# Help new plants melting and losing color.



## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

Those plants require a lot of iron, and from the pinholes on the leaves you should be dosing potassium every other day as well. That should perk them right up^^ 

Also making sure there's a fresh root tab under them will help as well ofc


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## jjonesrjc (Oct 28, 2009)

So in addition to the flourish and trace I need to add straight potassium and iron supplements? If so would the seachem versions be acceptable? Also if I'm running chemi pure in my canister filter does that cause a problem for my plants if the ferts are liquid?


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

yeah seachem versions are fine, thats what i've been using for quite awhile now but just switched to dry iron chelate and k2so4 since it's quite a bit cheaper for quite a bit more ferts. i just mix 2 tbsp per 500mil in an emptry seachem bottle per fert and dose a cap or two at a time ^^

I have no idea about the chemi pure though, i would *think* that it may be removing the ferts from your water column, but don't take my word for it by any means..


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## jjonesrjc (Oct 28, 2009)

Ok will start dosing addtions tonight. I feel like following the directions on the bottle isn't the way to go but see how the plants react to the dosing as long as I'm not over dosing they should be fine. Can I follow that rule with these our will following the bottle be best?

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

If you are running 4 HO T5 bulbs over a 20 gallon tank then you need more than just macros and micros. You need more CO2 and a shorter lighting period and fewer bulbs used. And the ferts mentioned of course. Don't worry about overdosing the tank, running the tank lean hurts the plants more than the algae.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Did you order them or get from a LFS?
If ordered they may have been grown emersed 
in which case they need to transition to submersed growth.


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## jjonesrjc (Oct 28, 2009)

I have the four bulbs over a 55 gallon 24" tank. So I might be on the low end of the spectrum for plants at the bottom of my tank right? I will definitely keep the fert levels higher. I decided to remove my chemi pure and just use filter floss in my canister filter. As for the plants I got them from a lfs they were fully submersed but were in really shallow water since the have there plants in kinda of a cascade tank could it be an adjustment to being at the bottom of my tank rather then right at the top of the water line?


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

The full Seachem line works well. They have a chart or something on their website that gives you a daily routine for using their products. I followed it for over 6 months and the tank did great. Just that with a 90g it become sort of costly. I'm using dry ferts plus any root tabs that I can get easily. Those all seem the same to me, either they all work or all don't do anything. lol I do prefer tabs over caps so I can break them up some and distribute more evenly.

You can't really know how the plants were grown before they hit your LFS. Could be just a transition.


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## jjonesrjc (Oct 28, 2009)

Yeh hopefully but only seeing new growth on the narrow leaf chains the broad leaf just seem to be getting worse. Hoping for a bounce back here withing a couple weeks.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

fresh.salty said:


> You can't really know how the plants were grown before they hit your LFS. Could be just a transition.


Many aquatic plant nurseries grow there plants emersed,
and look different compared to the submersed growth. 
The leaf structure is different many times.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

I know what you're saying and thought I said the same thing, just a different way.

What I've always called my narrow chain is a lot narrower than either of those pictures. But then common names are pretty loose some places.


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## jjonesrjc (Oct 28, 2009)

The narrow leafs are only in the first an third picture top left of first and the whole third they seem large cause I was close to the tank but the leafs are no wider than a pencil at the top.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Here's what I think. If you've had other plants doing well in the tank and these aren't there isn't a lot you can do about it. I don't see them as particularly hard plants to grow when you have decent stock to begin with.


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## jjonesrjc (Oct 28, 2009)

Agreed I'll just have to let it ride and see if they make it through if not I'm putting moss or java ferns in back to the east low lying plants. None of my stem plants have ever had any issues there growing at a rate of 4" plus inches a week. I have to manicure my other plants on a weekly basis.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

Sounds like you're doing fine and waiting it out is a good plan.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Did you test gH? I think swords need a good amount of calcium and magnesium and plants tend melt quickly when they're exposed to a big swing in gH. Deficiencies in other nutrients tend to manifest slowly. You could try calling the store to find out what the gH of their water is.


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