Plants melting?

[Bearchumjs]

Hello! I have a 55 gal planted tank. It's stocked with an assortment of platy's and tetras, some MTS and nerite snails, I have a Marineland emporer 400 filter, pool filter sand. I use API leaf zone liquid fert once a week and I need to get some more API root tabs. My tank had been running since march 29 of this year and my plants were added within a few weeks of starting my tank.

I've been on vacation for a month. My tank needs a major cleaning. My question is, my 2 swords have leaves that are either totally melted- they look like leaf skeletons if that makes sense- and some leaves that are slightly melted just on the ends to about halfway down. I'm going to remove the completely melted leaves, but what do I do with the ones that are half melted? Remove them completely, cut off the melted part leaving the healthy part? Leave them alone? (I'm pretty sure the problem is that I need to add root tabs and there was an 8 day period that the lights didn't turn on. Once I clean the tank and fertilize the plants should, in theory, do better like they were doing before I left.)

Thanks for your help!

 

[bettaowner]

I think this happens when there is a sudden major change in water conditions.

 

[Bearchumjs]

I think this happens when there is a sudden major change in water conditions.

Well, not having pwc's every week could be it. Should I snip off all the damaged leaves then? Even the ones that are only half damaged?

 

[Crepe]

Cut off the damaged leaves as close to the base as you can. I want to say deficiency and the plant is just mobilizing old nutrients. Might want to get those root tabs soon.

Don't worry if the plant looks a little sparse after trimming. It'll bounce back.

 

[blizowman1]

I think I would as long as its not going to take off the whole plant just about. I've heard if a leaf is dead or Dieing to cut it off cause its taking away from the nutrients the plant needs to produce new leaves. Kinda like a battle between plants and algae they both fight for nutrients

 

[adammorrill]

My sword plant did that too, i think it just didnt have enought nutrients, because when i put a root tab beneath it the leaves started looking better and growing longer

 

[Bearchumjs]

Thanks for the advice guys!! I am confident they will recover.

 

[Bearchumjs]

I cleaned the tank really well today. Man.... A month of being on vacation is alot of fish and snail poop! I removed all of the damaged leaves from my swords and pruned my water wisteria. I will get some root tabs in a day or two. I dosed with some liquid fert today. Things look much better after some much needed attention.

 

[Bearchumjs]

It's been 8 days since I cleaned the tank and 7 days since I put in root tabs. The plants are
Doing alot better. The swords are each getting a new leaf and the wisteria has perked up. No more melting leaves! Now if only my micro sword would grow. It's been the same size since I bought it! I guess I shouldnt complain. It isn't dying at least...