Crypt melt or dieing?

Boredomb

When the lights came on this morning I noticed this:
2011-10-14 12.14.34.jpg

2011-10-14 12.10.05.jpg

This is the first time I have had a crypt and it is an Undulated Crypt. Its been in the tank for a couple of weeks now. When I got it it was really small (smaller then it is now) and it was starting to grow a little. The last time I did a water change was Sunday. As I have heard people talk about that can sometimes cause a melt. Yesterday I added my 2nd dose of flourish. Other then that nothing has changed. I know I should just leave it alone and just remove the leaves that fall off but is there anything else I should do? Is this what it looks like when a crypts melts or is it dieing and I just need to remove it?

Boredomb

The only other thing I can think of is that it might be getting less light as the Wisteria is taller along with the sword right behind it. Can less light make this happen?

Boredomb

Anyone????? Any suggestion or thoughts?

DKRST

Sorry, never had a crypt, but I have heard they will melt, almost at random, but often grow back from the root, be patient!

Boredomb

I have heard the same thing. Just not sure what it looks like when a crypt does melt? Also am just kinda shocked that it was starting to recover from when I got it(9/21/1) and it melts now!?!

Nubster

Mine melted after heavy dosing of meds...almost completely down to nothing. Came back in a couple weeks better then it was before. It looked a lot like that as it melted. I'd siphon off the melted leaves or they will cause an ammonia spike...they did in my tank at least.

Boredomb

Thanks Nubster. I plan on siphoning out the leaves tomorrow or Sunday when I do a water change.

Byron

That is crypt melt. This condition can be brought on by any change in water parameters (temp, hardness, pH), lighting (intensity or duration), nutrients (fertilizers), disturbing the roots, water changes (more or less than normal), etc. Left alone, the roots usually survive and new leaf growth will occur sometimes in days, sometimes weeks, even months.

Byron.

WisFish

Sometimes never. I had crypts for years. In fact, that's all I had. Then I went from 1 bulb to 2 in my 4 foot lighting fixture. Only the crypts in the "shade" survived. To this day, when I trim plants and expose more light to the crypts, they melt. The ones that melt don't come back because the light is too strong. But shoots will spread and try to grow from the plants in the shade.

Boredomb

The leaves that melt I siphoned out. In the pic the leaves that didn't melt never did. They are still there and look ok. I am hoping it will start to grow some new leaves soon.