# Disease, Deficiency, or Pests? Holes & Melt in my Crypts (Pics Inside)



## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

anyone?


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## darkoon (Nov 11, 2010)

either CO2 or Potassium deficiency, and keep in mind that the old leaves are not going to improve after you increase your dosage, just keep an eye on the new leaves.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

+1 for Potassium, did you move the crypt within the tank ? In my tank crypts will melt if i uproot them and plant them in another place. I would suggest pruning the leaves that have started to melt. I've never had a melted leaf come back.

EDIT : Are you using anything to enrich the substrate ? root tabs etc ?


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

Did you guys read my original post? I'm already dosing Potassium... 5 mL of Seachem Potassium 2x a week and I have Pfertz tabs in place. And no I have not moved these plants recently, but anyway....

The dose that I'm administering is allegedly enough to raise the Potassium in my tank to 4 mg/L... and for a few weeks I dosed a total of 15 mL per week to see if that would help. Is there a target I should aim for?

Additionally, some of the newer leaves even have signs of this problem... which is why I am concerned about this being a disease.

As for CO2... could this be the result of Excel use? I've read in a few other places that it negatively effects some species of plants... could this be an instance?


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Best Dosing Calculator


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Is it getting more direct light than it did in the past?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Nope. Crypts dont like Excel. Period.


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

snausage said:


> Is it getting more direct light than it did in the past?


No, this light has been in place for over a year now.



chad320 said:


> Nope. Crypts dont like Excel. Period.


I think I am going to stop dosing Excel for a while and see what happens. Since I'm running DIY now I will feel more comfortable doing so.



m00se said:


> Best Dosing Calculator


Thx, according to this I should be dosing some more K... probably I will up my dosage then for a while again and if that (combined with nixing the Excel) helps correct my problem.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

raven_wilde said:


> No, this light has been in place for over a year now.


I think he was going for more light, as in sunlight. BGA seems to really like it.


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

m00se said:


> I think he was going for more light, as in sunlight. BGA seems to really like it.


Oh... no, the tank gets no sunlight, when I moved in I specifically set my tanks up in a corner that gets zero sunlight and has a pretty stable temp. Had a tank near a window once and I'll never do that again - it was _impossible_ to balance.


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

ps. m00se... is that a raccoon on your lap?


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## Shrimp_Newb (Oct 13, 2011)

This is sad.  Any improvements?


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

raven_wilde said:


> ps. m00se... is that a raccoon on your lap?



hahaha I don't know how I missed this, but yes, that's a raccoon!:thumbsup:


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

> Nope. Crypts dont like Excel. Period.


Ok, so first Excel was being blamed for Cryp melt, and now you are blaming it for making pin holes? My experience has been a little different.

I have grown wendtii, lucens, lutea, blassi, parva, balansae, retrospiralis, and usteriana with Excel for very long periods of time, one Cryp only tank running for three years: dosing high amounts of Excel daily with no melt or pin holes.

A friend of mine who collects Cryps has been using Excel, and her own homemade Excel without any problems with Cryp melt or pin holes since 2002.

What is in Pferts tabs? Are there any macros in it?

My ideal potassium level has always been 20 ppm. Thats what I shoot for.


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## klaus07 (Nov 23, 2011)

Raven, you said your tank has been setup for six years. I wonder if it is possible your substrate has lost its CEC for the ferts you are adding and the plants are no longer getting enough nourishment. It is just a guess, but I know most plants benefit from repotting. Is it possible that the ionic sites on the subrate have been filled my elements and compounds the plants do not use?

Klaus


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## jstehman (Dec 13, 2010)

My wendtiis have the same problem. Only on the older leaves, though. But I also have ramshorn snails in there.


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## Milo (Dec 29, 2011)

I just went from a 30 gal into a 125 gal, and transferred all my plants into the new tank. Before I started this my crpyts looked just like yours....when I uprooted the plants the majority of the roots had what looked like root rot and had a bad odor. So i trimmed the damaged leafs and roots stuck them into the new tank and now they are thriving. Also I rarely dose potassium.


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