Help! Unhealthy plants!!

[KimmoKun]

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with my plants. Please help! I have asked some people regarding this but they don't really know what's wrong. My plants seem quite unhealthy and I'm not sure what to do.

There seems to be a slight thin layer of algae covering the leaves. The leaves seems to be dying and my java fern has black spots on them.

Specs:

-3 gallon tank
-Wave-point Mirco Sun 6,500 k Daylight High Output 16-Watt LED Fixture Lighting for Aquarium, 12-Inch (half covered because algae was growing)- approximately on for 5 hours
-Florin Axis Carbon Source
-Florin Fe (for my Amazon Sword)

I've attached some photos. Please help! I can't seem to establish a healthy aquarium.

Also, on my drift wood, I don't know if you can see, I have these weird root-like thing growing on them. I've scrubbed them and they keep growing and they spread like wild-fire!

 

[ImACoolguy]

How long ago was the tank set up?

Holes in the leaves usually indicate a nutrient deficiency.

Clip off the bad/wilting leaves as close to the root system as possible so it can form new leaves, otherwise the plant is sending nutrients to a dying leaf.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[Rpeinhardt]

What are your phosphate/nitrate levels?

Are you fertilizing with anything else?

 

[KimmoKun]

I've had the tank for about 2-3 years, but it only had a beta and the java fern for the longest time. I started to add more plants and fishes in about 6 months ago.

I haven't tested my phos/nitrate levels yet.... Probably should do that. I've actually never tested it before. I change half of the water every 1-2 weeks in hopes that the nitrate doesn't get to high.

I don't add any other fertilizers because someone told me that it adds to the algae growing on the leaves.

Thanks so much for the reply.

 

[hjsvt]

This thread might help you some. I started thinking I had a nitrogen deficiency but it turned out to be an iron deficiency. There are some good links and info in the thread. Might help you out some. You do need to add some things to see healthy growth and plants. They need a carbon source and N,P and K for macro nutrients and micro nutrients too. You'll see algae if you don't balance these things.

 

[KimmoKun]

Thanks for the link. I will get some more nutrients in there and see if that helps. Thanks for all the help. I bought a testing kit but just realize that it doesn't test for phosphate or potassium.

 

[hjsvt]

I have the API phosphate test which is sold separately from the master kit. I haven't found a potassium test kit for freshwater and what I read so far says the potassium level isn't as critical but there's so much conflicting info out there is hard to really know what to believe sometimes.

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[Delapool]

I ended up getting a coral shop potassium test kit. Pricey though but cheaper than others and it tests in the FW range whereas SW seemed to start testing at around 150ppm.

Would be keen to know if you find anything else simpler and cheaper.


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/coral-shop-potassium-test-kit-331838.html

 

[Vlado21]

You don't need to solve potassium, measure basic water parameters with this e.g. Esha Test Strips x50 !

Problem might be a drift wood (was it bought in aqua-shop?, how long you have it?). If it's rotting (stinking), it must go to trash asap! For recovering unhealthy plants, I recommend everyone launching CO2-set (Beginner's Guide to CO2 Injection in the Planted Tank - Aquarium Advice) , but I don't know if it's your possible option too...

 

[hjsvt]

I ended up getting a coral shop potassium test kit. Pricey though but cheaper than others and it tests in the FW range whereas SW seemed to start testing at around 150ppm.

Would be keen to know if you find anything else simpler and cheaper.


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/coral-shop-potassium-test-kit-331838.html

I haven't found one yet. I'll go post my thoughts on your other thread to avoid derailing this thread. Everything I've read says it's necessary and important but the levels aren't as critical.

So I have a low light tank, with corresponding low light plants. I'm not looking for fast growth just some growth and healthy. From what I've read balance is the key
#1 Light - where is your light in the range of low, medium high.
#2 CO2 - the higher the light the more CO2 is needed and leads to injection to keep things balanced.
#3 Nutrients Macro and Micro - so there is much debate about whether nutrients are really needed in a low light tank like mine. But IME with my tank, water chemistry, stocking, setup even low light and with daily recommended doses of Flourish Excel my plants needed iron. Also my plants were added during my fishless cycle and nitrate were high. After I added fish, with each WC my nitrate were dropping lower and lower and not recovering. So now after a WC, I test for nitrates and determine the level and add back N with Flourish Nitrogen to start off the week least 10 ppm. That seems to keep them up with in the 10-20 range for the week. My tank also seems to go through phosphates. I aim for about 1 ppm depending on where my nitrates are and I find I have to add phosphates 2-3 times a week to try and maintain the 1 ppm level. So right now, I'm still trying to figure out a dosing schedule but I do think that even low light slow growth tanks need nutrients but what exactly depends on so many factors the best thing you can do is research what the plants you have require, test for the major nutrients to see what is missing and experiment and watch your plants. I think they will tell you when they need something. The trick is to figure out what exactly they need!

