Red Wendtii melting (low light?)

Angel079

Alright I'm confused... My red Wendtii's have 2 leaf's that look like they been boiled over with hot water and falling apart!?

If I had high lights I'd say that's why - But spc cause I just lowered the lights on the 55g to 1x32watts; I'm like double stunned / confused as to what's happening here with the Wendtii's.

Tried taking pictures for you guys - Anyone any ideas? I never seen Crypt's do this before (FYI the green Crypts are doing just fine). Could it simply be time for it to toss off the org old leaf's and grow new one?

FYI that's the very tanks that's also receiving liquid ferts (Flourish) 1xweek as per label.

Attached Images

	Wendtii Red1.jpg (41.9 KB, 34 views)
	Wendtii Red2.jpg (67.0 KB, 32 views)
	Wendtii Red3.jpg (68.5 KB, 32 views)

eileen

I have Crypt in my 55 gal. tank. It did the same thing. I have 2 15W. bulbs over my tank. So my tank is a low light tank no co2 or anything. I cut the melting parts off and now they are doing fine.I noticed that this happened when I first got the plant. My friend gave me some of hers. I think this happened as some plants do not do well to change. New tank and being moved with the roots disturbed, temp. change, water Ph ect.... I think the plant goes into a shock of sorts being moved. My Crypt came back after cutting the melted parts and I put a plant tab into my sand under the plant to help it and now it is growing and doing fine.

Angel079

Yea so your set up is pretty identical to mine....

I had them since mid Nov now; the only leaf's affected looking like overcooked spinach to me are the "old" leaf's the plants came with pretty much not any of the new one's.

I just never seen them do that before

Others then lowering the lights (from 2x32w to 1x32w) nothing had changed in that tank for several weeks now.

Promelas

Hey Angel,

I know you always have advice for me, so here's my 2 cents! When I originally introduced my Wendtii to my new tank I had the same thing happen. I researched around a bit and found it to be a symptom of something called Crypt Rot. It's pretty much explained as a melting of the leaves, which sounds exactly like what we both had happen. From what I have learned, Crypts do well in either high or low light, but are susceptible to crypt rot when a change in lighting happens. I'm guessing that's why it's happening in your tank since you just lowered the lights a bit. From what I have read, just keep cleaning off the dead leaves and in a few weeks hopefully the plant will have adapted, and sent new ones up by then. I lost about 3 or 4 leaves originally, but now it's growing like crazy.

Byron

In this case it was probably the change in lighting intensity. As I have mentioned elsewhere, crypts are sensitive plants that often (but not always) will "melt" when anything changes. I have myself seen this with a change in pH, hardness and light, and moving the plant to a different tank. It can also occur if nutrients are changed. The degree of change has a bearing, sometimes it doesn't seem to take much, othertimes it does. WisFish increased his lighting and the crypts melted; you have reduced yours and this one is partially melting. If all the leaves should melt, leave the rootstock and it will usually recover.

Kelso

I can vouch for this. When I had bought the plants initially and planted them in my tank, all but one of my green crypt's leaves melted off of it. However, it's grown back and has become a very full and beautiful plant. Then...one day the temperature fell because I forgot to plug my heater back in...next day, half the plant melted. =( But yeah, I betcha your light decrease did it. Don't worry! I'm sure with your wet thumb, it'll grow back just fine!

Angel079

I know the reported symptoms for UPPING lights - So them plants react the same when lowering lights - Wow...learn something new every day (spc in that 55g lol).

Anything I could do to help my plants for right now others then clipping the "overcooked" leaf's off?

Kelso

Find a good book and wait =P

Byron

It's a botanical thing. When the plant is "disturbed" by some change, it melts. Once the change has occurred, which is before the plant begins to melt, it is a done thing. Crypts just don't like changes of any sort. Now, having said that, they are sometimes the opposite. I've had them go through uprooting for a move (houses), several hours in cold weather as well, be planted in the tanks 2-3 days later...and not a single meltdown. But I've also shifted them over a couple inches in the same tank, and meltdown 1-2 days later.

Recovery can be a couple days, or weeks. Longest recovery time I have come across was just over a year.

Angel079

Glad you posted that. Cause when I moved the big tanks around back in the day with a LOT Crypt in them to say the least and they been floating in buckets, replanted, pulled apart a& replanted over a 2 day master tank remodel....nothing had happened.... Now "all" I done was lower light and BAM....

I think I'm gonna rename Cypts in "moody plants"...YOu'd have thought my major remodel would have taken its toll on them RATHER THEN simply lowering lights....but like I said learn something new every day