PLants keep dying...

[cichlid_starter]

Try using a light geared towards saltwater, not just a regular florescent. It mimics the sun a lot better. And like previously stated, don't leave your lights on too long. I recommend a timer. C02 is good and there are some high quality plant foods that have worked well for me. One last thing to do is use your dead plant matter as a fertilizer. All that s good for generally all aquatic plants.

 

[velanarris]

I disagree. Take damaged and dead plant material out of your tank immediately, unless you have something that will shred it down like shrimp or a lot of snails. Large pieces of biomaterial will not break down cleanly in your tank and will release free radicals and photosynthetic intermediates that cannot be taken up.

 

[seds]

Hey I didn't know that, I thought it would add back nutrients in a useful form.

 

[velanarris]

Only if you're stocking creatures that will process the material to an appropriate size like mollusks or crustaceans.

Liken it to trying to eat a steak. If I kill the cow, butcher it up and prepare the steak for you, you can eat it. If I just go out to a field and shoot a cow then tell you to go get it, you're going to have such a tough time that you probably can't eat it.