Problems with weak plant growth in combination with "Hamburger Mattenfilter"

[ErnieohneBert]

Fertilizers like Seachem did not last any long in the water column and using any test kits is really senseless there.
You always need to dose such fertilizers "like the plants look". If you are not sure in doing so - you should perhaps simply better switch back to any stronger chelated stuff (like Tropica Pflanzennahrung flüssig, Drak Ferrdrakon, AR Macro Basic or so).
But you may keep in mind: "Hamburger Mattenfilter"
Generally, such filters "eat" a lot trace nutritions and this is not a "good effekt" in any tanks with plant focus.
And yes, you can try to feed Echi+Crypo with some additional root fertilizer stuff like Terrdrakon or whatever so.


Certainly too much surface agitation is not a very smart thing if it will quickly gas out Co2.


Green Spot algae is primary related a PO4/Co2 issue, you need to fix this.
Clado: You can only kill it with H202 Spotthreatments.
Other things will not really work.


There is really no sense in trying and buying any other plants - because doing so did not fix anything.
Nearly all water plants are at last easy to grow.
But you need to fix (many) things:
- Fertilizer/trace dosing
- Water temp (28 °C = not all plants like such high temps)
- MattenFilter (obvisiously replace it)
- optimize (!) yours waterflow
- optimize Co2
- optimize Substrate
- getting ridd the algaes
This is a much to-do- list.

Alright. That's at least a starting point.

1. I'll think I'll keep my tracing dosage until everything else is optimized.
2. Maybe I can lower this to 27 °C, but anything lower would harm the discus long term. What do you think?

3. Filtration:

I think I should clarify my filtering. It's basically a filter tank inside my main tank. That means that some glass stuff is glued in so the water has to flow through this. The medium is foam + siporax.
Can I work with that or do I have to replace it with a standard canister filter? Maybe remove the siporax and only filter through some foam? Any ideas on that? The main problem with my system are the mammoth pumps I think.

4. This goes hand in hand with 3 I think. I thought about adjusting the pipe in a 45 degree angle to the surface, so the surface agitation is reduced.

5. Will increase the Co2 slowly every few days.

6. I'll get some fertilizer like Osmocote, freeze it and dump right beside the plants. Any tips on dosage? I read something like 5 g per 25x25 cm.

7. I'm already removing algae by hand but I guess this problem will only get better when the plants recover.


Anyway, thanks for all the great tips ;-)

Matt

[Petex]

If yours tank size is really 60cm high,
well, I think a T5 LSR will ovisiously not give enough light for proper grow. OK, exspecially Cryptos are fine for that (as "slow-pace-plants"). Tweaking Co2 is always good, but it will not do "any miracles & wonder" in such setups. Generally, I also would suggest to look around what other Discus keepers have for plants that fits for such special conditions.

Maybe remove the siporax and only filter through some foam?

I would still use filter foam and no sipo, Helix, bio balls or so.

I read something like 5 g per 25x25 cm.

Sry, I don´t know Osmocote, the other guys may tell you more about it

7. I'm already removing algae by hand but I guess this problem will only get better when the plants recover.

Clado will grow under each condition (and also if plants recover). It will be almost impossible to get it rid only by hand in such large tanks, but if you are able to remove most algae - it should be perhaps "ok" and not be too much annoying in the future. Sometimes Clados can "look nice" - I have seen on Ebay some smart guys selling their Clados as Moos.

[ErnieohneBert]

If yours tank size is really 60cm high,
well, I think a T5 LSR will ovisiously not give enough light for proper grow in such deep tanks. OK, exspecially Cryptos are fine for that (but "slow-pace-plants). Tweaking Co2 is always good, but it will not do "any miracles & wonder" in such setups. Generally, I also would suggest to look around what other Discus keepers have for plants in such setups.


I would still use filter foam and no sipo, Helix, bio balls or so.

Alright, I'm going to remove the sipo tomorrow. Just Foam stays in.

Yeah the height of my tank is another problem, but I thought Echinodorus and Anubiae are on of the more undemanding plants e.g. not so light consuming. Aren't they? I recently switched from HQL to T5 because the efficiency of the HQL seems to be quite bad.

Greetings
Matt

[Petex]

Yours plants are fine for the setup, but mostly slow pace plants.
I would look for some medium-faster growing stuff as addition. Obvisiously things like Nesea Triflora (it is good plant for low light) and Najas Roraimia (or other Najas species) may work - perhaps also some Ludwigias, Polispermas, Heteranthera and few Lindernias, Limnophilias like Sessifloras may work too -perhaps things like Marsilea sp. for the ground, but I am not sure about each under that conditions.