Stem Plant Help

[penguinexdeus]

See photos:

I seem to have trouble with my Red Temple.  Twice now I've tried to get it to grow/ stay alive but the bottoms of the stems keep turning white.  Eventually the stem melts away and the plant starts to float.  Trimming the melted end and re-planting sometimes ends in the same result.  I've got gravel and use root tabs and fluval plant light.  What am I doing wrong?

Also, the roots from the stems of my ludwigia are super long.  Is this normal?  What i should i be doing if it's not?  They don't seem to be growing taller but the roots keep getting longer.

Thanks

[Cory]

Are you dosing fertilizers into the water column? Stem plants are primarily water column feeders. 

[penguinexdeus]

Yes. Using easy green and easy iron as well. Nitrates are around 40-80.

[Alesha]

I had that exact same issue with mine.  I was using Easy Green & root tabs & for a little while it was growing beautifully.  Then it started melting right where it went into the substrate.  I never did figure it out & eventually lost the plant. 

That tank has since been broken down, & it has remained a mystery. I'll be following along to see if someone has the answer. 👍

[Cory]

What light are you using on what size of tank? Sometimes this happens when plants grow taller they shade the bottom and the stems rot from not getting enough light down there. 

[penguinexdeus]

Using fluval plant 3.0 (I think it's 34"). It's a 46 Gal bow front.  I've got light intensity turned down a bit cause I was getting algae, but it doesn't seem shady at the base of the stems. Not planted very heavily, so nothing over top blocking light.  Current stems have been in maybe a week.  Seems like they only last a couple weeks at most

[Irene]

I had the same problem with my stem plants melting off at the base. I was dosing Easy Green up to 20 ppm nitrate, regularly adding new root tabs, and using a Fluval 3.0 light. My problem ended up being a lack in minerals (most likely calcium). I got the API GH/KH test kit and found out I have high pH at 8.0 but very soft water at 3 dGH, which is below the recommended 4-8 dGH amount for healthy plant growth (as researched from various online articles). Once I started using Wonder Shells and then Seachem Equilibrium to boost my GH levels, my stem plants started successfully growing. I did not see any of the classic signs of calcium or magnesium deficiency in my plant leaves, just the melting stems/leaves and lack of any new growth. Not sure if soft water is your issue, but my best guess is that the melting is caused by some kind of nutrient or mineral deficiency.

P.S. Just in case lighting is the issue, here are my current Fluval 3.0 light settings (for a 20-gallon high tank that is 16" tall). I have 1 hour ramp up, 6 hours on, and 1 hour ramp down. When it is on for 6 hours, it's at 30% intensity for all colors (except for 5% blue light). I finally have the algae under control, and my stem plants, java fern, aquarium lily, and crypts are all doing well under the decreased light intensity. No CO2 injection, and no floating plants that block the light.

[penguinexdeus]

Thanks. That could be it. My water is very soft. I'll put a wonder shell in and see if it helps