[Why are my plant leaves black]

On 3/18/2023 at 1:26 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yeah.  Seachem's stuff is a bit weird.  there is PH up/down and then there is a planted tank version and a non-planted tank version.  I think you'd either need alkalinity buffer or acid buffer (depending if you're trying to bring KH up or down).  Equilibrium would be the planted tank version to adjust GH.
 

I would try to use phosphate remover (seachem has phosguard) and their is also phosphate pads you can use.  It didn't have a crazy quick impact when I was trying to get my phosphates down from 3 ppm, but perhaps I just wasn't using enough or something.

As Lennie mentioned, water changes help, just don't do too much too often.  The BBA tends to have a 7-10 day cycle for me.  If I miss a water change it blooms, sends out the spores, and then progresses incrementally.  In the photos I see GDA (green diatom algae) and other algaes.  The green I generally don't worry about, balance the tank and it will just become fish food.  I would tend to do a 30-50% water change every day or every other day to get the phosphates down.  It shouldn't bother the stocking and your amanos will be very active after each one.  🙂

Some of your plants I'm just not familiar with what they should look like so I think @Seattle_Aquarist is a great person who can help us all understand a bit about any deficiencies or next steps for this situation.  Getting the right buffer is going to be helpful to keep phosphates in check.  Running carbon / phosguard might be the way to get the number down and sort of "reset" everything that you need to.

Yeah I've been reading up on the buffers and you're right, I think I actually need the alkaline buffer, the carbonate based one. Since I'm trying to raise my KH to stabilize my pH a bit, I was actually thinking of using some crushed coral in my filter. Id go slowly because I'm  only trying to raise it a little bit. I figured I'd try to go the natural route. Thoughts? Id still be using equilibrium for the gh. 

As far as bba goes,I don't think it's bba as it doesn't look anything like the video posted in earlier comment. In a reply to Lennie, I posted photos of what came off the leaves when I rubbed them. 

I just did a 50% water change. You mentioned I could do a 30-50% water change everyday or every other day. A 50% water change EVERYDAY wouldnt stress the livestock out? It's not too much too often? And should I be doing water changes AND using the phosphguard? 

[Why are my plant leaves black]

On 3/18/2023 at 1:03 AM, Lennie said:

Hey there @Saly,

As you may know, aquasoils leech a lot of nutritions in the first couple weeks and require lots of big water changes during these times. These excess nutritions may trigger algae bloom as well. I personally don't add any fertilizers to the water column for the first weeks if I use aquasoil as there seems to be many leeching already, and plants go through an adapting phase where they melt, try to get used to their new environment, and don't really perform any growth to potentially use the nutritients. So anything excess that plants can't use favors potential algae.  Big water changes during these early weeks help to get rid of excess nutritions and potential algae spores as far as I know.

What has been your water changing schedule since it is set up?

I'm leaning on the side of early stage of bba. @nabokovfan87 what do you think?

Have you tried scrubbing the leaves? Does it come out easily like a diatom? Or Does it look similar to this video?

 

 

Hi Lennie, I forgot to mention in my original post that my tank is 6 months old so I would expect the leaving to stabilize by now. I went ahead and did a 50% water change and while at it, I scrubbed the leaves. It comes off pretty easily like diatoms. It looks like it's the same things on the rocks. It doesn't look at anything like the video so I don't think it's bba. Ive attached a photo of what came off when scrubbed. 

[Why are my plant leaves black]

Hi everyone,

Im hoping to get some help diagnosing what may be adding with my plants as well as seeking advice on what I should do. This so be long so thank you in advance for reading.

So my plants in my tank are turning black. They were gradually turning black and I decided to test my water parameters. Turns out I have really high phosphates. Using the API test kit, it was way past the last color block (10ppm). I did a 50% water change and the phosphates measured 5-10ppm. The color was a bit darker than 5 but not quite 10ppm. I found out a few weeks ago that I had only 5ppm of nitrates and so I dosed it with easy green fertilizer to get it up to 10-20ppm of nitrates. This morning, I go to dose but instead I use seachem flourish nitrogen at 1 cap full. I wanted to be conservative. Seachem web calculator said I should use 5 caps to get up from 5ppm to 15ppm. I also dosed flourish per bottle instructions. I tested my nitrates 30 minutes later and it was 10-20ppm. Well now I come home and my plants seem darker. Like some of the leaves are black. Not sure if it's from the seachem products or of it's because my phosphates are so high. They've been high for a week now. I just got my phosphates test kit (API) so I was just recently able to test it.

I went to my lfs and was told to just fix the nutrients and the phosphates should decrease eventually and it won't harm my plants or fish. I didn't need to remove the phosphates chemically (seachem phosguard).

