Plant degradation probably has a easy solution ... help?

[josh8425]

Hi!

Im very new to owning an aquarium, little pandemic project I did. Im still gaining experience and learning, but my plants have been slowly dying for the last 2 weeks and cant figure out what the problem is.

More details:
In the tank I have 3 plants. A limnophilia sessiliflora, who keeps on dying but really want him to get back to health since I like it the most. Some small Staurogyne repens who is now sheading leaves and crumbling slowly. And a Echnidorus Bleherae who is doing very well despite the other 2 plants.

I used to have some tiny shrimp and otto bottom feeder fish ... but they have slowly died. Neon tetra fish ive had from the beginning when I bought the aquarium and they are doing just fine.

I add in weekly some algae control liquid and plant fertilizer, but neither have really made any visible change recently.

From the pictures is it obvious that im doing something simple all wrong? Or any suggestions?

Any comments or further questions are welcome!

 

[dcurzon]

how long has the tank been running for??

Its fairly common for new plants to die back a bit when added to an aquarium. They may have been grown outside of a tank, in which case it needs to convert itself to a submerged growth. The sessiflora should grow reasonably quickly, but is fairly bunched there. Can you separate it and plant 2 or 3 stems of it in several places, rather than all as one big bunch?

Hold on, it looks like you've sunk all the plants into the tank in the rock wool they were grown in! Take the sessiflora out, remove that rock wool cube (its fibrous so just keep picking away at it) and plant bunches of the stems straight into the substrate (gravel).
The large one is also still in its rock wool too...

 

[josh8425]

how long has the tank been running for??

Its fairly common for new plants to die back a bit when added to an aquarium. They may have been grown outside of a tank, in which case it needs to convert itself to a submerged growth. The sessiflora should grow reasonably quickly, but is fairly bunched there. Can you separate it and plant 2 or 3 stems of it in several places, rather than all as one big bunch?

Hold on, it looks like you've sunk all the plants into the tank in the rock wool they were grown in! Take the sessiflora out, remove that rock wool cube (its fibrous so just keep picking away at it) and plant bunches of the stems straight into the substrate (gravel).
The large one is also still in its rock wool too...

The large one might be rock wool but im fairly certain the sessiflora is not rock wool. Looks like something more organic and natural (1st pic below)

I somewhat think it might be a ecobalance issue, or related to the water now. I checked back on old pics and I set up the aquarium at the end of february, and the sessiflora grew really fast and was so healthy (2nd pic below). But yeah I was considering maybe cutting off a few parts of it and seeing if I can plant them somewhere else. However in my mind it might not explain why they are turning brown :/

 

[dcurzon]

that looks like coconut hair stuff. Id still remove it. This was from a Tropica pack right? I got sessiflora from Tropica a while ago which was also in coconut hair type stuff (no idea of its actual name). I removed it and planted the stems in several bunches and has grown fine

 

[josh8425]

that looks like coconut hair stuff. Id still remove it. This was from a Tropica pack right? I got sessiflora from Tropica a while ago which was also in coconut hair type stuff (no idea of its actual name). I removed it and planted the stems in several bunches and has grown fine

Will try with next full cleaning. But still dont quite know why they are turning brown 😅

 

[arcturus]

Will try with next full cleaning. But still dont quite know why they are turning brown 😅

It is impossible to give an answer without knowing details of your tank. The only know facts are the dead inverts, dead fish, algae and lack of plant growth. So, for how long has this tank been running? How long did you wait until you added the livestock? This seems to be a rather small tank, which means that the system can be sensitive to small changes. What fertilizers and fertilizer regime are you using? What type of "algae control" are you using? Algae "control" products are not for regular use. What about water changes? You also have a very low plant mass but use a CO2 system - I also see a very blue drop checker in one of the photos, which means that you are not controlling the CO2 injection. How is the pH level varying during the photoperiod? What is your lighting setup? Are you just using that internal filter? How often do you clean it and how do you clean it? These are just a few factors that can contribute to the brown plants and dead livestock...

 

[josh8425]

It is impossible to give an answer without knowing details of your tank. The only know facts are the dead inverts, dead fish, algae and lack of plant growth. So, for how long has this tank been running? How long did you wait until you added the livestock? This seems to be a rather small tank, which means that the system can be sensitive to small changes. What fertilizers and fertilizer regime are you using? What type of "algae control" are you using? Algae "control" products are not for regular use. What about water changes? You also have a very low plant mass but use a CO2 system - I also see a very blue drop checker in one of the photos, which means that you are not controlling the CO2 injection. How is the pH level varying during the photoperiod? What is your lighting setup? Are you just using that internal filter? How often do you clean it and how do you clean it? These are just a few factors that can contribute to the brown plants and dead livestock...

