Plant health concerns

[Hoobfoob]

Hi everyone, I need some advice on getting my plants looking better. I've done a little research and it looks like they may have some nutrient deficiencies.

The tank is healthy but the plants have seen better days. They're not as vibrant green as they used to be. The whole tank seems to be a shade more yellow. Some plants show more pronounced symptoms than others: Almost all the Java ferns have black dots on otherwise healthy looking leaves, and the crypts have wavy/crinkled edges to their leaves.

View attachment 298615
Java fern lookin kinda rough

Cabomba suddenly looking pathetic after growing like a weed for weeks??
View attachment 298616
My precious crypts with wrinkly leaf edges
View attachment 298617
Small plant in lower left corner with new leaves growing crinkled

Any advice? I love my plants and don't want them to suffer, and in turn make my fishies suffer. I'm most concerned about it all being a slow spiral downwards and being a slow, painful process of recovering (not that I'm looking for a quick fix or anything).

I dose Flourish Excel liquid carbon daily, and osmocote root tabs every 4-6 weeks/whenever I remember. The lights are on for about 8 hours a day, but the light strength isn't strong (I don't think even 1 watt per gallon).

I'm not on a super strict budget but let's try to keep monthly costs reasonable (~$25). Any and all advice is appreciated

 

[Fresh2o]

What type of lighting are you using?
The plants you have would benefit from water column ferts. There are many brand name products you can use. I'm using dry ferts which basically a set of powders that you mix with water and add to your tank daily. In 2013 I purchased the PPS-Pro kit from Green Leaf Aquariums for about $30-35. Im still using it. Talk about economical.

 

[Hoobfoob]

The 30 inch fluorescent bulbs that came with the tank. I am planning on upgrading, just need the time and money and also to figure out the details. I'm not adding a CO2 system any time soon so I don't want to push the lighting too much!

That sounds like exactly what I need and what I was looking for! Just a mix of different nutrients that cover all the basics. Did you notice a distinct improvement in your plants after you started using them? And that is very economical [emoji6]

 

[Fresh2o]

I really can't say that I noticed a distinct difference early on. I may have been trying to address some deficiencies and wanted something more comprehensive (and easy on the wallet) than the two products I was using (API Leaf Zone and Seachem Flourish Comprehensive).

 

[Caliban07]

Correct me if I am wrong because I have only ever used root tabs once but they normally last about 8-9 months? If so that is a lot of osmocote tabs slowly releasing Fertilisers. How many would you say you have added? Do you manage to get all the little balls out from previous additions? When you add new ones?

A micro nutrient toxicity may explain why plants originally grew fine but are all now beginning to struggle.

 

[Hoobfoob]

Oh dang, really? When I got them the person said he used them every other month-ish. I honestly didn't even research osmocote when I got them. When I vacuum the gravel I do still see the little balls occasionally. I did think to myself that they sure were lasting a long time. I've put in maybe 8 (3-4 each time?) into the tank since I got them earlier this year. I'll definitely keep that in mind from now on.

If it matters at all, I vacuum the gravel once a week and only vacuum what my siphon can reach, so collectively only like half of it. 50% water changes once a week as well.

 

[Caliban07]

Your water changes will have helped the situation. But I think this may be a time thing where eventually and collectively the osmocote are releasing a large amount of nutrients to the point where the combined concentration is too much. I cannot believe for a minute this is a deficiency.

How many is the total osmocote tabs you have added roughly?

 

[Hoobfoob]

I thought it was turning into a slow decline in health. I'll vacuum the gravel next water change day and specifically keep an eye out for the little balls. I'll let whatever is left take its course and then lay off the tabs for a while.

I looked up DIY osmocote tabs and found that people add them every 2-3 months or less, as they see fit. I think my doses were approx that. So definitely not 8 months, but 6 weeks maybe not have been long enough.

The numbers I said before were collective. I think I've added around 8 in total since I got them earlier this year. I've put them in only twice, 3-4 each time. That doesn't sound *too* bad to me, but the timing does seem about right.

 

[Caliban07]

I would agree that doesn't seem a lot but if your tank is small and your uptake is low....
Simple test is water change and lay off the dosing for a couple of weeks. Look for new growth.

Please report back though.

 

[Caliban07]

You are also more likely to have issues in soft water.

 

[Hoobfoob]

It's 36 gallons and moderately planted. I don't think it's reached toxic levels yet but I'd rather be safe than sorry. That and the proof is in the pudding, something isn't quite right! I'm just glad I caught it and it (hopefully) won't get any worse.

We live in the suburbs so we definitely get soft, chlorine treated city water. Of course I'd be fighting an uphill battle right there, lol.

Would this micro nutrient excess explain a sudden fuzzy fungus outburst? I had almost completely gotten rid of it when it suddenly bounced back.

 

[Caliban07]

Micro nutrient toxicity has been linked **anecdotally via causal observations** to promote several types of algae either directly or indirectly. In other words, it is not impossible to have had some input towards the fungus but that could be entirely unrelated to your plants problems. This is also true with the micro nutrient toxicity diagnosis as a whole.

Having said that, in my opinion and experience, there is enough information here for me to suspect that your plants will improve by changing lots of water and removing as many of those little balls as you can.

 

[Hoobfoob]

Small update:

Haven't done a water change or deep clean yet, but I have noticed some new growth on one of my anubias plants. I noticed it either right before or right after I created this thread. The new leaf came in very yellow but has turned more green. It isn't fully mature yet but has grown a lot since I first noticed it. New growth is always a good sign, right?