My Aquarium Plants Are Dying. The Question Is... What Is Causing It?

Question

I have 2 amazon swords, a log with moss and some other plants I can't name. One has really gotten thinned out and I don't know why but some of it has just uprooted itself from the substrate by itself. I do have a fish in there, I was going to add more this weekend but due to this problem it might have to be delayed. I have a betta, as far as I know they cause no harm to plants.

Some of my plants like the Amazon Swords are getting brown spots that evnetually turn into holes, the roots of the plants also seem to be uprooting themselves and becoming dark brown.

It looks like there is dust on my plants too, any idea on what that is? I can shake it off the leaves and it creates big clouds that end up on the substrate and some still on the plants. I think it's algae or maybe not. There's also a very small piece of green in the substrate, that's most likely algae, but it's tiny and not in contact with any plants or objects.

One more thing I have to mention, my daughter took a bunch of fish flakes and dropped them in there. Now there's a lot of food on the bottom and what appears to be white bubbles forming around them; I'm going to asume that's detritus covered by decomposers.

What I think that happened is that the detritus attracted decomposers and they did something to the the sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate levels that spawned a sky rocketing boom in algae (which I asume is the dust on my plants). The algae therefore is blocking the leaves of the plants preventing them from inhaling CO2.

Either that or there's not enough CO2 in there with 1 fish.

I just did a water change (about a third of the tank) and reduced aeration in hopes to fix the problem.

And also if I add more fish, will I need a CO2 pumper?

FYI, the aquarium is 20 gallons with a heater, a filter, a floursecent light, and an air pump which I have stopped in hopes of promoting CO2. The plants have been in there with 1 fish for about 4 days, the heat is approximately 80 farenheit. The fish is perfectly OK, and the substrate I used is "Carib Sea Eco-Complete Plant Substrate" from Big Al's. I have about 1 inch of substrate, someone recommended 3 inches but that sounds ridiculous as it would take up quite a portion of the aquarium, but hey I'm not expert so you tell me. The Amazon Swords came in pots that I'm planning to reduce in size by means of cutting because they are around 3 inches tall. In fact, can't I just entirely remove the pot?

Now the question remains, who is the killer?

Come on detective we don't have long.

Answer 1

Ok first things first, what is the intensity of your bulb? Amazon swords require A LOT of light. The brown leafs are a sign of poor lighting/nourishment. The holes on the leafs are a sign of lack of iron. If a plant doesn't receive proper lighting, she won't be able to absorb any nutrients, regardless of how good your substrate is. 1 or 2 inches of substrate is enough BTW. Normally plants in pots do well, no need to remove them from pots.



If your daughter poured a bunch of flakes in the tank then you are suffering from excess ammonia which will give you algae problems and will endanger your Betta's health . Indeed, the dust you see on the amazon leafs will likely turn into brown algae further depriving your plants of light. It's a good thing you changed some of the water already, but remember, an unhealthy plant is like having no plants at all. They are not absorbing nutrients well, hence algae growth.



Now about bubbles...I don't know what kind of aeration system you own but if it has bubbles you should find a way to get rid of them. Why? bubbles get rid of the CO2 in your tank and they don't provide your fish of any oxygen. A simple power head is enough since your fish get all their oxygen from surface agitation. The more CO2 you have in your tank, the happier plants will be and the less algae problems you will have.



You should also figure out what your other plants are since different plants have different requirements. One Betta in a 20 gallon tank is not enough source of nutrients for your plants. You might as well buy a good fertilizer. Adding a CO2 injection is always a good idea. You can do this by adding flourish excel to the tank or by buying an expensive machine pump.



That is of course the traditional approach. You can opt for the Diane Walstad method which is cheaper and just as effective. Here is how it works:

http://theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method

This method is my favorite since it requires no CO2, no ferts, no water changes and you can have a beautiful planted tank, even with Amazon Swords in it. You are gonna need more than just one Betta though. You can add some compatible fish such as zebra danios and regular Tetras (not neons!). Good Luck.

Answer 2

I've heard that live plants in a fish tank can be used like a canary in a mine. If the plants aren't doing well, then you know something is wrong with the water. Your plants are very new though, and haven't even established themselves before doing poorly.



There is one thing that stands out to me though, any uneaten fish food must be removed from a tank asap, it will quickly foul the water. When you did a water change, did you use a gravel vac?



I think you should take the plants out of the pots that they came in. When I buy potted aquarium plants they come in a black plastic pots that are slotted at the bottom. Is that the kind you have? They will also have a cotton/moss type of thing surrounding the roots, remove as much of that as you can. They bury the roots, that should hold the plant down. The substrate that you bought won't do any good if the plant's roots aren't buried in it.



As for any dieing leaves, they must be trimmed off. It will be good for the plant, and rotting plants would be worse for the fish than no plants at all. If the plants you have don't do well, maybe you should try other kinds.



Because you left the fish food in your tank, it makes me wonder if you know about the biological filter. Please read about it if you do not, http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm

Answer 3

Listen to Evil-lyn. Your plants are dying from poor lighting/nutrients. Swords are a plant that will detiriorate quickly if they don't have what they need. I strongly recommend getting some flourish and flourish excell. Excell is a co2 supplement- you dont need an injector in a 20 if you use it. It will also greatly help control the algae.



Also, swords really like the substrate to be deeper than 1 inch- I would suggest adding a bit more, and leaving them in the pots. The roots will grow out the bottom of the pot and spread around the tank. As for the lighting, I would suggest getting an additional light to put on the tank that is geared towards plants. Look for one with high intensity in the red and blue parts of the spectrum. I would also recommend removing any of the outer leaves that are dying- this will help the plant grow newer. healthier leaves- just never remove more than 1/2 of its total leaf count. Hope thats helpful :)

Answer 4

Plants need CO2, so, go out and purchase a CO2 reactor. This will help. Keep up the water changes, make sure there is not too much water flow, and lastly, keep the water oxygenated!! Use bubble wands, or air stones. I have had a planted freshwater aquarium for 5 years. Ohh, almost forgot, add plant food supplements. You can get all this at Petsmart, or Petco. Good luck!!

Answer 5

the plants are dead and are now decomposing.

you need to have bought plant food.

it is about £5 and you add a drop or two in the tank every 2 weeks.

hope i helped.









please answer minehttps://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20090319111235AAjAbI0