Dying Water Sprite

[Rokuzachi]

It quickly took over half of the top of my tank and was a lovely color until a few days ago. It's still propagating like mad, but the older growth is turning brown and transparent as the new plants come off of it. Is this the normal life cycle for the plant or is something wrong?

My smaller tank has the original plants in it, and they are doing fine. The biggest difference between the two is the amount of surface movement. The sprite stays pretty well stationary in the small tank and has growth extending up to 4" above the surface.

This leads me to believe that the plant being jostled by filter output is causing the problem. If that's the case, I'm going to build a corral of sorts to hide beneath the center support beam that goes 1" beneath the water surface to keep the plants in the still side and out of the filter output.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[rich311k]

It could be a lack of nutrients, the new growth is using the nutrients form the old growth as no others are available. Probably potassium and nitrogen, or the top is shading the bottom and the old growth is dieing. The last possibility is the plants are adjusting from emerged growth to immersed growth. Are the new leaves the same shape as the old leaves?

 

[mfdrookie516]

I would guess an N or K deficiency. What's your nitrate reading? Definitely agree with rich that the new growth is taking away from the old growth. I'm not familiar with water sprite's emersed to submerged look, so no comment there.

 

[Rokuzachi]

Thanks for the responses guys.

There was a lot of competition for nutrients in the water column until a few days ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were starved.

Without the corral I don't think Water Sprite has much of a place in my tank at the moment - too much surface movement from my two outputs and the bottom is full up on things that I'd prefer to have there over the Sprite. It's hard to tell if the growth is different, but it wouldn't surprise me. The stuff went back and forth from being immersed and submersed because of the circulation.

For the time being I've moved it all back to the mostly-still 10 gallon to see if I can revitalize it while I build my barrier.