Badjester1
New Member
Hi,
I really need some help please. I have a pretty well planted tank and it's been doing great. I have/had three Cryptocoryne undulata (reddish in colour) and they've always done really well too. I'll attach a pic so you can see for yourselves that my plants have been thriving. Then all of a sudden the leaves started to melt on the Cryptocoryne undulata, like in the last 2-3 days! Everything else is absolutely fine. As it was all of the leaves I've cut all three plants right back to the substrate. I did watch a few videos of this happening to others and some advised to cut right back. I'm not 100% sure if they'll survive such a cut back. I know my tank has well established root systems inc the Cryptocoryne undulata, as I can see some at the front of the substrate and they are pretty well established. Anyway I've been scratching my head about this?! My first thoughts was to get the leaves out as they were turning to mush, hence the complete cut back. Followed by a substrate syphon to get the remaining mush out. Then a 50% water change as I do this at the weekend anyway. The only thing that I can possibly think of is that I put new Seachem Flourish root tabs in last weekend. They were due to be replaced from the last lot. I did used to use TNC plugs but I got fed up with my cory's digging the little balls up every five minutes. So I moved to the Flourish tabs. Yet that doesn't make sense as I've used Flourish tabs before a good few weeks ago and this didn't happen? So if it is them then why now? Nothing else has changed. I dose X 2 TNC Complete per week (40 mls split into 2 X 20.) I dose 3 mls of Profito every other day. So for e.g Monday TNC Complete 20 ml. Tues - nothing. Weds - Profito 3ml. Thursday nothing. Fri TNC Comp 20ml. Sat nothing. Sunday Profito 3ml then either water change 50% Sunday or Monday. Then obviously there's the root tabs and I dose EasyCarbo daily 6ml for a 240L tank which is slightly underdosing for 200 litres to take in account plants, ornaments etc.
I know people have different views on dosing ferts, making your own, not using Easycarbo as it has a smidge of that naughty stuff people panic about. However this is the regime I've settled on for my reasons and I've had fantastic results since I started with plants. Not lost one fish or had a sick fish (to date fingers crossed!) My water params are always the same weekly. Ammonia/Nitrite = 0. Nitrates anything from 0 to about 5ppm. I really struggle to get them above 5 as they get zapped up especially by the frogbit! PH 7. KH 3 (low tap water but the 3 remains stable all the time. GH 9. That's my water params every single time. Like I say my plants have been thriving inc the Cryptocoryne undulata. Then after last weekends water change inc adding the root tabs. Boom they melt and die! I'm so confused and it appears others that this has happened to are just as confused. Has anyone experienced this with these plants when they're mature? If they don't survive the cut back it's not the end of the world. I quite like the open space it's allowed in the tank. However I did like the plants too! I'm just worried I'm missing something but my water chemistry is the same as always. I wondered if I added too many root tabs but I've used plenty before so still doesn't make sense. Sorry for the very long post but I wanted to make sure I put everything down so I didn't miss anything. Oh and as for lighting... I tweaked around with that a lot earlier this year and seemed to have it right. Two weeks ago I did remove some excess frogbit as it was going nuts. I don't have my lights set that high though. I'll see if I can add a screen shot of my light settings too. Just hope someone can enlighten me to what may have happened? TIA
P.S the plants I'm talking about are the two reddish ones at either side at the front. I had one at the back too.
I really need some help please. I have a pretty well planted tank and it's been doing great. I have/had three Cryptocoryne undulata (reddish in colour) and they've always done really well too. I'll attach a pic so you can see for yourselves that my plants have been thriving. Then all of a sudden the leaves started to melt on the Cryptocoryne undulata, like in the last 2-3 days! Everything else is absolutely fine. As it was all of the leaves I've cut all three plants right back to the substrate. I did watch a few videos of this happening to others and some advised to cut right back. I'm not 100% sure if they'll survive such a cut back. I know my tank has well established root systems inc the Cryptocoryne undulata, as I can see some at the front of the substrate and they are pretty well established. Anyway I've been scratching my head about this?! My first thoughts was to get the leaves out as they were turning to mush, hence the complete cut back. Followed by a substrate syphon to get the remaining mush out. Then a 50% water change as I do this at the weekend anyway. The only thing that I can possibly think of is that I put new Seachem Flourish root tabs in last weekend. They were due to be replaced from the last lot. I did used to use TNC plugs but I got fed up with my cory's digging the little balls up every five minutes. So I moved to the Flourish tabs. Yet that doesn't make sense as I've used Flourish tabs before a good few weeks ago and this didn't happen? So if it is them then why now? Nothing else has changed. I dose X 2 TNC Complete per week (40 mls split into 2 X 20.) I dose 3 mls of Profito every other day. So for e.g Monday TNC Complete 20 ml. Tues - nothing. Weds - Profito 3ml. Thursday nothing. Fri TNC Comp 20ml. Sat nothing. Sunday Profito 3ml then either water change 50% Sunday or Monday. Then obviously there's the root tabs and I dose EasyCarbo daily 6ml for a 240L tank which is slightly underdosing for 200 litres to take in account plants, ornaments etc.
I know people have different views on dosing ferts, making your own, not using Easycarbo as it has a smidge of that naughty stuff people panic about. However this is the regime I've settled on for my reasons and I've had fantastic results since I started with plants. Not lost one fish or had a sick fish (to date fingers crossed!) My water params are always the same weekly. Ammonia/Nitrite = 0. Nitrates anything from 0 to about 5ppm. I really struggle to get them above 5 as they get zapped up especially by the frogbit! PH 7. KH 3 (low tap water but the 3 remains stable all the time. GH 9. That's my water params every single time. Like I say my plants have been thriving inc the Cryptocoryne undulata. Then after last weekends water change inc adding the root tabs. Boom they melt and die! I'm so confused and it appears others that this has happened to are just as confused. Has anyone experienced this with these plants when they're mature? If they don't survive the cut back it's not the end of the world. I quite like the open space it's allowed in the tank. However I did like the plants too! I'm just worried I'm missing something but my water chemistry is the same as always. I wondered if I added too many root tabs but I've used plenty before so still doesn't make sense. Sorry for the very long post but I wanted to make sure I put everything down so I didn't miss anything. Oh and as for lighting... I tweaked around with that a lot earlier this year and seemed to have it right. Two weeks ago I did remove some excess frogbit as it was going nuts. I don't have my lights set that high though. I'll see if I can add a screen shot of my light settings too. Just hope someone can enlighten me to what may have happened? TIA
P.S the plants I'm talking about are the two reddish ones at either side at the front. I had one at the back too.
