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Help figuring out why things aren't growing

Lifesabichir

Lifesabichir

New Member
Joined
12 Apr 2022
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13
Location
USA
Over the last year I've been having not a good time trying to figure out what's going on. Crypts won't grow and when they do the leaf melts off before it's done growing. Easy stems like ludwigia, pogo octopus, and ambulia stunted yellowish growth and barely growing if at all. Anubias some times just melts away completely. Even hornwort isn't doing good. Just happened one day. Some leaves that do stay are crooked and small. I dose EI low tech and run low lighting for 9 hours a day and iron daily. Last I had it measured I was sitting around 25 par in the two tanks I have. One is using aqua soil and one sand and I do use root tabs but those don't even help. From my test before water change I have around 30 nitrate and 0 nitrite and ammonia. I'm posting my cities water report. My tanks alkalinity is on the low side but hardness on the higher end. I'm just at my wits end and ready to break everything down :(
 

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Potassium aluminium sulphate is often mis-sold as magnesium sulphate and could make it's way into EI kits.
Herbicides can find their way into water supplies, and they can contaminate things that you put in aquariums.
Low flow could cause plants to melt.
Too much of certain nutrients can cause other nutrient to become unavailable to plants.
High temperatures and other water conditions can cause plants to struggle.
Please post details of your fertiliser dosing, water change regime, filter media, aquarium soil, and photographs of the plants affected? A photograph of the whole tank might also help.
 
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE="Simon Cole, post: 689290, me
Too much of certain nutrients can cause other nutrient to become unavailable to plant
Don't think iron needs dosing every day? You could try cutting your Crypts to substrate level . Crypt melt is common in newer set ups because they are sold emmersed and have to adapt new leaves. Try looking at George Farmer you tube Aquascaper 1200 Crypt Disaster and Jurijs Jutjajevs How to Avoid Planting Crypt Melting.
As Simon says more information about your tank as it looks like defiency of nutrients
 
Lifesabichir said:
Over the last year I've been having not a good time trying to figure out what's going on. Crypts won't grow and when they do the leaf melts off before it's done growing. Easy stems like ludwigia, pogo octopus, and ambulia stunted yellowish growth and barely growing if at all. Anubias some times just melts away completely. Even hornwort isn't doing good. Just happened one day. Some leaves that do stay are crooked and small. I dose EI low tech and run low lighting for 9 hours a day and iron daily. Last I had it measured I was sitting around 25 par in the two tanks I have. One is using aqua soil and one sand and I do use root tabs but those don't even help. From my test before water change I have around 30 nitrate and 0 nitrite and ammonia. I'm posting my cities water report. My tanks alkalinity is on the low side but hardness on the higher end. I'm just at my wits end and ready to break everything down :(
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i bet its because your lighting is too high. 9 hrs is a lot and lighting can be deceiving to the naked eye. I would switch off the light and try again
 
1. Size of tank? 60 gallon and 20 gallon long
2. Age of the system approximately? Both are 3 years old.
3. Tap water parameters. Posted in OP
4. Filtration. Canister filters
5. Lighting and duration. 9 hours have been running the same since tanks start.
6. Substrate. Sand in 60 gallon and aquasoil in 20 long.
7. Co2 dosing or Non-dosing. No co2 either
8. Fertilizers used + Ratios. Dry dosing. I'm just following EI low tech using the rotala butterfly calculator.
9. Water change regime and composition. Weekly 50% water changes.
10. Plant list. 60 has crypts, anubias, aponogetons, a nymphaea, ambulia, ludwigia ovalis, pogo octopus, crinum cal. and some floaters that also aren't doing good.
11. Inhabitants. 20 long is endlers and 60 gallon has tetras and angel fish
12. Full tank shot & Surface Image. Won't be home for the next few days but I'll dig through my phone and see what I have.

The only change I have done is when I ran out of nilocg dry ferts I switched to green leaf aqua jars for the jars. About the same time I started having issues. If anything else is needed let me know. I have the spray bar set up so every leaf in the tank is moving with the flow
 

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The stem behind the crypt leaf is supposed to be the pogo octopus but you can see it isn't doing so well.
 
I would put it on full power and aim for 7 hours and gradually work up from there.
There is something a bit odd about the colours of some of those leaves. Perhaps a few more pictures?
 
Simon Cole said:
I would put it on full power and aim for 7 hours and gradually work up from there.
There is something a bit odd about the colours of some of those leaves. Perhaps a few more pictures?
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Hmm around the time I started having issues is when I lowered the lighting and changed ferts. I'll try that too. I'll get better pics when I am home this weekend. I am running the original finnex 24/7.
 
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