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Plant trouble!!!! Melting

17K views 10 replies 3 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
Tank has been up and running for 5 months with healthy and happy plant growth. Just recently I've been seeing my chain swords leaves turning white and melting and also I'm starting to see some holes in some of my plants other leaves. I run the tank (29g) with a 20w LIFE-GLO on a timer from 8am-8pm. My water parameters are fine ph 7.0 Ammonia 0 Nitrate and nitrite 0 temp 78. I just bought some seachem root tabs. I took 1 tab cut it into 4 pieces and placed those 4 pieces next ot the plants that I thought needed the most help. Was this what I should have done or should I do something else?
 

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#2 · (Edited)
I have had plants and bought plants that melted after purchasing them.What you need to do it cut the melted part out. I do a 1 part bleach 19 parts water treatment for 30 sec. and a 10 min. rinse in treated water to rid new plants of algae/ snails before adding them to my tank.

I had Val. I got from a friend last week and I cut them back to the bottom. They always come back with new growth. Sometimes pulling plants out and messing with the roots put them in shock. I have had sword plants do the same. I cut them back and now they are doing great. Sword plants like Iron so I put a root tab under the bottom of these plants. I have also had Crypt melt but after cutting them off at the bottom they sprouted new shoots and look great now. I would just trim off the melted parts and give it time. I know that Hornwort sometimes melts when the water temp. get high. I've also had plants that I bought at a auction that came from tanks that had C02 and they went into a shock after a few weeks as I have a low light no C02 tank. These plants all recovered for me by cutting them back. If you have a pleco that likes eatting your plants you might have a problem. Not all Plecos will eat your live plants. I have a Bushy nosed Pleco in my tank that does well in my planted tanks but I have a friend and she told me that some just don't do well with plants.

I noted that you have the lights on from 8am-8pm. I think that is to long. I have my lights on a timer from noon to 9pm and my lights are 2 15 watt flouesent bulbs . Low light, low maintence. I also heard that the Rams like lower light and like floating plants to block some of the light and not so much bright light. Also the more light produces more heat in your tank that can cause your plants to melt also.

I love your Bolvian Rams in the Picture! How many do you have. I have a community 55 gal. tank and was thinking of getting 1 because I heard they do well with angelfish. I have 1 angelfish, 5 Harlequen tetras, 5 Von Rio Congo tetras, 2 yo yo loaches, 2 guppies, 1 bushynosed pleco in that understocked tank now and might buy one tomorrow at my LFS. I do not want to get a pair as I do not want problems with 2 males or a pair.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Let me know how Your Bolivian Rams are doing. I might get one tomorrow like I said. They look different from each other. 1 is thinner and the other one is wider and has a darker line on it's eye. Maybe with luck you have a pair. I Googled Bolivian Rams to learn more about them.

Sadly Mordalphus had a pair on-line here under( Freshwater and Tropical fish under Cichlids) See Bolivian Ram post and had 80 fry from the pair of Bolivian Ram but only had 3 left as the other fish in the tank ate them. Did you see the pictures that were posted of the Bolivian Ram fry?
 
#5 ·
First on the Rams, the photo is a bit fuzzy but the right fish looks like a female (the more pinkish belly is the clue) but I wouldn't swear to it as the fish are newly acquired and not yet in full colouration. Once they are settled, if they are both males you will never see them together like in the photo; they are very territorial and one will dominate and drive the other well away from it. So if they continue to swim together after a couple days, they are a pair. In a new environm,ent these fish, like many others, behave very differently from their norm once they are settled.

Eileen is quite correct, they do not like bright light, and floating plants is the easiest solution. Also some wood (can't see the entire tank, if there is some already) and thick plants suit them admirably.

The temperature is too cool for them. They need 82F or higher. Are there any other fish in this tank? Some cannot tolerate that high a temp, so let me know and I will offer suggestions. But at 78F Mikrogeophagus ramirezi will probably not last more than a few months.

