60 Gallon Planted

willsher · Feb 23, 2010

Recently setup a 60 Gal with about 15 plants added 2 weeks ago. Plants are crypts and anubias, supposedly for low light. All have brown spots not and/or appear to be melting. Here's what I have for equiptment and what i've done recently.

Magnum 350 Canister
Flourite Gravel - bout 5 inches - got a good deal on this

135 CF Coralife Light
DIY CO2 <- needs tweeking

Haven't run any test on the water param's yet as I just started cycling. CO2 indicator shows yellow. My co2 drop test is too old to be reliable and haven't had chance to replace it. I keep water at about 78 -80. As for the plants, due to their poor condition I removed the carbon from the filter, i thought it might be sucking out the nutrients and start adding API Leaf Zone with Iron yesterday hoping to help. Any suggestions that might help save what I can? Will the plants possibly regenerate with the right care?

Thanks in advance!

Turbosaurus · Feb 23, 2010

Good news is you have everything you need to have these plants rocking as long as you can be patient.
Removing the charcoal was a good idea.

Don't worry about the crypts, they usually melt when you mess with their roots or change their water parameters- happens all the time and is totally normal. They should rebound pretty quick (okay- pretty quick is like in a month or so- on a new tank that can seem like an eternity!). I like to put roottabs under my rosette plants as long as I don't plan to move them. They will make a big difference- but you don't want to stir them up into the water column, so don't put them in until you're sure you're plants are staying put.

Make sure the rhizome of the anubias is not burried in the substrate- that part needs to be out of the water. If the leaves were damaged in shipping, or were allowed to get too dried out in travel, they will start to deteriorate, so its a bit too early to assume you have a chemical defficency.

A lack of CO2 won't cause yellowing of leaves on either of these plants. Any CO2 will help, but you can keep them healthy without it, that's not the problem.

Lets talk about possible defficencies that could cause the plants to be doing poorly - if it is not just the plants getting used to the new tank. Do you have any fish in the tank? You will need nitrates, phosphates, potassium and micros. With low tech plants and a decent sized bioload you will get sufficent nitrates and phosphates from your fish waste, but it could take a while since you have just set up the tank. Yellowing leaves is often a sign of a nitrogen defficency if you've ruled out shipping/travel damage. The leaf zone is fine for now as far as adding potassium and iron, and you will probably have enough calcium and mg from your tap water (unless its super super soft- how's your water hardness?).

I would advise being patient. The crypts will certainly grow back and the anubias should put up new leaves. Remove any that are seriously damaged.

willsher · Feb 23, 2010

Thank you for the response. Luckily I live pretty close to a large reputable LFS and they advised about the Anubia's rhizome. The trip was less than 30 minutes and the plant went straight from their tank to wet newspaper and almost immediately to my tank. It should not have been dried out from the trip and the sales associate took care packing them.

I have 5 Serpae Tetras in the tank and relatively low hardness water, 5-8dkh i've measured in the past. I have the needed Ammo/Nitrite/Nitrate test so i'll be looking tonight for signs of nitrates. I did get some root tabs, but will hold off till I settle on plant placement. I've never used them so i'm thanks for mentioning this. I'll need to look more into plant supplements it sounds.

Turbosaurus · Feb 23, 2010

You may not need them once everything gets settled, or you'll need very little. Usually a plant food with just potassium and micros (Fe, Mb, Cu, etc) dosed once a week, or just at water changes is fine and can be found in your local fish store. Many people with just crypts and anubias don't dose anything at all. I love my rootabs for crypts tho- they do make a startling difference.

If you've got 5-8dKH I'd bet money your GH (Ca and Mg) is just fine.

Your plants will need nitrogen- but they can take that right from ammonia or nitrite- they don't need to wait for nitrAte to show up. We just use that because its safe to dose if you need extra and once your tank is established its the only way to measure nitrogen available (since your filter will convert all the ammonia). Anywhere along the nitrogen cycle is fine, so if you are showing ammonia readings, they have nitrogen available.