 

[Mebbid]

Wow, there's soo much going on in this thread right now.

First: The java ferns - These plants grow from a rhizome and shouldn't be planted. When planted they eventually die off. Proper methods for keeping these plants include tying it to a decoration, usually driftwood.

Second: Swords - These are root feeders. Additions of fertilizer like your iron supplement will do little to nothing to help them. Instead they need root tabs for proper health. They have a serious nutrient deficiency

You can use this little chart to help figure out what nutrient is deficient.

I would add root tabs underneath the plants. The store bought ones like flourish are generally crap, I make my own and have great success with them. The link to making them is here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/mebbids-diy-root-tabs-308735.html

Third: Fertilizers - The iron supplement is really not necessary imho. If you want a proper fertilizer for this tank I would take a look at Seachem Flourish Comprehensive. It's a solid fertilizer for lower light plants and should help with your water column feeding plants. Estimative Index(EI) or PPS pro are also good fertilizer dosing regimens but are a bit more difficult than the flourish.

 

[KimmoKun]

Thank you for all the response. All have been very helpful and informative.

I was thinking of getting fertilizer for the substrate but why java ferns are on the drift wood. Is there a way to fertilize those? As for the sword, I'll get some tabs for those and for my Anubius. My driftwoods are not rotting (no funky smell) but they have something short thread-like growing on it. I want to remove my plants from the wood and see if boiling the wood would get rid of the infection.

I have new growth on all my plants. I trimmed off the dying leaves so hopefully that would do some good. I found those Esha Test Strips off of Amazon, so I'll get that too. I'll go get some substrate fertilizer and some liquid potassium this week. Hopefully that would help too.

Thanks again for all the posts. I really appreciate it.

 

[Vlado21]

KimmoKun, I keep my fingers crossed!

Just... I overlooked what substrate you use (sorry if it's in a text above).

 

[KimmoKun]

I have the Fluval Plant Stratum. I think I'm missing about one inch, only at 2 inches. I'm going to buy more substrate soon.

Thanks for the luck. I'm going to need it.

 

[Mebbid]

Thank you for all the response. All have been very helpful and informative.

I was thinking of getting fertilizer for the substrate but why java ferns are on the drift wood. Is there a way to fertilize those? As for the sword, I'll get some tabs for those and for my Anubius. My driftwoods are not rotting (no funky smell) but they have something short thread-like growing on it. I want to remove my plants from the wood and see if boiling the wood would get rid of the infection.

I have new growth on all my plants. I trimmed off the dying leaves so hopefully that would do some good. I found those Esha Test Strips off of Amazon, so I'll get that too. I'll go get some substrate fertilizer and some liquid potassium this week. Hopefully that would help too.

Thanks again for all the posts. I really appreciate it.

Java ferns are water column feeders. They will just pull nutrients out of the water column to feed off of. Their roots really only serve to anchor them to objects and as a place for new plantlets to grow from.

 

[Delapool]

Thank you for all the response. All have been very helpful and informative.



I was thinking of getting fertilizer for the substrate but why java ferns are on the drift wood. Is there a way to fertilize those? As for the sword, I'll get some tabs for those and for my Anubius. My driftwoods are not rotting (no funky smell) but they have something short thread-like growing on it. I want to remove my plants from the wood and see if boiling the wood would get rid of the infection.



I have new growth on all my plants. I trimmed off the dying leaves so hopefully that would do some good. I found those Esha Test Strips off of Amazon, so I'll get that too. I'll go get some substrate fertilizer and some liquid potassium this week. Hopefully that would help too.



Thanks again for all the posts. I really appreciate it.

I gave up trusting test strips and treat the results as an indication only. Shifted to liquid based tests, including ammonia. Just bear that in mind if you are looking at water quality parameters.

 

[KimmoKun]

Java ferns are water column feeders. They will just pull nutrients out of the water column to feed off of. Their roots really only serve to anchor them to objects and as a place for new plantlets to grow from.

Should I get liquid fertilizer for my java fern since they are water column feeders?