plants getting worse after fertilizing?

[janesc2003]

Hi,

I didn't realize that there's something wrong with my tank until I found the plant with long-sword-shaped leaves began to rot away in early January. My hornwort was losing its needles and turns a little bit yellow at first. I thought it might be lack of nutrition. I added flourish excel and flourish comprehensive nutrients liquids into the tank since last week. However it didn't help much. The hornwort keeps dying and I even found two or three brown stems without needles this morning! I remeber I've got a whole bunch of hornwort from another senior member and now it looks like I've got only one third left and it made so hard for new fries to hide. And my java fern has got more burnt/brown spots and some other plants that I don't know their names of are still yellowing. I'm so upset and still unaware of what's wrong with my tank. I'm pretty sure I'm not overdosing and all my fish are doing great. Would anyone please give me some advice on this? Thanks in advance.

regards

Jane

[Morainy]

Hi Jane,

I don't know much about plants and I'm sure that someone else here will jump in and help you.

I love hornwort and I had it in several of my tanks for awhile. I learned that it needs lots of nitrates, so in a way it does well in a tank where the fish are overfed. (Not that I'm recommending that, lol.) The hornwort would die when the nitrates dropped.

Hornwort also dies if you add copper medication to the tank (AquaSol, for example) The needles turn brown and fall off, then you end up with a big, swirling mess.

I don't know about the yellowing plants or java or the sword. Is your tank a new setup and are you new to planted tanks, or has this tank been running a long time with plants in it? Has anything changed?

I'm sure someone else here will jump in. Good luck!

[janesc2003]

I'm a newbie in aquarium. I started my first tank four months ago. Now I'm running a 65 G tank with some live plants. Is there any fertilizer contains nitrate that hornwort needs? I'd definitely try job spikes you recommended last time when I asked for advice here. Thanks alot.

[cdsgo1974]

Hello Jane,
Let me start by saying that I just got into planted tank last September so I am by no means an expert.

Combination that worked for me:
1) EI dosing with Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Sulphate, Iron, Seachem Flourish and Seachem Excel
2) CO2 injection -- started with DIY and have now switched to pressurized CO2 setup
3) T5 HO (high output) fluorescent lighting -- white light -- 6500 K (Kelvin)
- light On for 5 hours, Off for 2 hours and then On again for another 5 hours with the use of a timer
4) Weekly 33% to 50% Water Change
5) Fluval Substrate
6) Non-Plant eating community fishes
7) Proper filtration (i.e. I have two Hang on Back filters in 20 gallon tank)
8) Determination and an open ear to advices given by experienced members in this forum

Here's my tank -- not super nice but plants are not withering and dying

[Nicklfire]

wecome to the site and it seems welcome to a very addicting hobby. This is the point where you start learning about plans, and the learning and spending money wont stop for a long time

Read these as a intro and you might have a "ooOOOOO" moment

Basic Guide to Carbon Dioxide
Intro To EI (estimated Index)
Basic Guide To Lighting

[neven]

If a plant has thick roots (stems are fine roots only) they will need root fertilization to help them along. In an EI tank its not as apparent because the water column takes care of most of the fertilization, but a heavy root feeder will often still be weak. Soils like ADA, fluval stratum, eco complete, and florabase take the place of the root fertilization. So if you have a plain substrate (like aquarium gravel, sand), you will need to root tab (aquarium shops sell macro and micro). After you tab the plant, it may melt back, just snip of the dead leaves and let it grow back.

as for java ferns, if you were low on nitrates prior to adding excel, it would have caused all your plants to suck up the nitrates, causing the dead spots, browning and yellowing. Some plants like vals, egeria densa, riccia will react to excel and die back, most are fine though