my aquarium plant start to die?

Question

ok i set my aquarium fish up for about a month now and i just put live plant in and just a week the plant start to lose it leaves and getting yellow.please help me i need to know how to keep the plant healthy and nice.

Answer 1

I doubt that your plants are getting too much light - usually aquarium plants don't get enough! The most common reason for an aquarium plant to die is too low of light (for that species), lack of proper nutrients, or herbivory.

Since you don't say what kind of plant(s) you have, I'll give you some links to look up info about them:
http://faq.thekrib.com/plant-list.html
http://www.fishlore.com/Plants.htm
Your tank lights should be around 3-5 watts for each gallon of tank volume. The lower wattage is fairly low, the top number is best.

Depending on the type of plant, you might want to use an aquarium plant fertilizer - make sure to get a product that contains iron, as iron deficency also causes yellowed leaves.

As far as herbivory, if you keep fish or snails in your tank, you are likely to get someone making a meal of your plants. The best thing you can do here is choose species that don't appeal to the animals eating them.

One other thing you should consider is the source of your plants. Many of the "chain" pet stores are selling plants that are NOT meant to be underwater as aquarium plants ("Blacklisted Plants in the first link) - if this is your case, the only thing to do is take them out of the aquarium, put them in a pot, and grow them as they were meant to be grown!

Answer 2

Plants aren't always very easy, but it sounds like yours are starving, which isn't hard to fix. Go to a really good pet store and explain the situation and they can provide you with a good fertilizer for your tank. As you get more and more fish in the tank you will need less and less fertilizer. If you have many plants you will need to inject CO2 into the tank as well. Try to find a good aquarium plant book while you are at the pet store and it will help you more than anything!

Answer 3

I have found that keeping aquarium plants healthy is every bit as challenging as keeping the fish alive------you need to learn which aquarium plants are right for you-----either buy a book on the topic or consult with a known pet store with integrity as some of them do sell plants that are entirely unsuitable for aquariums and are doomed to ruin your water before you bring them home--------and then there is the subject of light------different plants have different requirements for light ----and then water quality----etc------you need a book for best results------or find a reputable dealer who will advise you (some are just sooooooo greedy)----they would sell anything at all just to get your money.

Answer 4

first, you have to know what the plant is so that you can find out the growing conditions needed for that type of plant... I grow all live plants in my tank, here is what I do...
*pick plants that grow well in my city water..I have very hard water, so I pick plants that grow well in hard water because it's too much work to keep the pH down in my water
*I add regular potting soil to my aquarium gravel... I take potting soil and soak it in water for about a week, then add it to my tank... I add about an inch of soil across the bottom.. I only do this upon initial tank set up..
*I use florecent lighting in my tank... any plants can be grown under florecent lights

Answer 5

you need to know what kind of plant it is to know how to take care of it. you don't take care of oak trees the same way you take care of orchids.

Answer 6

Well first it sounds like it my be getting to much light. It could also be that your P.H.,nitrates etc. are to high or low.