Reasons behind melting plants

[Jaap]

Hello everyone,

the reason I started this thread is for the other members of the forum to find for future reference but also to try and explore a few explanations behind plant melting.

My situation was that plants are not of the best of health but were not melting. Now I have sudden melting of Monte Carlo and some Stayrogen Repens. I do understand that melting is directly related to insufficient CO2 or bad distribution. However, even though people having such problems might deny that their CO2 is low or distribution is bad, I am sure that I have no such problems! I ensured that this wouldn't be a problem and if it was a problem I don't think that the plants would have survived for a month before showing such signs.

None the less, apart from low CO2 and/or bad circulation, I would like you to consider 2 other options that people in this forum might not have encountered:

1. Too little light: Its always the case where someone gets excited and has bright lights. This drives the plants to fast growth and with not enough CO2 the plants melt. Done it loads of times

2. High temperature: During the summertime when the temps are on a high the plants might suffer if they are exposed to high temps above a certain point. I am currently battling with heat around 29 degrees Celsius.

So is there a chance that the above might be added to the list (of low CO2 and bad distribution) of reasons that cause plants to melt?

Thanks

 

[clonitza]

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/junglerino.34238/ - 60l with one 18W T8, 15cm above the water level, it's an experiment I've run for the last year to prove people and myself that there's no such thing as not enough light. Had also 30-32 degrees for two weeks with an average around 26-27 this year, when I saw the first signs of melting I just needed to crank up the CO2, as the temperature rises less CO2 remains in the water.

Do a PH check during the day and see how much CO2 is dissolved in the water, check your system for leaks etc, aim for a 10x turnover, not 20x not 5x and your tank should be fine.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Jaap]

I really really hate CO2!

 

[clonitza]

It takes time to master it, that's true, some peeps have more luck some don't. I didn't, I had to run it for years before knowing how much is enough.
Lower the light a bit, gives you more room to play and doesn't stress the plants too much.
BTW michrantemum sp. monte carlo takes time to start growing, in my tank after replanting the time before it starts spreading like mad is around 1-2 weeks.

 

[Jaap]

Thanks mate. Well montecarlo has been in the tank for 35 days now. I understand I have a high temperature of 29 Celsius and so plants have a higher metabolism and co2 is less in the water but still it should have been sufficient.....maybe my reactor is not dissolving the CO2 at the required rate, CO2 doesn't go to waste but it takes longer to become dissolved....maybe an up atomizer under the filter input will do a better job?

It takes time to master it, that's true, some peeps have more luck some don't. I didn't, I had to run it for years before knowing how much is enough.
Lower the light a bit, gives you more room to play and doesn't stress the plants too much.
BTW michrantemum sp. monte carlo takes time to start growing, in my tank after replanting the time before it starts spreading like mad is around 1-2 weeks.