Cheesy Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Hi, I bought some plants the other week along with some new fish because I decided to dive into the world of live plants rather then fake. I had a list of easy plants I wanted, but thanks to the pandemic deliveries to my local pet shop have been a bit all over the place, so I asked out of the plants he had which would be easiest to care for. And I left with Java moss, and 2 other species I’ve forgotten the names of. But I’ll post photos to help try and identify them. My issue is that one of the plants is turning brown, then kinda see through, and then the leaf falls off, but a new leaf then regrows in its place. Whilst the other planes are growing just fine, but have this brown algae growing on some of their leaves. I also have a problem with algae growing quite quickly on the glass. But the algae on the glass isn’t brown. I use a liquid fertiliser as last time I tried live plants my issue was they wouldn’t grow, and other then that i don’t really use anything else, and my lights are on roughly 7-9 hours a day. From around midday to late evening. Thanks in advance for your advice x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesy Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 The final image i remember it had the word “cherry” in the name, if that helps with identification. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjoepez Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Some more information would help. What light are you using? What brand of fertilizer are you using? What are your water parameters and water change schedule? Now from what I see already here my thoughts are these plants were grown out of water and if that is the case all of the leaves will die back and regrow with new leaves better suited for underwater growth. When you bought them were they stored in water in a tank or were they in packaging exposed to air? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesy Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 9 minutes ago, Superjoepez said: Some more information would help. What light are you using? What brand of fertilizer are you using? What are your water parameters and water change schedule? Now from what I see already here my thoughts are these plants were grown out of water and if that is the case all of the leaves will die back and regrow with new leaves better suited for underwater growth. When you bought them were they stored in water in a tank or were they in packaging exposed to air? They were in a plant only tank. But the Java moss were in pots floating on the surface. I use Tetra PlantaMin monthly fertiliser. As for lights I’m not too sure, I bought the tank as a whole set up, it’s the Juwel rio, do you know how i can find out more about the light? Will it say it on the light ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjoepez Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 so your lights are designed for a planted tank so you should be good there. make sure there is enough nitrogen in the tank. Your ferts dont add any so make sure the fish and your water change schedule is keeping nitrogen around 40ppm. Nitrogen is the main plant fert. try to find out more about those plants. If they are root feeders you will have more work since you have inert substrate. If those plants dont work out i would recommend starting with Java Fern, Anubias, and Dwarf Aquarium Lilies. I think those 3 are the best starter plants to help you learn how to keep you tank balanced. last thing, take things slow. It can take months to get a tank balanced and it takes weeks to see changes sometimes. Also only change one variable at a time. If you start adding more fertilizer dont change your light also. See what one change makes and then adjust accordingly. Dont make huge changes. Plants take time to get situated and they do die back but they will grow back given proper care and time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesy Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 19 minutes ago, Superjoepez said: so your lights are designed for a planted tank so you should be good there. make sure there is enough nitrogen in the tank. Your ferts dont add any so make sure the fish and your water change schedule is keeping nitrogen around 40ppm. Nitrogen is the main plant fert. try to find out more about those plants. If they are root feeders you will have more work since you have inert substrate. If those plants dont work out i would recommend starting with Java Fern, Anubias, and Dwarf Aquarium Lilies. I think those 3 are the best starter plants to help you learn how to keep you tank balanced. last thing, take things slow. It can take months to get a tank balanced and it takes weeks to see changes sometimes. Also only change one variable at a time. If you start adding more fertilizer dont change your light also. See what one change makes and then adjust accordingly. Dont make huge changes. Plants take time to get situated and they do die back but they will grow back given proper care and time. Thanks so much for the information, I’ll be sure to get my nitrogen right before changing anything else, hopefully these plants work out but if not then I’ll be sure to look for the ones you suggested, my local pet shop normally has plenty but they said deliveries of been off lately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChefConfit Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Expanding on what @Superjoepez said Most plants will experience some level of melt back when put in a new tank. Either because they need to convert to their submerged form or because of a change in water parameters. As long as they are receiving proper nutrients they should grow back stronger. I'm horrible at plant ID but the one with the branched leaves looks like water wisteria to me. Both of your unidentified plants appear to be stem plants which means they are most likely water column feeders. Lastly as superjoepez said the fertilizer you are using is not a complete fertilizer. Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium are the 3 main macronutrients (nutrients needed in large amounts) we worry about when fertilizing along with many different micronutrients (nutrients needed in smaller amounts). The only macro mentioned on the product page for Plantamin is Potassium which means it's not a complete fertilizer like Easy green. That doesn't mean it won't work, just that you need another source of nitrogen and phosphorus. Fish food and poop may be adequate for your tank depending on stocking levels and what you feed, but most here find it easier to use a complete fert like Easygreen. I'm not telling you you need to buy a different fert or that the one you're using can't work, just letting you know to keep that in mind if your plants continue to struggle beyond the initial melt back. There are several charts online to help identify plant deficiencies if problems continue. Here's a coop blog article about them Nutrient Deficiencies: Why Your Aquarium Plants Are Dying WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM Do you have the perfect planted aquarium setup, but your plants are still dying one by one? Even if you’re... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 The one on the left in the first pic looks like water wisteria to me. I don't know much about plants, except that water wisteria and water sprite are often confused and I have sprites that grow like mad and also have brown spots. It doesn't seem to matter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 11 minutes ago, Maggie said: water wisteria and water sprite are often confused and I have sprites that grow like mad and also have brown spots. It doesn't seem to matter. Water sprite has an angular stem, you can feel it if you roll it around between thumb and forefinger. I haven't had water wisteria for a long time, but my memory was the stem is not angular. Maybe someone with water wisteria can check this? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 17 minutes ago, Daniel said: Water sprite has an angular stem, you can feel it if you roll it around between thumb and forefinger. I haven't had water wisteria for a long time, but my memory was the stem is not angular. Maybe someone with water wisteria can check this? Here is a closeup of the sprite's stem showing the angles and you can definitely feel them too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 I was going to guess water sprite as well. Now I know how to tell the difference. If your light is not on a timer, I would highly recommend that. It will help keep things on a more regular schedule. Regarding your plant leaves falling off, some melt back can be expected. If you are seeing new growth then things are going in the right direction. You just need some patience. Keep tabs on your water parameters and you'll get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now