Plants look like dying

[Dukester]

I have a 26 gallon bow front. With lots of plants. I have 55 watts of
light running 12 hours a day. I notice some of my plants are dying.
The leaves look like you can see thru them. Like as if it is
disintergrating or something. Other plants are fine. It is strange..
Is that lack of some type of nutrient?

I dose with trace elements and what not....

My question is basically what does the "see thru" leaves mean?

[Koi-lo]

"Dukester" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I have a 26 gallon bow front. With lots of plants. I have 55 watts of
> light running 12 hours a day. I notice some of my plants are dying.
> The leaves look like you can see thru them. Like as if it is
> disintergrating or something. Other plants are fine. It is strange..
> Is that lack of some type of nutrient?
>
> I dose with trace elements and what not....
>
> My question is basically what does the "see thru" leaves mean?
=================================
Before anything else - are they real aquarium plants? Many stores are
selling tropical plants for aquariums and these turn transparent, then rot
away as they are NOT submersible plants and always die underwater. Make
sure you're buying genuine aquarium plants.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Dukester]

they are definintey real plants. I brought them online from
thatfishplace.com as the special.. "jungle plant" package

[Dukester]

Jungle vallisneria

Corkscrew val

Marble radican
1
Rosette

Cardamine

Med Amazon

Med Brazil

Purple cabomba

Rotala

Microsword

Those are the plants I have. MY light is 55 watts but I also have the
ability for 110 watts, But I did not use the other bulb because it is
actinic.. should I alternate 1 day with the combination of the 55 watt
sunlight bulb with the actinic, and the next day with just the 55watt
sunlight bulb?

Is it light deficinciency? I also have a co2 unit running.. .. its the
cheap Hagen type that uses yeast.

Plants are not all dying or anytying,, but some of the plants show
those odd signs mentioned above.. thanks

[Empty]

On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 06:16:35 -0800, Dukester wrote:

> I have a 26 gallon bow front. With lots of plants. I have 55 watts of
> light running 12 hours a day. I notice some of my plants are dying. The
> leaves look like you can see thru them. Like as if it is disintergrating
> or something. Other plants are fine. It is strange.. Is that lack of
> some type of nutrient?
>
> I dose with trace elements and what not....
>
> My question is basically what does the "see thru" leaves mean?

Crypts sometimes 'melt' like this if they have been moved around or the
water chemistry changed. If you think it is a nutrient problem check out:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

What kind of plants do you have in there? That wattage is good for medium
and low light plants.

~Empty

[Altum]

Try getting your nitrates above 5 ppm and dosing more potash. If you
see pinholes in any of the leaves before they go clear, it's definately
potash.

[Dukester]

Hmmm.. interesting I am currently dosing Seachem's flourish and
flourish trace. They dont contain enough potash?

Thanks

[Altum]

Hard to say - Every plant tank is different. I have lots fast-growing
watersprite and hygrophila and they're easy on iron but require extra
potash and nitrogen. Check here and see if anything else fits.
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

There's probably not enough light for the purple cambomba and
microsword and I've never had luck with Valis. I grow sag instead.
Everything I've heard says actinics cause algae problems in FW so buy a
different bulb if you want to try more light.

Sometimes with a new setup it's easiest to see what grows and aquascape
with that! ;-)

[Dukester]

Some fishes just drop dead in my tank.. My clown loach.. just dead ...

I think my PH drops too much due to Co2.... I may have to give that up.

[Cheryl Rogers]

No, No, no! Don't stop CO2.

RIGHT NOW, agitate the surface of the water by adding an airstone on
full. AND/OR get a pitcher and dip it into the tank. From a great
height, slowly pour the water back in, disturbing the surface as much as
possible. Repeat until the fish are no longer seeing pink elephants.

Can you test for your water's KH? Very simple count-the-drops test.

Likely your KH is too low. You can increase KH by adding a little baking
soda. Get it up to 4 or 5 degrees. This will also increase pH.

Transparant leaves to me sounds like either a nitrogen deficiency or an
iron deficincy. I also use Seachem ferts, and I dose with Seachems
Flourish Iron because there's just not enough iron for my plants in the
regular Flourish.

You can also get ferts at www.gregwatson.com.

Cheryl



Dukester wrote:
> Some fishes just drop dead in my tank.. My clown loach.. just dead ...
>
> I think my PH drops too much due to Co2.... I may have to give that up.
>