# i cant keep anything alive



## CandidPets (May 21, 2015)

okay i have spent thousands on plants 

i even got that h2o and got fertile soil for them 

i got a 300 dollar plant growing light

all i wanted was java fern, horn wart, anibus, swords, java moss balls i bought 20 moss balls all dead

this was a year ago i learn my lesson but i want plants like i hate using my dollar store plants 

i have a guppy and molly tank, shrimp tanks bristle nose tanks and cloning blue cray fish tanks 

you know what is sad? I bought a bunch of duckweed desperate to have something and i lost that also !!!!!!!!!!!


i can keep fish alive easy my fish never die they breed they all healthy but plants no even after buying fertile soil 

i want more plants i want swords, anibus, java all the easy plants specially floating kinds, but now i have no source to buy and is too expensive at pet store

i bought a cup full of java moss and was 10 bucks 

no one has any for sale anymore 

its depressing

anyone feel me?????


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## infolific (Apr 10, 2016)

CandidPets said:


> okay i have spent thousands on plants


Pay me thousands and I'll come by regularly to take care of your plants 

More seriously, the plants you listed are the sort that typically survive without much extra effort. You said you learned your lesson, but what was the issue?

As for acquiring more plants cheaply, why not trade for them? I'm sure a lot of people would trade plants for the fish and shrimp you breed. I'm always looking for good trades.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

If you've killed Java Fern, Anubias, Java Moss, and even Duckweed, there's definitely something that you're missing. You've written quite a long post without stating much in regards to your setup.
If you would like help finding out what could be causing these problems in your tank, please answer these questions:

- What is this $300 grow light of yours? Brand, output, pictures?

- H2O and fertile soil, did you mean CO2? And what fertile soil is this?

- Water chemistry if available; PH, KH, temperature?

- Any fertilizer?

- Where are you getting your plants from?

These are pretty basic questions that could help gauge what your parameters and equipment are, I'm sure we can help you become successful with aquatic plants.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Agreed with default, OP you need to provide us with more specific info:

- what is your current setup? (light, tank, substrate, fish stock)
- how do your plants die? Do they get covered by algae? Do they turn yellow? Do they fall apart?
- what are your water parameters? (nitrate, hardness)


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## Greg_o (Mar 4, 2010)

solarz said:


> Agreed with default, OP you need to provide us with more specific info:
> 
> - what is your current setup? (light, tank, substrate, fish stock)
> - how do your plants die? Do they get covered by algae? Do they turn yellow? Do they fall apart?
> - what are your water parameters? (nitrate, hardness)


Thirded. Lots of people willing to offer advise here, but details are needed.


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## CandidPets (May 21, 2015)

i put them in every tank i had

i dont any about water quality because i dont have the water they were in

i know the fish were doing well

some were in cichlids but i was told that species java cichlids did not eat


moss balls had cloning crayfish i was told they will be safe

i am trying this again

i had aquarium reg lights for some of them 

i am only putting them in shrimp tanks and gupppy

not trying with cichlids again


lights i bought that 200-300 plant growing light for my 150 pond but it fried them i think they turn yellow and brown all plants turned brown and died i tried to save some did not work 

I wanted lots of plants 

Some tanks had normal lights i dont the exact time these are plants i am told will live in anything

i have 5 normal house plants i have had for years

the fish must hate eaten them? idk


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*Details*

How about some real details ...
Tank ..size ... equipment ... reading of your water what kind of fish ..where are your tanks inside outside ...
Some pics of tanks ... 
We can only help if have details on your end 
We can all throw ideas at u ..but that's only gonna give u 
Very limited solution.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

Hi there,

There are definitely many people here that would be of great help for planted tank questions.
I will agree however that the main issues are not able to really be addressed as we'd all need to know the water info, the light info etc as stated above.

Off the top of my head, aside from water and light etc info, I'd also add that I have seen cichlids eat various kinds of plants that were thought to be cichlid proof (I don't keep them, just have friends that do). I have also heard stories about crayfish that ate every plant in a tank. like they were at a salad bar!

We need more help with regard to water, light, care/ maintenance regime etc to help better.


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## CandidPets (May 21, 2015)

Light is the normal aquarium light i keep these tanks in basement


gh 180 kh 40 ph6 nitrite 0 nitrates 20


temprature could it be too hot?


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## CandidPets (May 21, 2015)

this is new now we talking new situation so i dont make the same mistakes


so i keeping them with rabbit snails neocardina shrimp and trap door snails

i will post a video


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

CandidPets said:


> i put them in every tank i had
> 
> i dont any about water quality because i dont have the water they were in
> 
> ...


Hi there, from your post, I think you should start from the basic and learn about how to keep live plants in a aquarium. I think your frustrations and failures come from simply listening to what other people are telling you and not understanding how it works yourself.

I can point out a few mistakes. First, moss balls are not plants, they are algae. So it's normal for them to die off after a while.

Second, a pond is not a tank. Ponds are meant to be outside, receiving natural sunlight that is hundreds of times stronger than any light we can make. A plant meant for growing plants in an aquarium is not going to work for a pond unless you know exactly what you're doing.

My advice is to do your own research and understand how the basics work before jumping in and spending money. Start simple. Get some java moss (not moss balls!) and guppies, play around with things, learn as you go. Once you've mastered the basics, you can delve into the more complex stuff.


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