Help rescue my Tiger Lotus

[ngochuynh]

I have 3 in my 36gal tank. 135 watts lighting. DIY Co2. Dosing with Kent freshwater supplement twice a week.
1 is really thriving while the other 2 was stagnant, 2 weeks ago, leaves on those 2 were falling off, even the baby leaves. Last night, I pulled them up to see what's wrong and most of the roots were rotted. Look like they will die soon. There're about 4 leaves on each of them now.

[phanmc]

Are you dosing anything else besides kent, which only covers the micro nutrients? If not you need to start dosing macro nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, potassium). With over 3wpg, your plants are burning through the macros.

[ngochuynh]

No, I'm not dosing anything besides that. As I'm kindda new to plants and when I started, I was looking for an easy method of fertelizer and the owner of a lfs told me this Kent freshwater supplement is the complete solution..

[br553]

Another possibility, could it be that they are going dormant? I had a green dwarf lily, nymphaea stelatta (sp), in my tank that went dormant for about 6 weeks after about 4 months in the tank. I didnt dig it up, but I wouldn't be suprised if the roots had disappeared. It came back with 3 plants instead of just one.

[ngochuynh]

can you elaborate more about this 'dormant'? because I think it's exactly it. When I pulled them up, I saw them split into 3 small plants, so I separated them and planted them in different spots.

[Robert H]

Tiger lotus, or any other kind of Nymphaea from the tropics does not go dormant. If your plants came with a bulb, the bulb will produce new plants continually when it is sitting on top of the gravel. If your plant came with no bulb, then once the roots die, its finished. Roots turn black often when there is not enough light, or the roots get cut off from oxygen because the substrate is to compact or there is too much gunk in the substrate. Make sure the plant is not to over shadowed by other plants, and that the roots are not buried too deep, and that the plant is getting plenty of nitrogen, either from the water or a fertilizer in the gravel. Once it does start to take root, the roots will become massive, spreading out all over the tank.

[br553]

Tiger lotus, or any other kind of Nymphaea from the tropics does not go dormant. If your plants came with a bulb, the bulb will produce new plants continually when it is sitting on top of the gravel. If your plant came with no bulb, then once the roots die, its finished. Roots turn black often when there is not enough light, or the roots get cut off from oxygen because the substrate is to compact or there is too much gunk in the substrate. Make sure the plant is not to over shadowed by other plants, and that the roots are not buried too deep, and that the plant is getting plenty of nitrogen, either from the water or a fertilizer in the gravel. Once it does start to take root, the roots will become massive, spreading out all over the tank.

I did not know that, thanks. I guess when mine slowed down, it was probably what you mentioned or some other nutrient deficiency. One of my other dwarf lilies started growing from the end of an inch long stalk rather than directly from the bulb. It's still connected to the parent bulb but looks like it may be growing a new bulb at the base of the plant. Is this possible, or am I seeing things?

[happybob59]

my Hygros used to melt 'cus I didnt have enough Iron...could this be a possibility?

[ngochuynh]

my Hygros used to melt 'cus I didnt have enough Iron...could this be a possibility?

shouldn't be because one is growing like crazy