HELP! Melting Plants

[Wingman-Goose]

I have set up a new tank in my garage as an experiment for shrimp.


I have placed in a beta soil substrate and placed the first plants in last week. There are no shrimp or fish in the tank yet ( first going in today ). I have been dosing profito and easycarbo as advised ( easycarbo maybe a little over as it is hard to get such little amounts ).

I have a eheim diffuser and sponge filter running in the tank which is a 24"x12"x12".

The plants looked okay for a couple of days but now are starting to melt, some very quickly. I have an Arcadia stretch LED light which I run for 6-8 hours a day. The temperature is 24 degrees.

Can anyone help me as to why the plants are melting and what I can do to prevent this?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Brookster123]

What kind of plants?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Wingman-Goose]

I have wendtii crypts green and brown. A Nevelli crypt, stauroglyne repens and a posts-something helferi


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[DaleV87]

24 degrees seems kinda cold to me.?
I can only assume this is a Celsius measurement.?

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Wingman-Goose]

Yes it would be about 75 Fahrenheit


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[ImACoolguy]

Crypts often melt when introduced to new environments. Especially if the temp is different than the previous tank.

Give them a bit, they will make a comeback.


Caleb

 

[Wingman-Goose]

Will these make a comeback. Probably need more substrate on the left but it is built up to about 2" where the plants are on the right. The plants on the left have lost a lot of leaves and this is wants left and doesn't look great


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[ImACoolguy]

Ahh... Does it have any root tabs?


Caleb

 

[Wingman-Goose]

I haven't put root tabs in, I was told the plants I had would not need a fertilised base or root tabs


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[ImACoolguy]

I haven't put root tabs in, I was told the plants I had would not need a fertilised base or root tabs


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

Nope, I wouldn't trust them.

Crypts need root tabs to do well. I'd dare say that's why they are getting worse.


Caleb

 

[Wingman-Goose]

Thanks, Any recommendations of root tabs? I will get some, what do you just sink them in near to the roots?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[ImACoolguy]

Thanks, Any recommendations of root tabs? I will get some, what do you just sink them in near to the roots?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

You bury them as deep as possibly under the plant.

I use a DIY recipe and it has worked wonderfully. I keep lots of crypts.

Search for "Mebbids DIY root tabs" if you are interested. It's easily 1000x more cost effective than retail tabs.


Caleb

 

[Wingman-Goose]

Thanks. Will those or any other tabs be safe for shrimp as I plan on breeding them in this tank.

I have heard some of the tabs have copper in them


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Coursair]

The tabs are safe. Trace amounts of copper in fish foods and in plant Ferts are typically safe. It's the copper based fish Meds that will NUKE shrimp [emoji53]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ImACoolguy]

Thanks. Will those or any other tabs be safe for shrimp as I plan on breeding them in this tank.

I have heard some of the tabs have copper in them


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

I've used those tanks in a tank with RCS and red rili with no issues.


Caleb

 

[Wingman-Goose]

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Coyne]

As stated above: it's pretty normal for crypts to melt like that when introduced to a new environment. They should grow new stems and leaves once it adjusts to the chemistry in your tank.
I'm not going to tell you that you don't need root tabs, but I have that same plant in one of my tanks and they are doing fine without them. In fact, I've greatly reduced the amount of liquid ferts I add to that tank and the crypt growth has not even slowed down. I suppose it is possible that my tap water already contains enough nutrients for some plants. Your results may vary.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Wingman-Goose]

Thanks for all the help. Will find some root tabs to try and see what happens. Woke up today and the crypts on the right side have now heavily melted as well. I can't see new growth but hopefully it's there

Should I keep removing dead stems etc and should I remove plants all together if all the leaves die?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Coursair]

Leave it alone. As long as Rhizome is intact it can regrow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk