Base Of Anacharis Turning White?

PondCometer

AC Members
Jun 27, 2005
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San Diego, California
I have like 3-4 stems of Anacharis lightly wedged together with a plant weight. One of the stems the base about 1/2" has turned totally white/cream almost chalky looking, a little bit of the weight that is around that stem is white also. All the plants/fish are doing fine and the Anacharis in that stem and all others stems are growing fine. Any idea what it might be? I can try and get a picture but hopefully its nothing serious. Thanks.
 
I haven't seen that before. I'd guess it's some kind of chemical reaction between something in that plant weight (metal?) and the water. And whatever that is is getting on both the plant stem and the weight you're using.

Maybe take that plant weight off and tie the plant to a small rock or something instead?
 
The only thing I could find online was that an iron deficiency causes it to turn pasty white like that? I just started dosing with Brightwell Aquatics Florin-Multi. So maybe that'll help bring it back to life. If it doesn't look better I'll pull the weights. I've never had weights react though. Plant weights should be inert metals.
 
Plant weights should be inert, yes.. but that's not always the case.

If it was a nutrient deficiency in your plant, that would only be on the plant. It wouldn't show up on the weight too which is what you already described.
 
Is the pH rising in the tank? It could be biogenic decalcification, where the plant extracts carbon from bicarbonate in the water. This is only likely to happen if you're not injecting CO2.
 
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