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Browning and melting HC

gabriel.basso

Member
Joined
13 May 2010
Messages
89
Location
Brazil
Hey friends,

My tank is only 6 days old and I haven't done DSM. CO2 at full throttle dopchecker yellow during light period.

I made some ajustments on the flow, besides 2 end nozze from FX6 I installed a Chinese koralia at the center back of the tank to increase flow directly into HC.

Light period is 5 hours per day since the begining.

Dosing EI, only macros though, micros are on their way.

I guess HC is suffering on the transition to aquatic life.

The root is casting a shadow upon some of it.. there I notice the worst scenario.

I never had HC before. Is there any chance of recovery? There are a few still green leaves there.

Sorry for the image quality.

Thanks
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Hi Gabriel,

In only 6 days HC never melt like that. My opinion is that HC comes already affected. Was it "in vitro"?

Cheers!
Yeah... too bad

I guess it was grown emersed. Actually it was very green when I got them.

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Checked with first pics of "Arch Valey". Didn't look well from the very first days!
Yes they started browning right after flooding the tank.

Maybe it's a sum of many factors: unhealthy plant, tansition from emersed to submerged, bad flow, etc.

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I kept HC without flow, emersed, in plastic casseroles, for many weeks before I planted it in aquarium ... and it looks very well and growing.
Sometimes, brown colour of a plant after was planted may show it was kept at very low temperature.
 
I kept HC without flow, emersed, in plastic casseroles, for many weeks before I planted it in aquarium ... and it looks very well and growing.
Sometimes, brown colour of a plant after was planted may show it was kept at very low temperature.
I see... I sould have done something similar I guess.

But do you think I should wait to see if they react or rip them off and start over with a new HC batch?

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As it looks now (as much I can see in the pics) I am very pessimistic that you will save anything from it.
Alright then. I'll give them one more week. If they dont react I'll take it off and try to get healthier HCs. If everything goes wrong at least they will deliver some organic material to the bacteria colony in formation inside the canister hehehe

So your approach is to keep them emersed for a while under a light source before putting them in the tank? like DSM?

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As I said, all were moved in new tank and I had no problem so far, after over 30 days.
Supposed to put some pics then but, with all problems I had with the tank, I simply forgot to take pics :(
 
As I said, all were moved in new tank and I had no problem so far, after over 30 days.
Supposed to put some pics then but, with all problems I had with the tank, I simply forgot to take pics :(
Nice! Thanks for the advice. I'll adopt this method!

I'll follow you on that thread.

Cheers

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I never had HC before. Is there any chance of recovery? There are a few still green leaves there.
Hi Gabriel,
Most likely cause is poor distribution. This is a CO2 deficiency.
The G6 is a muscular filter but the way the flow is managed, through those nozzles, is not conducive to good distribution.

It also appears from your photo that you have it improperly arranged.

You'll have to try different locations in order to get flow to the substrate.
I assume the CO2 is coming through the filter?

Try mounting the nozzles on the back wall and try to point them towards the front wall.

Also you may have too much light for the moment. Your OP does not state how much light you have.

In any case HC does not like to be thrown under water with a lot of light.
In nature it grows mostly semi-emersed.

Cheers,
 
Hi
I had same issue with new Amazonia substrate and HC,Staurogine and Pogostemon helferi.Heavy melt from the roots up.Plants go sluggish and come out as slime strings out of substrate and out of water.All I had to do was to add airstone at night to increase oxygen levels and help the cycle.Melt stopped in 24 hours and the plants start putting roots and new growth soon after.
Regards Konsa
 
Last edited:
Hi Gabriel,
Most likely cause is poor distribution. This is a CO2 deficiency.
The G6 is a muscular filter but the way the flow is managed, through those nozzles, is not conducive to good distribution.

It also appears from your photo that you have it improperly arranged.

You'll have to try different locations in order to get flow to the substrate.
I assume the CO2 is coming through the filter?

Try mounting the nozzles on the back wall and try to point them towards the front wall.

Also you may have too much light for the moment. Your OP does not state how much light you have.

In any case HC does not like to be thrown under water with a lot of light.
In nature it grows mostly semi-emersed.

Cheers,
Hey Clive, yes I guess this is CO2 distribution issues as well, and maybe other variables at the same time.

Dropchecker is yellow during light period since I don't have live stock yet. But regarding the flow I won't be able to change the tubing position at this moment. The cabinet opening for the tubes is on the right side and there is not too much space inside the cabinet. To change the nozzles to the back I'd have to rearange even cerges reactor connected with FX6.

I ordered an upaqua reactor. When it arrives it will be easier to do these changes.

I installed a chinese koralia pump at the back glass wich improved a lot the flow at the centre of the scape.

Check out this video I made to show you:



For the lights I'm using Ecoxotic e-series. It renders 60 PAR at 18 inches and 105 PAR at 12 inches. HC is betwee that range. But for now it is running at 70%.

Cheers

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Last edited:
Hi
I had same issue with new Amazonia substrate and HC,Staurogine and Pogostemon helferi.Heavy melt from the roots up.Plants go sluggish and come out as slime strings out of substrate and out of water.All I had to do was to add airstone at night to increase oxygen levels and help the cycle.Melt stopped in 24 hours and the plants start putting roots and new growth soon after.
Regards Konsa

Good to know Konsa. What is the idea behind this? Plants consume oxygen at night and there were insuficient flow on the surface to help with gas exchange?

What if I increase surface agitation? That would be easy for me with those fx6 nozzles.

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Hi I was starting a tank from stratch.Everything new including filter.No bacteria present in tank to start with and enormous ammonia content of the aquasoil seemed to choke the roots and the plant stems in it.I pumped CO2 high with no surface agitation too.Plants are addapting and not producing enough oxygen wich stunned the cycling process.Yes they consume oxygen at night and surface agitation will help just lift the outflow so it breaks the surface for the night.That will do it.
U need to remove the fully melted bits as much as U can too
Regards Konsa
 
Hi I was starting a tank from stratch.Everything new including filter.No bacteria present in tank to start with and enormous ammonia content of the aquasoil seemed to choke the roots and the plant stems in it.I pumped CO2 high with no surface agitation too.Plants are addapting and not producing enough oxygen wich stunned the cycling process.Yes they consume oxygen at night and surface agitation will help just lift the outflow so it breaks the surface for the night.That will do it.
U need to remove the fully melted bits as much as U can too
Regards Konsa
Thanks Konsa. I'll try to do that. My scenario is the same you had there. But for now just HC and Monte Carlo (less then HC) are showing these symptoms.



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Dropchecker is yellow during light period since I don't have live stock yet. But regarding the flow I won't be able to change the tubing position at this moment. The cabinet opening for the tubes is on the right side and there is not too much space inside the cabinet. To change the nozzles to the back I'd have to rearange even cerges reactor connected with FX6.

I ordered an upaqua reactor. When it arrives it will be easier to do these changes.

I installed a chinese koralia pump at the back glass wich improved a lot the flow at the centre of the scape.

Check out this video I made to show you:
OK, that looks better, a bit strong, but lets see if that helps.
You mention that the DC is yellow, but you didn't say when it is yellow.
Is it yellow when the lights go on? That's the ideal time for yellow.
Of course that is 4dKH water inside the DC correct?

Cheers,
 
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