Tank has been running since end of February.
I waited 2.5 weeks roughly before any fish were added in small quantities.
Using this fertilizer Easy-Life Profito 250 ml - 10 ml til 100 liter vand and once in a week as the label says.
Using this for algae control Easy-Life Algexit 250 ml - 10 ml til 100 liter vand ... or at least trying haha. Might be for wrong type of algae. But also once in a week as label says
Water I change 80% once in a month or month and a half
This is considered low plant mass? Ok il definitely keep that in mind. I felt like this was the limit I could have actually, hence havent gotten any new plants.
PH is stable. Measured just now just to be sure and its 8.2. Which it usually consistently is, only changes when I change water but stabilizes to that quick.
Lighting set up is... well whatever LED light came with the aquarium. Aqua-el 30l tank. I have it on for 14h a day and rest is turned off.
Yup internal filter. I have considered upgrading, since I did read that more water circulation can only be better, but have yet to make that investment as I cant predict whether the filter is as quiet as this one.
I clean it roughly every 3 days. But by that I dont mean fully clean the gravel and all. I wipe the glass inside with some razor looking tool, just to brush off the algea that grows on the glass.

I of course dont expect a easy answer right away, but thank you a lot for brainstorming those questions. Helps me try and think what might be causing it.

 

[arcturus]

• 14h of light is too much, even if you have the LED lights that came with the tank -> start with 5h /day for now. If the light has an automatic dimmer keep the light at maximum intensity just for 3-4h and at 2/3 for the rest of the time. Then slowly increase the photoperiod (1h per week or so). Aim at a maximum of 7-8h/day, but even this might be too much If you do not provide the plants with enough nutrients - the plants will deteriorate with excess light and you will get algae. You will have to experiment with this - but be patient. The health and growth of the plants are the indicators you have to rely on.
• As @dcurzon advised, remove the fiber/wool from the plants, prepare the roots, and replant them; plant the stem plants in a wider area. Since it seems you are using only gravel as substrate, add a few root tabs to the soil to provide extra nutrients.
• Start with 3x50% water changes for one week, then reduce to 2x/week for 2-3 weeks, then 50% per week. Since the tank is small, this is not a big task Be careful with the temperature of the new water and prepare it properly (Prime or similar) before adding it. Fertilize after each water change (calculate the correct dosage).
• Are you using CO2? Since pH is ~8.2 I assume not, but you have a drop checker... Note that variable levels of CO2 can cause a multitude of problems.
• pH 8.2 is quite high and Tetras tend to thrive in acidic waters. ideally you should keep them at pH below ~7.0. Have you checked the hardness (KH) of the water?
• The only media in your filter are the sponges. Since you are cleaning the filter sponges often, the bacteria are not settling there in large numbers. So, try to clean the sponges less often and use aquarium water to clean them (never use tap/chlorinated water) - do not squeeze the sponges. If possible, try cleaning half of the sponges only each time. The issue is that beneficial bacteria that you need to keep the system in balance will have to settle in the gravel/substrate and in other surfaces of the tank. The lack of filter media can (and should) be compensated by adding more plants. Without settled nitrifying bacteria and with just a few plants, the tank might be experiencing small nitrite and ammonia spikes - this might have caused the causalities (however, ottos are quite sensitive and may fail to adapt to a new system during the first weeks). If you have the space, you can also consider upgrading to a small external canister filter or to a "hang on back" filter, which will also free up some space in the tank.
• Are you measuring nitrite and ammonia levels? If nitrite and ammonia are zero you should consider adding a new shrimp and snail team to help with the algae.
• And, yes, you can (and should) add a handful of pots of plants to your tank But pick small slow growing plants instead of stem plants. Meanwhile, and since you need to stabilize the system, you can temporarily add a couple of fast growing (floating) stem plants such as Ceratophyllum or Elodea. Keep them under strict control and remove them once the rest of the plants are growing.
• The Easy Life Profito is a "all in one" (micro + macro) fert. As said above, add a few root tab to the soil. With this type of ferts you should aim at a minimum of one weekly 50% water change.
• The Algexit is to be used for a short period of time only. In any case, it will address the symptoms and not the actual causes of the algae - so, if you not correct the real causes the algae will return.

