Anubias browning again

[rosinx]

Hey guys,

Its been many months since I last posted and the Anubias aren't doing well. I experimented with changing the amount of light (LEDs that came with 20 gallon TopFin starter kit) to no avail. I stopped dosing flourish and that seemed to help a bit. The plants don't seem to be liking it at all. But even in the long periods of not dosing any supplements, the plants aren't vibrant and healthy. The edges are browning/yellowing and wrinkling and there are a bunch of holes in the leafs. The colour of the leafs are yellowish, rather than lush green. Could it be the lighting? Should I switch to florescent? Also, I have a relatively well stocked tank so would lack of fertilisers be a possible cause? Thanks.. I have included some pictures.

 

[rosinx]

bump

 

[ImACoolguy]

I would say it's lighting and the holes in the leaves indicate lack of certain nutrients.

Let this also serve as a bump so others can see and help

Caleb

 

[rosinx]

Hey, thanks for the reply. Could it be too little lighting? I generally try to keep the lights on for 8hrs a day (LED)

 

[ImACoolguy]

Yes I think it is too little light.


Caleb

 

[rosinx]

okay, also wondering: could not doing water changes frequently (say every two weeks) cause buildup of nitrates that would be excessive to the plants? Because the flourish seems to do more harm than good.

 

[Hooked on Fish]

Hi rosinx,

I can't say for sure what is causing the problem, but I can share with you what's working for me. I have three types of Anubias all doing well but the one that's doing the best is an Anubias Barteri. You can see in the photo that it's even throwing out flower spikes.

The plant has been in the tank since January and the only maintenance I do is occasionally pull it out of the tank and dip it into a 1:20 solution of bleach to kill any algae (rinsing thoroughly before returning it). For lighting I use a PlantGlo 120 LED lighting system on a siesta lighting schedule (5 hours on, 4 hours off, followed by 5 hours on again). The reason for this is simple, after about 4-5 hours the plants will have exhausted all of the available CO2 in the water column and stopped photosynthesizing. By turning the lights off for about 4 hours the CO2 levels will recover to almost pre-dawn levels. From the plants point of view there is no point having the lights on if there is no CO2 in the water. To help with photosynthesis I also use a daily dose of EasyCarbo (Glutaraldehyde). This seems to work well for me and has the added benefit of controlling algae. And now for the contentious part, I'm using a soil substrate. This and the fish provides all the nutrient the plants need.

My water parameters are GH 6-7, ph 7.2, <5 ppm Ammonia, <5 ppm Nitrite, <10 Nitrate.

 

[Bbarb27]

okay, also wondering: could not doing water changes frequently (say every two weeks) cause buildup of nitrates that would be excessive to the plants? Because the flourish seems to do more harm than good.

I had a planted tank with no fish in it that I didn't do regular water changes in, as I was planning to tear down the tank and start over. I dosed with ammonia to keep the filter cycled but did no water changes for quite some time, so the nitrate levels were off the charts. The anubias grew like crazy. So I would say the yellowing is not due to high nitrates.

How long has the anubias been in the tank? Is it growing any new leaves? The existing leaves may be been grown emersed and are now dying, and any new leaves should come in green. Anubias grows slowly, so it can be many months after you put it in the tank before you see new leaves grow, and the old ones can tend to look brown and yellow before they die off.

 

[Darkseid76]

I have anubias nana. I would say a nutrient problem.

I had poor lighting for years with no issue.

I added a Planted Plus LED and started an EI regimen. Now it's growing faster than I can believe lol


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[philipraposo198]

Anubias can grow in next to no light... So its not that.

 

[rosinx]

@Hooked on Fish

Thank you. You're plants sure seem to be thriving. I will check out the carbon and lighting options you use.

@Bbarb27

Thanks for replying. I'm glad the nitrates shouldn't be a cause for concern. The anubias have been in the tank since the beginning of December last year. Maybe that is the cause. The plants have looked unhealthy ever since, really.

@Darkseid76

Thanks. Would there be a way to detect nutrient deficiencies quantitatively? What is a EI regimen (forgive my ignorance lol).

@philipraposo198

Thanks. Could it be too much light? I leave the LEDs on for around 8 hours although I have no idea of the PAR rating or what not. Mind you, these LEDs came with a TopFin starter kit.

Could the holes be because of snails? I have had a recent snail outbreak that seems impossible to purge Lol

 

[Darkseid76]

EI is a fertilizer dosing regimen. It can be purchased from Green Leaf Aquariums.

To be honest you can get by just dosing Excel and Flourish. Both products by Seachem and readily available.

Snails are not the culprits. Pinholes, browning, yellowing all point to lack of nutrients.




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[Autumnsky]

What is your pH? I was told that the Anubias prefer medium to hard water. I have softer water with low calcium /kH and somewhat lower TDS and can't grow other than the Nanas well. You might try adding a little of the remineralizer used for adding to RO water, and/or the ones used for shrimp. I would guess the mineral supplements for plants would be alright too.

Something to add to your investigation.

 

[Hooked on Fish]

Agree with Autumnsky.

If you are using soft water (ie rain water/RO) then you will need to add some aquarium salts to supply K, Ca , Mg and bicarbonates. I just use a freshwater aquarium salts mix purchased from my LFS.

 

[Rossi94]

Try dosing some potassium supplement


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[rosinx]

EI is a fertilizer dosing regimen. It can be purchased from Green Leaf Aquariums.

To be honest you can get by just dosing Excel and Flourish. Both products by Seachem and readily available.

Snails are not the culprits. Pinholes, browning, yellowing all point to lack of nutrients.




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Sorry about this everyone. I have been really busy lately, and haven't had time to post.

Yeah, the yellowing has gotten worse. I checked out the EI fertilizer, but shipping to Canada is really expensive, so I might just get the excel from my lfs. Thanks

 

[rosinx]

What is your pH? I was told that the Anubias prefer medium to hard water. I have softer water with low calcium /kH and somewhat lower TDS and can't grow other than the Nanas well. You might try adding a little of the remineralizer used for adding to RO water, and/or the ones used for shrimp. I would guess the mineral supplements for plants would be alright too.

Something to add to your investigation.

My pH is around the neutral range. (7.2-7.8) My water is actually on the harder side. I can't remember the exact range, but it was around 150 ppm, I think. It seems from what most people are saying, that it is a nutrient deficiency. Thanks for this

 

[rosinx]

Agree with Autumnsky.

If you are using soft water (ie rain water/RO) then you will need to add some aquarium salts to supply K, Ca , Mg and bicarbonates. I just use a freshwater aquarium salts mix purchased from my LFS.

My water is on the harder side though. although it seems to be a nutrient deficiency from what most people have said. I do have aquarium salts, but I also have cory's and the two aren't compatible from what I have read. Thanks for replying.

 

[ImACoolguy]

My water is on the harder side though. although it seems to be a nutrient deficiency from what most people have said. I do have aquarium salts, but I also have cory's and the two aren't compatible from what I have read. Thanks for replying.

Yeah no using salt if you have cories.


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