Java fern issue

[beaka]

Hello all!

I have a 32 g tank, the Fluval Flex. Set up 7 mths ago. Heavily planted. I use Easy Green on an every-other-day basis, and have used the Tropica Plant Growth C02 system (used it for 5 mths until a week ago I took it down). All of the plants were doing amazingly, until the last 2 mths, I noticed my Java fern and Anubias are having issues, yellowing/browing leaves, die off, basically looking very unwell. Picture attached. My stem plants are doing amazing. No problems there. I have 4 other tanks, no such issues. I did look back at the blog re Nutrient Deficiencies, and maybe I have a potassium issue? Water params are good, pH 7.4, Ammonia zero, Nitrates a bit high at about 50 but I just did a water change, and do so every 2-3 weeks or a top up.

If anyone, including Cory, has any insight, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

[beaka]

Hey! I just did some more reading...and I read that these plants do not like high lighting. My Flex has both light bars in place, so it's well lit. Could THIS be the issue? I do now see that my other tanks do NOT have such high lighting. 

[AudreyB]

Following. I have been battling the same problem. I did dose with potassium for about a month with no change. 

[Mr. Ed's Aquatics]

I have the same problem, tried dosing potassium, no luck. Saw they didn't like high light and switched to a lower light with less duration ... no luck. 

I hope you figure this out as everything I tried does no good.

[MickS77]

Do you know what your Gh is? If your water is super soft it could be some mineral deficiency. Your faster growing stems plants could be soaking up minerals and nutrients before the Java fern and anubia. Maybe try dosing Easy Iron once a day week to see if that helps. I grow Java fern quite well under high light. 

[AudreyB]

Following. I have been battling the same problem. I did dose with potassium for about a month with no change. Dosed with iron too. I use WonderShell and gH is between 10-11. 
 

im actually ready to throw it out. Its not doing anything. 

[Cory]

Most often people have java fern being out competed for nutrients by other plants. In the original poster's tank, this is highly likely when you add higher light and co2. Other plants just take up nutrients faster. So while you may have enough nitrogen, you are most likely running out of trace elements and others. Stem plants when growing well can grow 6+ inches a day and really just consume the lions share of nutrients and java fern on it's best week grows like 1 more leaf. 

[Mr. Ed's Aquatics]

I've heard that African cichlids don't eat java ferns or Anubias. I might toss it in there, (it's the coop on wood kind) if they finish killing it no big deal. But maybe without competition from any other plants it might come back?

Not sure if I should add aragonite or coral to counter the driftwood or not. Don't think 2 chunks of wood will make much impact, but don't want to risk harming healthy fish trying to save dying plants. 

[beaka]

Cory, thanks so much for your response. It makes perfect sense, and I will now have to rethink the plant ratio in that tank. As I said, the other tanks don't suffer from this issue, and I now see why: there are less stem plants present. 

 

[beaka]

Mick, Thank you for your response! I see now it IS likely my stem plants that are taking up all the nutrients. I am going to rethink the planting in this tank to prevent this in the future.

 

[AudreyB]

Thanks! I’m also going to try the extra micronutrients and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for posting this Beaka!