# Why do plants "melt"



## talontsiawd

My first high tech tank did really well until some of my plants just started disintegrating. It isn't melting where the leaves get clear, the stem gets weak and the top comes off. I find the plant never recovers well. I am only having an issue with 2 plants right now, out of about 10 species. This only happens in my high tech tank. I thought I got over this but I am really not even sure what causes it.

My tank is a 29 gallon. It has 72 watts of T5NO with terrible reflectors. I do standard EI dosing. 

The only other issue I have is that some plants don't color up as much as I would like. 

I don't have an extensive array of test kits or anything but I can try to give any info. I have successfully grown any plant that has "melted" in a non co2 tank. 

Part of me wants to believe it is the transition from emmersed to submersed but these plants have been in my tank for about a month now. It is more likely to happen with plants that I know have been grown ememersed. 

Just want to figure out the solution, this never happens in my low tech tanks. Unfortunately I don't know the plant names either, in this case, they are the only 2 I have bought that were defineatly grown emmersed.


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## timwag2001

it will happen during the transition. and it can also happen with poor co2. a plant that transitions can lose its emersed leaves. how is your co2 in that tank? try increasing it


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## talontsiawd

timwag2001 said:


> It can also happen with poor co2. a plant that transitions can lose its emersed leaves. how is your co2 in that tank? try increasing it


I want to say my CO2 is consistent. My working pressure stays the same and my BPS does as well. I am right under the level of stressing my fish.

I also want to believe it's just an emersed issue but my tank did the same when it crashed hard a few years ago. This is the first new setup that I have really cared about and it has only been with new plants, but last time it was not.


Just wondering if there are other factors.


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## speedie408

How old are your bulbs?


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## tetra73

I am experiencing the same issue now, after 1 month setting up the tank, with my hygrophila corymbosa "Stricta." I also notice my Melon sword is acting the same too. For my Stricta, it has something to do with lack of potassium and new leaves and growths are cannibalizing older leaves. I got the dreaded holes on the leaves. The Melon sword are growing new leaves while the some of the old ones are slowly dying. 

I don't think CO2 is your problem if your plants have been growing well. I would maybe add some root tabs. You may want to trim the leaves to ensure more lights are getting to the lower, older leaves. Other than that, I am not sure if anything you can do. Hopefully, you have enough new leaves to offset the dying ones.


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## talontsiawd

speedie408 said:


> How old are your bulbs?


I have 4 bulbs that range from about 6 months to 2 years. I have been meaning to replace them but it hasn't been in my funds.




tetra73 said:


> I am experiencing the same issue now, after 1 month setting up the tank, with my hygrophila corymbosa "Stricta." I also notice my Melon sword is acting the same too. For my Stricta, it has something to do with lack of potassium and new leaves and growths are cannibalizing older leaves. I got the dreaded holes on the leaves. The Melon sword are growing new leaves while the some of the old ones are slowly dying.
> 
> I don't think CO2 is your problem if your plants have been growing well. I would maybe add some root tabs. You may want to trim the leaves to ensure more lights are getting to the lower, older leaves. Other than that, I am not sure if anything you can do. Hopefully, you have enough new leaves to offset the dying ones.


My tank has filled up enough to where I need to trim. I did put in some root tabs.


I will look in to adding potassium. I do dose K2SO4 as per EI.


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## fresh.salty

If I miss a few fert dosings I have some plants that start to die from the bottom up. Mainly tender stem plants. I don't think adding more CO2 would help that.


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## speedie408

2 years is well overdue for a change out.


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## 150EH

I'm really not sure but Crypts and Vals melt when the leaves get old or big changes in the water, nutrients etc., I think some other may melt from being in border line conditions like plants that need a nutient rich soil planted in something almost inert. But these are just some observation and by no means a fact.


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## talontsiawd

I don't know if anyone cares, or I am right for that matter, but I think I figured out the issue. For some reason, I was dosing my ferts 2x as much. I had made a spread sheet for EI dosing to calculate dosing for my auto dosing setup. 

I made a mistake and calculated 2x the amount. So, I believe that an excess of some nutrient is the cause. After a large water change and the right dosing amount, I now see some growth from the plants that melted. I also just see much nicer growth on other plants. I can't say I am correct, and if I am, I don't know what nutrient because I doubled everything by accident but everything seems to be going better.


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