To the plant problem. This is a nutrient deficiency. I went through the same earlier this year with my Echinodorus tenellus and E. quadricostatus. Ksaster2, have you been dosing any liquid fertilizer? You mention adding root tabs now, and that should help though you will probably need more than this. For the past five months what if any fertilizer has been going in and how often, and which type?

Byron.
 
#6 ·
Byron, I wanted to go buy 1 Bolivian Ram today. You said that they need 82 temp. water. I have a 55 gal. live planted community tank with 1 angelfish, 5 harlequen rasboras, 5 von rio congo tetras, 1 bushy nosed pleco 2 yo yo loaches, 2 guppies and 4 Ghost shrimps. My water temp is at 75 now. I'm concerned wtih my plants not doing well with the heat turned up to 82. I have a friend that drip acclumated the rams to our hard San Diego water. My angelfish is fine with the harder water also. What would you gp with if 1 Ram is wanted? Male or Female?
 
#7 ·
Byron, I wanted to go buy 1 Bolivian Ram today. You said that they need 82 temp. water. I have a 55 gal. live planted community tank with 1 angelfish, 5 harlequen rasboras, 5 von rio congo tetras, 1 bushy nosed pleco 2 yo yo loaches, 2 guppies and 4 Ghost shrimps. My water temp is at 75 now. I'm concerned wtih my plants not doing well with the heat turned up to 82. I have a friend that drip acclumated the rams to our hard San Diego water. My angelfish is fine with the harder water also. What would you gp with if 1 Ram is wanted? Male or Female?
Eileen, it is the common (blue) ram Mikrogeophagus ramirezi that needs the warmth (82F+), not the Bolivian Mikrogeophagus altispinosus. However, having said that, with the fish you list I would up the temperature from 75 to around 77-78F. Not crucial, just my suggestion.

It is very difficult to sex the Bolivian Ram unless they are mature. If you check our profile of this fish you will see the explanation. And one fish does very well, as also explained in the profile. I happen to have a male, though when I bought him two years ago I had no idea what it was, the entire tank looked identical and there was not much in the way of aggressive behaviour to distinguish them. The males are certainly a bit more colurful at maturity; mine has "mood swings":) and at certain times when he darkens up the light shimmers off him, truly beautiful.

Byron.
 
#9 ·
Byron no. In the past 5 months I have added NO ferts at all. What else should i add besides the root tabs. And also I only added 1 root tab cut into four pieces and spread around should i add more


thanks
This is the reason for the plant problem, insufficient nutrients. Light and the 17 required nutrients have to be roughly in balance for plants to photosynthesize (grow). Some nutrients occur from fish food, some from organics broken down in the substrate by bacteria, some in the water...but it is unlikely that all will be present without adding a fertilizer, and as these need to be in proportion to each other for the plants, a balanced comprehensive is best.

Some of the other plants in the photos look fairly good, so this is a case of them grabbing what limited nutrients there were (during the 5 months) and the swords, which are heavy nutrient feeders, being left short. Your red-leaf plant is a sword, not sure exactly which one (the red varieties are hybrids created by nurseries), as is the pygmy chain sword obviously. And these need food (nutrients).

I would get Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium. Seachem make several plant products in the Flourish line, make sure it is this one which is complete (only potassium is missing). It takes very little, 1/2 teaspoon treats 30 gallons, and you dose it once or maybe twice a week. I have a heavy plant load and it takes twice a week for me, you can start off with once. Dose it the day following the partial water change, because the water conditioner will detoxify heavy metals and some plant micro-nutrients (iron, zinc, manganese, nickel) are "heavy metals." The conditioners generally give out after 24 hours, so the day following is OK. This will spruce up the other plants too.

The substrate tabs are OK, I would use them (whole) next to the larger sword like the red-leaf one, just one tab; I think they last 2-3 months. The pygmy chain sword will grow fine without this additional nutrients, though it won't hurt, but you may have very fast growth when all this settles.

Byron.
 
#11 ·
THANKS as always Byron off to see if I can find that Seachem Comp. When I went the other day all the LFS has was EXCel and I know from reading on here you dont recommend that 1.
No, that's not a fertilizer per say, it is just a carbon supplement and you don't need that.
 
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