Anubias properly planted but falling apart, any advice?

[londonloco]

I used fluorish root tabs....they worked great. If you want to leave your anubias in the substrate like that, it's fine. Mine grew two feet tall and a foot across with it in the substrate...just use the root tabs. Takashi Amano plants anubias in the substrate, they like it fine either way.

I use Seachem's Flourish root tabs also. They are a tad pricey, but you only need to use them every 3 months or so.

As far as the anubias, Cradle is 100% correct, they will grow with roots planted in the substrate just fine. I have all mine on rocks or driftwood. It's easier to take out of the tank and cut leaves off that have developed algae. (I recently read a post that suggests anubias is not a true aquatic plant, and might be the reason it eventually gets some sort of algae on it).

 

[Vince G.]

Mgamer(on this site) at bobstropicalplants.com has some good root tabs also. I've grown them both ways, buried and attached, and your anubias will grow the way you have them, with the rhizome on the top of the surface. They are probably just adjusting...and they grow very slowly anyway. I bought 2 anubias on Lava rock once, and they both melted almost all the way down to the rhizome before they started putting out new leaves. It took about 2 months before they started looking healthy. Just stick with it. Don't worry about your lighting, either, they will grow almost anywhere.

 

[jetajockey]

Houseplant fertilizer will probably work. It's not specialized for the aquarium (has a high amount of N/P which isn't usually necessary) but the worst it'd prob do is create an algae farm. Plenty of people use garden/houseplant fertilizers in their aquariums. Jobes plant spikes and osmocote just to name a few.

 

[Sigrid]

:thm: Anubias does not like to have its roots buried - it needs to be fastened onto driftwood or rock.

 

[Robert H]

a) Anubias grows just fine in the substratre. It is better to leave the rhizome uncovered to prevent it from getting anaerobic, (cut off from oxygen), but if the leaves are falling off the rhizome, it may already be anaerobic. Pick up the plant and feel the rhizome. If its soft and squishy its toast. If its still firm, it will grow new leaves if you provide favorable enough growing conditions.

The main issue is LIGHT. Anubias grows SO SLOWLY fertilizer makes little difference, but if the light is not bright enough, or if the lights are not on LONG ENOUGH every day, the leaves will fall off. If your water is low in oxygen this can also cause the leaves to fall off, although it would have to be pretty bad for that to happen

b) Houseplant fertilizers ARE NOT a good idea because it is nitrogen, and will raise your nitrate levels dramatically depending on how much you are adding. That is what could kill your fish is the sudden change in nitrate. And like I said, Anubias grow so slowly that they will only use a fraction if any of the added nitrate. It will do them no good at all. Light and C02 will have more of an effect.

C) You have your Java fern planted in the substrate... that is the plant that should always be put on wood or rock not in the substrate...EVER.

Don't worry about your lighting, either, they will grow almost anywhere.

Thats an overstated myth. The plants grow slowly, so the signs of distress due to insufficient light are not as apparent, but they flourish under proper conditions of light and C02. Every plant has a minimal light threshhold. With the right conditions the leaves will never fall off

 

[londonloco]

I agree with everything RobertH said but the light issue and anubias. I have a 2 gallon Walmart jar in the middle of my computer table since January 2010. It has a few white cloud minnows in it and a nana anubias tied to a rock. The only light it gets is ambient, from glass sliding doors and a sky light directly above it, I do not have a fixture of any type on it. I dose .3mL of excel daily. The anubias had 5(ish) leaves on it when I put it in the jar. It now has 15 or more. Once a week I take it out during wc's, wipe off any brown diatom, and plop it back in. I'm sure the fact my well water has 700+ tds count is part of the reason it's growing. Below is a pic I took this January, 2011:

 

[rishkin]

Well I have three anubias, so I decided to put one on the boat way above the substratre...and two just above the substratre on the bubble bar that I no longer use.

Also I moved the CO2 diffuser to the back middle of the tank...it was on the right side of the tank.

I'll be picking up some root tabs soon...

Hopefully with these changes they should flourish =)

 

[Khemul]

Watch the rhizome on those Java Ferns. It is similar to Anubias when it comes to roots & rhizome.

Both do fine planted in the substrate. The rhizome is the more important factor, since it can't live without that. It may 'prefer' to not have its roots buried, but it can grow perfectly fine with them buried (hell, both plants can live without roots if they have too). Its the rhizome it can't survive having buried (although it could be noted that it is more likely fish will kick sand/gravel onto the rhizome if it is planted that low).



Also, that Lucky Bamboo should not be underwater. It will do fine with its roots and stem submerged, but will need its leaves out of the water (similar to how Pothos can be used in aquariums).

 

[Sigrid]

Enclosed is a website and a part of an article about "anubias".
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/plants/anubias.php

Anubias is a great choice, since they grow best when the light is subdued. If you place your Anubias in a spot that receives a lot of light, algae can start growing on the leaves.

Anubias should not be planted in the substrate; use a piece of string to attach it to a rock, a piece of driftwood or similar. Gradually, the Anubias plant will anchor itself to the surface and you can remove the string….