the water's clean. i use nilocg thrive and a cheap led, plants grow like weeds.

Simplicity works, but raid's got CO2, so balance matters. Raid, what's your phosphate level? Too low, and plants stall. I aim for 1-2 ppm.

Lots of solid advice here. Raid, if you're dosing CO2, make sure your drop checker is lime green. Also, consider adding floating plants like frogbit to soak up excess nutrients and shade the tank a bit. My discus love the cover too.