paul Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 So I know nothing about aquatic plants, but I know that my anubias are not well. I have two attached to dift wood in a bare bottom tank. The tank is my girls' 80L sorority (still overstocked) and getting frequent (about weekly) 80% water changes. Light is nothing special - standard fluoro tube. The two anubias (one of them has smaller leaves than the other... ??nana??) were looking quite well until recently. They had some algae on them, which I wiped off. Shortly afterwards the bigger leafed plant started to yellow around the edges, then the leaves started dying. Pic below. It was about the same time I had started increasing the water changes. The nana is starting to show some yellowing as well. I don't fertilise, so I'm presuming it's a deficiency of some sort - but what? I couldn't look at the leaves like they were, so I trimmed the dead bits yesterday at water change time. I'm pretty sure the plants were doing much better when I wasn't doing as many water changes (ie ignoring the fish's health/care requirements). I tried to use "flourish" a couple times, but no improvement in the plants. Any idea why they're dying? What should I do? What should I add? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 did you add flourish trace or flourish "nitrogen" "postassium" or "phosphate"? It does look a lot like nitrogen deficiency but it shouldn't happen to an anubias or an overstocked tank. Do you have a testing kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted May 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Only have a test kit for ammonia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pritch33 Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 It will take a little more than a using ferts a couple of times Unfortuanatlly anubias are a slow grower and depending on how bad the defficiency is it may take several weeks, you also need to look at new growth to determine if the ferts are working I would try seachem flourish and seachem flourish excel as a minimum, and if you can refine it to a particullar defiency add that as well seachem sell a lot of ferts and for healthy plant growth, there whole range is needed but this may be more than the plants are worth and not economocal for two anubias what lighting are you using? Is it for plants, is the tube more than 12 months old if so it needs to be replaced for plant growth, if the tank is receiving natuaral lighting it may also be the cause as the months are changing so could be the lighting on your tank if it is getting more light it will need more food http://flaviuvlaicu.com/aquascaping/plants/aquarium-plant-deficiency/ Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maijar Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Hi Paul, How long have you had these plants and where did they come from? If bought commercially, and you have had them less than 6 weeks I would guess that they have been grown out of water and the leaves that were adapted to being emersed are now dying off, to be replaced by new submersed foliage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 die off? Really? I bought my first anubias from my LFS and I was sure they were grown emersed. The original leaves did not die off but just never grew. New shots are grown from the rhizome, it really looks like a major deficiency to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 With anubias they don't die off, they grow so slowly they don't notice lol. The leafdoesn't change structure from aquatic to emmersed, they don't really care what you do. It could be light, I left some anubias in a cupbourd for a few months, had the smae result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I've had the plants for at least 3 months now I think. They iniially did well. I bought them from "Petbarn" and they had been in much darker conditions there for many weeks before I bought them - so not emersed, and not "transplantation shock". I'm confident the problem is a deficiency - but what? In an already overstocked tank, is it safe to add fertilisers? Aren't most plant fertilisers ammonia based anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Sounds like an iron defiency, I have a defenciency chart I will post later :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted May 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 (edited) Looking forward to seeing it Matt. So guess adding flourish excel won't cut it, and I also guess dropping a couple chicken livers in for the extra iron probably won't cut it either. Edited May 20, 2011 by paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Here it is, could also be potasium, you could use potasium nitrate to help it along, you can buy it in small quantities without them thinking your a terrorist. Or get one of teh seachem range, I personelly don't use their products because dry ferts are more economical :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted May 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 Don't see the link Matt. I did however go to the link Ray had put up. Thanks mate, had missed it earlier... And on the basis of that link I'm guessing it's either phosphate deficiency or iron. Do they recover if treated or can it be too far gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 here it is again but looks like you don't need it know anyway. Cut the oldest leaves off and only leave those that arn't as badly damaged. New growth should be fine if you fix the defiency :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted May 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks again Matt. Ps still don't see it. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php/5860-Nutrient-Deficiency-Symptomsyay it worked!! Had a look at the piccy again, leave the leaves on that are not damaged. Cut of teh yellow decaying ones :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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