 

[josh8425]

• 14h of light is too much, even if you have the LED lights that came with the tank -> start with 5h /day for now. If the light has an automatic dimmer keep the light at maximum intensity just for 3-4h and at 2/3 for the rest of the time. Then slowly increase the photoperiod (1h per week or so). Aim at a maximum of 7-8h/day, but even this might be too much If you do not provide the plants with enough nutrients - the plants will deteriorate with excess light and you will get algae. You will have to experiment with this - but be patient. The health and growth of the plants are the indicators you have to rely on.
• As @dcurzon advised, remove the fiber/wool from the plants, prepare the roots, and replant them; plant the stem plants in a wider area. Since it seems you are using only gravel as substrate, add a few root tabs to the soil to provide extra nutrients.
• Start with 3x50% water changes for one week, then reduce to 2x/week for 2-3 weeks, then 50% per week. Since the tank is small, this is not a big task Be careful with the temperature of the new water and prepare it properly (Prime or similar) before adding it. Fertilize after each water change (calculate the correct dosage).
• Are you using CO2? Since pH is ~8.2 I assume not, but you have a drop checker... Note that variable levels of CO2 can cause a multitude of problems.
• pH 8.2 is quite high and Tetras tend to thrive in acidic waters. ideally you should keep them at pH below ~7.0. Have you checked the hardness (KH) of the water?
• The only media in your filter are the sponges. Since you are cleaning the filter sponges often, the bacteria are not settling there in large numbers. So, try to clean the sponges less often and use aquarium water to clean them (never use tap/chlorinated water) - do not squeeze the sponges. If possible, try cleaning half of the sponges only each time. The issue is that beneficial bacteria that you need to keep the system in balance will have to settle in the gravel/substrate and in other surfaces of the tank. The lack of filter media can (and should) be compensated by adding more plants. Without settled nitrifying bacteria and with just a few plants, the tank might be experiencing small nitrite and ammonia spikes - this might have caused the causalities (however, ottos are quite sensitive and may fail to adapt to a new system during the first weeks). If you have the space, you can also consider upgrading to a small external canister filter or to a "hang on back" filter, which will also free up some space in the tank.
• Are you measuring nitrite and ammonia levels? If nitrite and ammonia are zero you should consider adding a new shrimp and snail team to help with the algae.
• And, yes, you can (and should) add a handful of pots of plants to your tank But pick small slow growing plants instead of stem plants. Meanwhile, and since you need to stabilize the system, you can temporarily add a couple of fast growing (floating) stem plants such as Ceratophyllum or Elodea. Keep them under strict control and remove them once the rest of the plants are growing.
• The Easy Life Profito is a "all in one" (micro + macro) fert. As said above, add a few root tab to the soil. With this type of ferts you should aim at a minimum of one weekly 50% water change.
• The Algexit is to be used for a short period of time only. In any case, it will address the symptoms and not the actual causes of the algae - so, if you not correct the real causes the algae will return.

Soo much vital and important info! Thank you so much for all this. I wil definitely try to get everything balanced out by the end of the summer hopefully.

Just today I ordered a new test kit to test the nitrate and ammonia levels. I think thats where a big problem might have come in cause they were factors I couldnt test before. I will aim to keep ph a bit more closer to 7 then. Will also greatly decrease the led light, will get some snails and shrimp, wont get new ottos til I am sure everything is well balanced in there, if I decide to get them at all. And will deal with the plants as well by replanting them.

Still learning 😁

 

[sparkyweasel]

EasyLife like to call Profito a 'complete' fertiliser, but it contains no nitrate or phosphate, - two essential plant nutrients.
Is the Limnophila actually becoming brown, or is it a brown slime growing on it? Try rubbing it with a finger to see if it comes off.
I would reduce the time the light is on, change to a truly complete fertiliser and add more plants.
I would also do more frequent partial water changes, lots more to start with and then reduce to once a week when the tank is more established.

 

[josh8425]

EasyLife like to call Profito a 'complete' fertiliser, but it contains no nitrate or phosphate, - two essential plant nutrients.
Is the Limnophila actually becoming brown, or is it a brown slime growing on it? Try rubbing it with a finger to see if it comes off.
I would reduce the time the light is on, change to a truly complete fertiliser and add more plants.
I would also do more frequent partial water changes, lots more to start with and then reduce to once a week when the tank is more established.

Thanks for the info! Will go for a bit more proper fertilizer then.
I rubbed it with fingers and ended up cleaning the water a lot. Cause the "leaves" on it had turned brown cause they were dead. So after a little touch it basically all fell off and I ended up removing a large amount of the dead brown parts.