Plants always die! :S?!

Hi.
I am always buying new plants! (i never know what theyare called) but the never seem to last long. ive got an aquarium light, it is cycled all good (a little cloudy now) but they seem to, starting from the leaves just fall apart and die.
does anyone else find this happens?
what can i do?

Some plants last longer than others. Try buying the hardy ones.

try buying broad leaved plants they always seem to last longer

u probably need better or more lighting
it also depends on the plants ur trying to grow there are low med and high light plants
easy to grow low light plants are anubias,java
fern,java moss,vals etc it also pays to fertilize but not essential.
it's not just a matter of putting a light on ur tank and ur plants will grow great unfortunately
to find out what lighting u have
work out ur tank in gallons
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/information/calculate.htm
then divide ur total wattage of light by the gallons of water in ur tank IE: mine is 160watts total lighting divided by 75 gallons = 2.13 watts per gallons. u need approx 1-1.5 wpg to grow low light plants well. most plants with red in them wont grow well in low light conditions also.
if ur plants are breaking down and dying they will also do no good for ur water quality...

hey thanks heaps for that. ill have to look into buying those plants, its 1.6wpg so thats good (i think) lol. i think thats one problem that im having witht he water quality.
thanks again!

yep 1.6wpg is good for low light plants if u have any rooted plants fert tabs are good to use and pretty safe, they will help a lot along with regular water changes IE: at least 30% a week, if u can afford it try get growlux tubes"if u dont allready have em" they make a difference heres a link to low light plants u should be able to grow
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2
hope it helps

i agree with rob but yes wattage is only a basic guide. Growlux blulbs are the only bulb i would greatly recomend for begginers into the plant world. They have the exact spectrum you will need (uless you get pink plants or red leaf plants then ask me for more assistance).

The msot common reason for plant death is the substrate belive it or not. Too big or pebbles and they can root so they will die. When you buy plants at the shop they are jsut mere cuttign with no roots. They wil not root in big pebbles but require sand or small gravel at about 2-3mm in diamiter to root. Another reason is lack or or too much nutrients, but these symtems come later. Light would be the last thing to worry aobut if your plants are dieing IMO because ive kept plants under quaratien with no light ( i mean no light) for weeks and they still go great.
WHen buying plants look for ones with roots and make sure you feed them and have sutible substrate.

if you have gravel in a planted tank is mixing it with sand a suitable solution for helping plants to grow? or is something like this a good idea? http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod1270.htm if so, would it mix with gravel so you didnt need so much? (and didnt need to do a complete substrate change?)

I don't see how the Aquaclay is more beneficial than some of the plant-specific substrates like Seachem Flourite or Eco-Complete for plants. The Aquaclay is for the look.

Gravel and many sands are inert and not very helpful to growing plants because they don't release anything the plants need. Most aquascapers will layer substrates. It's easier to get the look you want by starting a new tank, but a mix is fine.

If you're relandscaping with a new substrate and plants, it's a good idea to remove your axies or other critters until it's done and settled.

Look into a DIY CO2 injection set up. http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html CO2 is important to allowing plants to get the nutrients they need and also prevent algae.

LIght might be needed but could you post a pic of the plants

Many of the plants sold in the pet trade (at least here in the USA) are not true aquatics or even marginal plants that do well submerged. Often they are plants like Dracena that can last for several months under water before decomposing and falling apart.

Ed

I can never keep anachris alive. Pothos? Grows great, even when mostly aquatic. Hornwort? just don't over aerate. My sword plant would still be alive had the axolotls not ripped it apart. My japanese moss balls are still alive, even after the axolotls ripped them apart. But anachris? Dies every time.