Cabomba browning

[Sicklid]

I was wondering if you guys filter these tanks? I just removed my mini sponge filter because it was hogging up room for my new background Cambomba. I see many planted tanks have min. water movement anyway, and my Betta could care less if there is no water movement (and is probably glad to be rid of the buzz of the pump too).

So what do yall think? I change 30% of the water a few times a week with a daily removal of uneaten food, so I should be fine, right?

Also, when a plant like Crypt Wendtii spreads out, will it put out less leaves where it touches the side of the tank, or will it grow pressed up against the glass?

 

[Mosaic]

That will be an awesome little tank when it grows in! Where's the betta in the pic?

I don't filter my 2.5. And a 30% weekly PWC is way better than I do. You shouldn't have any problems.

My crypt actually seemed to grow inwards. It was incredibly dense. When I moved it today, it apparently has been working on making lots of new baby plants instead of growing up and out. As for other plants, they'll grow up against the glass if they have to. There's really not many other places to go in a tank of that size. Your stem plants will most likely grow crooked if the glass or canopy gets in the way.

Check out the myrio and rotala growing all lopsided. And the fat little crypt on the right.

 

[Swank]

wow...what a happy looking little tank!

 

[Sicklid]

Thanks, Mosaic, for knowledge/inspiration. If you look at the chunk of wood there is a hole in the upper knob on the right that the Betta likes to hide in. He can go all the way down. I have a post in the DIY section with a view of the canopy and stand I made where I think he's visible. I am hoping to have the Fern grow over or into that hole eventually. I am also hoping to keep my Crypt low/compact like yours. I figured the stemmed stuff will grow crooked, and I am cool w/ that, but I am worried that if I trim its' height too often to keep it below the surface it won't do well.

Swank I like yer dog!

 

[Mosaic]

I wish you luck with the cabomba and java fern. Those were the only things that wouldn't grow in my 2.5 I love the canopy you made! It would make the tank look like a 10g, if the can of fish food wasn't sitting right next to it in the pic.

I honestly don't know how or why the crypt does what it does, otherwise I'd give you tips. I actually wish it grew just a little bigger, since it is my favorite. I trim my stem plants every two weeks at a minimum (usually more often), because I enjoy messing around with the tank and they get out of hand if I don't. But if you don't mind them bending over then you don't need to trim. They can actually make a cool canopy of their own that way.

 

[Sicklid]

I am surprised that J Fern didn't make it in your tank, I always heard they were impossible to kill so that was the first plant I bought. I lost a few raggedy leaves when I first got mine, but I think I already see new growth from the roots/rhizome. I tied mine to a stone behind the wood and let it sit on the substrate with the roots exposed.

 

[arrow1234]

I am surprised that J Fern didn't make it in your tank, I always heard they were impossible to kill so that was the first plant I bought. I lost a few raggedy leaves when I first got mine, but I think I already see new growth from the roots/rhizome. I tied mine to a stone behind the wood and let it sit on the substrate with the roots exposed.

yep, exactly wt happened to me too PLUS, there are 2 more seeds in the base come with that havent grown yet now they start blooming and flowing everywhere by the current.....

and i think i have the same plant as Sicklid's, the tall plant on middle-left hand side in the following picture
---------------------\|/ this one

and it left a mess when its pine-leaves started dying, but its fine now

 

[Mosaic]

I didn't say I lost it. I just said I couldn't grow it. I tried adding a little plantlet, and it did nothing for two months, so I moved it to another tank. I just added a different java fern species in there. I hope it does better *fingers crossed*

It was the cabomba that just disintigrated. Oh well.

 

[Sicklid]

I have done a little rearranging, added some new plants (thanks Mosaic ). Waiting for the Rotala to hide my heater. Can anyone speculate why the Cabomba is brown? It happened all of a sudden, like inside of a week. I know it's going to be a deficiency, but I am test-kitless... iron, or maybe potassium? I just use Flourish and Excel currently due to the size of this tank. The Java Fern is shooting out MANY plantlets off the back of the leaves, and the Crypt is putting out baby plants and new leaves all the time. Green surface algae shows up, but I brush it off and dose a bit more on the Excel and it seems to keep it at a manageable level.

Betta can be seen terrorizing the snail, and he REALLY likes to uproot the E. Trianda as much as he can.

 

[zenkatydid]

i had an unidentified plant similar to cabomba (possible a milfoil) that browned like that due to not enough light. is your bulb old or anything?

 

[squawkbert]

The crypt front & ceneter in my 46g pic (see sig link) was in my 5g until ~3 weeks ago, so that's what they look like after taking over a tank. Touching stuff didn't bother it much.

 

[Sicklid]

Well, I just added another bulb.. I now have 2 x 13w of compact fluorescent burning over this tank, but I also just added some stuff, so what I am thinking is that until I added the new plants which nearly doubled the plant load, that the cabomba was able to get its nutrients, now it has a lot more competition, and isn't getting it's fair share. Prior to that is was growing about an inch a day and was a nice dark green.