I'm also using neutral regulator, which I recently learned had phosphates. I was told to dose it when each time mg ph dropped so ive dosed it 3 times this week. My KH is a bit low (3 deg) and I have aquasoil so it is pulling my ph down.

I'm also running CO2 (diy) with a drop checker. Although i don't think I'm injecting enough. It's green not but within the 2 hours. Its so a darker green not a lime green at 2 hours. 

Thoughts on my plants turning black and what i should do with the whole phosphates situation. My water parameters and supplemental info are below both the tank and my tap: pictures of blackened leaves are attached as well: the last photo where everything seems not a bad was taken yesterday evening.:

Tank size : 10 gal , Soil: ada Amazonia, Light: twinstar light II 450c (on for 7 hours total : 3 hours on, off for 7, on for 4.)

tank parameters as of tonight (Seattle): 

Ammonia & nitrates : 0ppm

Nitrates: 5ppm

Ph : 6.4

Kh: 3 

Gh:5 (also using equilibrium)

Phos: 5-10ppm (color is somewhere between those 2)

 

Tap water parameters:

Ph: 7.2

Kh: 4

Gh: 2

Phos: 0

Livestock : 1 Betta, 3 amano shrimp. They seem fine. 

Plants: carpeting grass, java Fern, anubias, tiger liies, vals, Amazon swords, and a couple others that Im not too sure of. 

If you made it this far, thanks again!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fin rot?]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:56 AM, NOLANANO said:

If you need clean water, look into getting floating plants. I'd steer clear of duckweed because once its in the tank, its very hard to get rid of. I use Salvinia but there is also frog bit or red root floaters.  The Betta will love the cover from above and the floaters will use up the excess nitrates. A lot of stem plants work the same but those are a little more work because you have to trim them when they get too long. With floaters, you just scoop out a few hand fulls when it gets too dense.

Oh definitely. This is his temp tank since the other planned tank I have is so cycling. I have some sivinias and water lettuce, although I'm going to take out the water lettuce when I put him in there since I read that it's actually a dangerous plant for them. I'm looking into getting some frogbit too though. 

On 11/11/2022 at 5:38 PM, Rita said:

So I personally don't see fin rot in this picture. The clear tips of the tail usually indicate the fins are growing back. Unfortunately I don't know a lot about eye ailments... but I second the clean water and aquarium salt to see if it helps!

Oh that's good. I'm new to the hobby and when I heard of fin rot, I started to get paranoid haha. Could the clear tips of the tail also mean that it's growing? 

[Fin rot?]

Thank you! I'll sit tight and just monitor him then. I get paranoid haha. 

[Fin rot?]

Hello, 

This is gingerbread. I'm not sure if he's in the early stages of fin rot or not. The tips of his tail have gotten a little clear and jagged and I don't remember it being like that when I got him. Also a coyote if days ago I saw fogg or something like that on one of his eyes. Google said it could be due to a scratch from a tank decoration. You can kind of see it in the picture. Other eye looks normal and black. Any thoughts on the fin and eye? It's not that great of a picture of the tail. He's camera shy. Thanks in advance for the help!

[Algea? New tank, currently cycling]

On 10/18/2022 at 6:20 PM, Pepere said:

Beneficial bacteria grows faster with higher ph, up to around ph of 8…

It also does better with lots of oxygenation(airstones) and temps close to 80.

Plants tend to like it a few degrees cooler and a little lower ph than 8.

 

I am not saying a water change is definitely theright thing to do, but I personally would do one myself to drop the nitrates a little and to remove some of the Algae.

Hmm ok. I'm on the right track. I have a sponge filter with an air stone and my temp is about 79degf. I'll probably end up doing a water change just to raise my ph a bit. 

On 10/18/2022 at 6:22 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

You can. A new, clean toothbrush works well for the task. Diatoms are good for tank cycling. Seeing them means you’re making progress.

That's reassuring. I'll probably brush the diatomes off of the leaves and end up doing a partial water change to up my ph back to at least 6.5. 

[Algea? New tank, currently cycling]

Oh ok. So I need to do anything to help it along? I'm guessing I should brush it off of my plant leaves though right? So that it doesn't suffocate it? And with my ph at 6.0, is that a problem for the cycling process? Will that stall it? 

 

[Algea? New tank, currently cycling]

Hi again! Is this algae in my tank? My tank is 15 days old. A planted tank using ada Amazonia aquasoil. Parameters are 4ppm ammonia, 0.5 ppm nitrite, and 40-80ppm nitrate. This fuzz is all over my decorations, some plants, and part of my filter. My ph dropped from 6.6 to 6.0. I tested my tap water and it was 7.2. I'm guessing it's the soil and ammonia that dropped my ph? Will the cycling process stall at a pH of 6? I've seen online yes and no. Also, should I be removing the "algae?" Ive also been told to just let the tank cycle and don't touch it. Meaning no water changes or anything. I have a bunch of mulm (?) In my plants ans in my tank too. I've been brushing them off. Thoughts?

