"Melting" crypts:(

[Printerhands]

So for the past week my bronze crypts have been "melting" away. Not sure what had happened. The only thing I have done different is add a softener pillow. My water was at 9-10 dh and I have now brought it down to 5-6 dh. All my other plants are doing just fine.

This had happened before but that was when I first added them in.

 

[jetajockey]

I think you answered your own question. The water softener is the likely culprit.

 

[Printerhands]

I think you answered your own question. The water softener is the likely culprit.

Yeah but what I have read is that plants like softer water. So it just doesn't make sense. What would make sense is that they would need time to adjust to the softener, maybe?

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Yeah but what I have read is that plants like softer water. So it just doesn't make sense. What would make sense is that they would need time to adjust to the softener, maybe?

No he means it could have been the chemicals in the thing you added, not the water getting softer

 

[Printerhands]

Ok well to recharge a softener pillow it has to soak in water with aquarium salt in it which if there was still grains of salt on there, which I had rinsed off before putting back in the filter box, that could have burned the plants then. I figure I will just go back to not using it or using it very little.

 

[Beefy88]

Crypts will melt when the water parameters change so adding the pillow changed the parameters , they should grow back within a few weeks as long as you don't change much

 

[Printerhands]

Crypts will melt when the water parameters change so adding the pillow changed the parameters , they should grow back within a few weeks as long as you don't change much

So it will be ok to countine using the pillow, cause they will get accustomed to that?

 

[Beefy88]

Yes they should bounce back if you leave the pillow in crypts are really hardy

 

[Beefy88]

But 10 gh isn't really that high IMO I dunno why you want to use chems to do that either invest in ro water filter or use tap water either was is going to create a more stable environment because even though the water in your tank is 6gh the water you put in will be 10 gh which might set off another melt and definitely isn't good for fish I have a high tech 33 gallon and my water is 17 gh and my plants grow fine

 

[Printerhands]

But 10 gh isn't really that high IMO I dunno why you want to use chems to do that either invest in ro water filter or use tap water either was is going to create a more stable environment because even though the water in your tank is 6gh the water you put in will be 10 gh which might set off another melt and definitely isn't good for fish I have a high tech 33 gallon and my water is 17 gh and my plants grow fine

I was going off of what the API had said. But yeah everything was fine before I did the pillow. I just thought I could make it better. And all I do is is tap water and put seachem prime in it.

 

[Rivercats]

The reason you don't want to use water softener pillows is because all the do is exchange calcium and magnesium ions (which plants need) for sodium ions (which plants don't like and also many fish). Your plants are reacting to the sodium in the water. I strongly suggest removing it and not using it again.

If you want to lower Gh and Kh then you need to cut your tap water with RO water. This allows you to safely soften water and keep you Kh and Gh right where you want them.

 

[Printerhands]

That works for me. Thanks everybody!