Pogostemum - normal melt or dying?

[Polynomial]

Hi all,

Started a new tank a little over a week ago. I inserted root tabs when I set it up and added fertilizer about six days later.

I am wondering if this is just standard melt from new plants or if this pogostemum is in more dire shape. There are other plants in the tank but they seem to be doing a bit better with less melt.

This tank has a lot of tannins from the driftwood. Long term I plan to just reduce it with water changes but I’m wondering if it could be affecting anything now in terms of lighting. The tank is pretty dark from it. Should I do a water change or just let it ride? Other posts I’ve read suggested waiting on water changes when cycling if possible.

[HH Morant]

That looks worse than normal to me. My pogos generally start new growth - thinner leaves -from the top even before they drop the old wider leaves. Sorry that I don't have any idea as to why the plants pictured are doing poorly.

[Jungle Fan]

Your Pogostemon was likely raised emersed and is going through a melt phase converting to submersed leaves. I'd give it a bit more time to see if it recovers, too many aquarium owners toss their plants instead of giving them time to recover and get established.

At least in the top picture the tannin level in your water does not look very extreme, so I don't expect it affects your pH much as of yet. However a water change is never wrong. I've kept discus tanks before that had extreme levels of tannin, where I deliberately did not pre-soak driftwood, and added extra almond leaves, alder cones, and seed pods to lower the ph, and even in those I kept plenty of plants like Amazon swords, crypts, and cambomba.

Even in my current tank while I pre-soaked the wood to avoid extreme levels, I add Blackwell Aquatics blackwater extract for shrimp  to add in some tannin specifically for the cardinals, rummynose, and Bolivian rams, but also for my plants, as they actually do tend to grow better in water with a bit of tannin, on top of adding ferts.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Jungle Fan