[What's this brown stuff on my plants?]

The tank is 10 gallons. I was planning on adding some khuli loaches. Would that work? 

[What's this brown stuff on my plants?]

It shouldn't be rotting fish food because there's no fish in it. I'm going to add my betta in there when the tank is cycled. Should I clean the filter? Shouldn't the filter suck all that up? 

[What's this brown stuff on my plants?]

Hello,

I have a planted tank (my first ever tank) that's currently cycling. The tank is just shy of 2 weeks old. I'm seeing this brown debris on my plants. Its more visible on some plants more than others but it's on all my plants. When disturbed, it ends up floating all around my tank. I have a sponge filter. Could it be clogged? There also seems to be little spider web/fuzz like things on my plants. What is it and what do I do? Any help is definitely appreciated. 

[Newbie here, help!]

Hahah, yeah that octopus decoration belongs to my oldest and he loves it. So the anubias is glued onto the rock and not planted. I accidentally opened my java Fern and it wasn't doing so hot but I pulled it out and just let it float. Hopefully it'll heal itself. I think in starting to see new growth from my melting Vals. The leaves there are starting to look more green! 

Thank you all for your help! My tank is cycling and now it's a waiting game. I moved my beta to another tank while this main one is cycling. I'm starting to see what I believe is new growth. There are val blades that are super green so I'm pretty sure that's new growth! Super excited to see something happening! 

[Newbie here, help!]

Hello everyone! Y'all are so awesome. So Im doing my water changes. My nitrites showed up so keeping an eye on that and water changing. I do notice that my vallisnerias are not doing so well. They look like they're dying. And they have this fuzz on them. Only the vallisnerias though. Any thoughts? Im about ready to take the fish out and just let the tank cycle and stop messing with it. 

[Newbie here, help!]

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the help! Sorry for the delayed reply. A lot has happened since I posted. Welp, I put him into my 10 gallon tank because my heater was failing and it heated up my water to 91degrees by the time I noticed! My poor fish. He's seems fine now. Much happier in the 10 gallon. I'm checking my water parameters everyday. The day after I set up my tank, so Monday, my parameters were 3-4 ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 5ppm nitrates. Tested my tap and 0 nitrates. Before putting my betta in, I dosed the tank with 4x prime to detoxify the 4ppm ammonia. I continued with the seachem stability per the bottle instructions. Today I checked the parameters and the ammonia is still still the same (3-4 ppm), 0 nitrites, and 10 nitrates. I contacted an aquarium store and they said the 4ppm ammonia is from the substrate. As of now, my fish looks happy. He likes the plants. 

 

So now I have another issue. Trying to figure out if it's my heater or the placement. I have a sponge filter right in the middle of my tank. When initially setting up my tank, we forgot about the filter so we placed it were it would fit, which was the center of the towards the background. Well, the heater, an Oase 50w adjustable heater, was set to 79.5 deg f. Well, after we hours, it only got my tank up to 77.5.  degrees. Im using a digital thermometer. I put a meat thermometer next to the digital and it reads pretty close to it to. The placement of the heater is behind the sponge filter laying horizontally on the soil. I turned the heater up to 80.5 but it only heated my water to 77.7 deg. It's current set to 82 and I have my thermometer right next to it to measure the temp of the surrounding water (77.9 degf).  Does my heater need to be off the soil or is it ok laying directly on the soil? Is it my water flow? Is it just terribly calibrated? Is it going bad?  I've attached some pictures for reference. 

[Newbie here, help!]

Hi, newbie here! I have a question about quarantining a new fish. So I have one fish, a beta, and it's the only one that will go into a 10 gallon planted tank. He seems healthy but I was going to administer the trio meds as a precaution. My tank hasn't cycled yet. Should I wait until the tank has cycled and keep it in it's small tank right now? I got him recently and his current tank (half gallon tank - I know, I didn't know better until after I bought him hence the 10 gallon tank upgrade) hasnt cycled yet either. So how sound I go about administering the trio? Should I put him in a quarantine tank, and Wait until the quarantine tank cycles and then dose? Or should I wait until his display tank cycles then dose in there? And 1 week after the dosing, does he still need to be quarantined or can I move him to his permanent home?  And do I use the same products and dosing if I have shrimp too? Sorry, lots of questions. I feel like I'm over thinking this.