Reccurring Crypt melt.....

[Ady34]

Hello,
im keeping various crypts in my planted tank and have repeatedly suffered minor crypt melt which suggests they are being continually troubled by something.
Recently i ran out of c02 gas so the tank was running without c02 injection for about a week and a half, c02 being substituted with liquid carbon. The crypts during this period noticably increased growth and melting stopped. I have since had my c02 refilled and have began injecting again over the last week or so, and alas today all of my crypts have started melting again. The ph fluctuates from ph 7 before injection to ph 6 at the end of injection.
It seems logical that the c02 injection is the catalyst but is it likely to be the resultant ph fluctuations that are affecting my crypts so badly or the gas itself? Has anyone else suffered the same fate?
I daily dose 10ml tpn+ and 2ml tpn, ada aquasoil substrate system, 2 x 39w ho t5 8hrs/day. 180l tank.
Also 5 days ago i removed the glass covers from my tank (between lighting and water) to try and get more light into the tank, pearling increased notably (including from the crypts), however evaporation was an issue so 2 days ago i refitted them..... could this lighting difference also have contributed to crypt melt.
I know they can be sensitive to change but to what degree? Will they acclimate to ph fluctuations or will this always be an issue for me? This melt seems quite bad and even my balansae which has taken 6 months to settle properly has been affected. Im a bit disheartened by this reccurrent problem and need to know if my suspicions as to the cause are realistic or what, if anything else could be causing it.
Help would be much appreciated.
Ady.

 

[tyrophagus]

Apparently ph and temp don't affect them but I think nobody really knows. In my setup I have plenty co2, flow, ferts, and little disturbance. I change 60% tap water twice weekly. Water is hard.

I had a recurring problem, melts would occur until the crypts died.

My solution. Add 6 tsp of Mg at a water change. As soon as I started this I reduced melt by 95%.

8hrs is a long photoperiod and without co2 for a week you might be suffering now for damage to plants a week before?

 

[tyrophagus]

Not sure of ppm dose but tank is 180l

 

[George Farmer]

I also have anecdotal evidence about lack of Mg, or perhaps Ca, causing melt.

I have softwater (RO mix with 20% hard tap) and was dosing either TPN+ or Elos. Crypts (mainly wendtii varieties) would continously melt. I made to the switch to a "Spezial-N" type macro that amongst other N-based compounds contains Magnesium nitrate and the crypts have taken off like I've never seen before.

I suspect my softwater was deficient in Mg, and the Tropica/Elos ferts didn't have enough either to cope with the demand of my high energy system.

 

[Ady34]

Hi again,
thanks for the replies, they provide another alternative which i wouldnt have considered and they may explain the recurrent problem. My tap water is soft (less than 3 DGH) and has very little KH also (about 1DKH). Maybe my tap water also has some deficiencies which cant be made up for in tpn+ alone.

My solution. Add 6 tsp of Mg at a water change. As soon as I started this I reduced melt by 95%.

I also have anecdotal evidence about lack of Mg, or perhaps Ca, causing melt.

I have softwater (RO mix with 20% hard tap) and was dosing either TPN+ or Elos. Crypts (mainly wendtii varieties) would continously melt. I made to the switch to a "Spezial-N" type macro that amongst other N-based compounds contains Magnesium nitrate and the crypts have taken off like I've never seen before.

I suspect my softwater was deficient in Mg, and the Tropica/Elos ferts didn't have enough either to cope with the demand of my high energy system.

Tyrophagus, where would i get Mg from?, and George i have googled "spezial-N" and found Tobias Coring and Flowgrow linked to UKAPS. This seems like a good mix with added Ca also. Can you get a ready mixed liquid ready to dose, or do you have to mix it yourself like EI salts?
You have both had success at solving your crypt issues this way so i will definitely want to try this method, just need pointing in the right direction of where i may be able to get what i need!
Also if i am to add Mg would this be alongside my current fert regime? And with regards spezial-N, from what little i understand, this would be a macro substitute to tpn+, but then could i use tpn for micro trace still?
Thanks again,
Ady.

 

[tyrophagus]

Search eBay for Epsom salts. (magnesium sulphate heptahydrate, mgso4). Use James C's calculators to work out how much you need. Add at water change. 4 tsp in 180l gives 11ppm. Target value is 5-10.

I think I'm adding to much at 6 tsp per 100l of water changed.

 

[Ady34]

Search eBay for Epsom salts. (magnesium sulphate heptahydrate, mgso4). Use James C's calculators to work out how much you need. Add at water change. 4 tsp in 180l gives 11ppm. Target value is 5-10.

I think I'm adding to much at 6 tsp per 100l of water changed.

Thanks for the info again, think im going to contact one of the sponsor sites, uk aquarium plant food and see what mixes they can sort out for me. Looking in the special n thread in the fertilisers section was an interesting read and people are having good results with this mix, especially with soft water, so ill give it a go. Im not too sure on the micro/macro side of things but im sure they will keep me right and give me something easy to use!
Cheerio,
Ady.