# Why do my plants look like this!?!? [PICS]



## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

Hi I have a 46 gallon bow front with 2 wpg (8-10 hours a day) and 50% gravel and 50% eco complete. It is stocked with tetras and cories. It has java fern, anubias, java moss, crypts, and some unidentified plants...also I do not use fertilizers. I need advice on what ferts to use, and how to get rid of this algae! Will a pleco solve the problem? Because I only have otos. Thanks.








One of my anubias with black spots on it...








Unidentified plant...Anyone know what plant this is?








dying java fern 








these anubiases are still growing, they just have ugly spots on them 








is this green algae?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!


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## metageologist (Jan 10, 2008)

here is a good sight so you can id the algae http://aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Algae is green spot algae. And the plants have a potassium deficiency.

Are you sure those are "black dots" and not holes?

Not sure what that plant is, but whatever it is, it doesn't look healthy at all.


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

First one is not Anubias, I think its Non aquatic
Second one maybe Mexican Oak leaf. Make sure java fern is tied to something. looks like not enough nitrate


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

x2 the first plant is not Anubias and looks non-aquatic

The second looks fishy to me too- looks like emersed growth at best; it _might _be a hygro grown emersed, but I really wouldn't count on that plant being aquatic, either?


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## susankat (Oct 14, 2007)

First plant looks to be an arrowhead, type of ivy needs to be in a pot not in aquarium.


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## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

I know for a fact that the first plant is an anubias. It is a giant anubias that I purchased from aquariumplants.com...But as for the second plant, I've been getting the feeling that it isn't aquatic because it has not grown at all...and plus I got it from Petsmart 

Oh and I'm positive they're black dots and not holes


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

fishee said:


> I know for a fact that the first plant is an anubias. It is a giant anubias that I purchased from aquariumplants.com


Is that just one leaf in the pic or 3 separate leaves? If it's 3 leaves, then OK, but if it's all one leaf, then I'm pretty sure there's no Anubias with a leaf shaped like that?


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## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

yeah there are three separate leaves, its just that some of the leaves died


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

OK, then- I'm pretty sure the rest of us who said it wasn't an Anubias thought that it was just 1 leaf in the pic.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

read this to start
http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Fertilizers-in-a-Planted-Tank/1/
no quick fixes here.

CO2 is important too.


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## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

How good is the Seachem line of products? I was thinking of getting these:
SEACHEM
Flourish
Flourish Potassium
Flourish Nitrogen

How often should I be dosing these nutrients? And should I be using the recommended dosage or should I use less?

What if I used Flourish Excel in place of CO2? I know it won't be as effective, but is it worth it?

ALSO: how long do you recommend I leave the lights on? is 10 hours too long?


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## kana (Oct 23, 2007)

I was searching for something else today and spotted this anubias that oddly resembles the one posted that was in question.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=227


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Flourish Excel will provide usable carbon for the plant growth/respiration. I've seen some nice tanks that use it. But it's not even close to a CO2 substitute.


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

fishee said:


> How good is the Seachem line of products? I was thinking of getting these:
> SEACHEM
> Flourish
> Flourish Potassium
> ...


What kind of lighting do you have? I know you said ~2wpg, but more specifics would be helpful (T5, compact fluorescent,etc.). Even with 2wpg, ferts will likelybe helpful, if not necessary. 

Seachem's ferts are fine, but they get expensive. Dry ferts are much cheaper. 

If you want to go with Seachem, you will likely need some Phosphorus as well, unless your bioload (fish waste, etc.) will supply it for you. Excel can work fine as a carbon source (although, as was mentioned, co2 is probably better/cheaper). The recommended doses are probably fine for your setup(again, depending on your lighting) 

8 hours for the lighting is probably fine. Plants don't really need more than that, and algae loves more light. HTH


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## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

I'm using a 36" Coralife Freshwater Aqualight that's 96 watts. It uses compact flourscents. I think my tank is stocked well enough to provide a decent bioload. 

I have: 11 rummynose tetras, 7 serpae tetras, 5 cories, 2 ottos, and some shrimp.


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## DaveS (Mar 2, 2008)

I have a couple of tanks with similar light levels to what you are running and I had some plants showing almost exactly the same signs yours are showing. I figured some sort of nutrient imbalance was to blame, so I started researching comprehensive fertilization methods rather than trying to pinpoint one nutrient. What I finally started using is called PPS Pro, which is laid out in detail here: http://tinyurl.com/35zan4.

I also started to dose Flourish Excel at the normal daily rate (1ml per 10g) as these tanks are not slated for full CO2 systems any time in the near future. In short, the results have been far better than I expected. The growth certainly isn't explosive, but my algae has all but disappeared, and the plants are growing strong and healthy with much better coloring. The dry ferts are cheap and easy to mix. You will need to get a small scale first, but from Ebay that is a minor cost. I would suggest going with a similar plan (there are many, just look around for the one that looks good to you), as trying to balance all of the nutrients individually isn't the easiest thing in the world (I never have been able to balance them all on my own).

Dave


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## Cwhite (Dec 16, 2007)

fishee--I don't think that that fish-load would exclude the need for ferts. I have more fish than you in my 46 gallon bowfront and the plants suck everything out of the water easily.


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## catcracking (Mar 17, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> Anubias with a leaf shaped like that?


Isn't a.gigantea generally not recommended for immersed cultivation? A very pretty plant, though - but it is gigantic when it is fully grown. I've seen some really big ones in our local botanical gardens.


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## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

Hmmm...well based on the current situation of my plants, I don't think the anubias will grow gigantic lol


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

Don't count on algae eaters to fix any problems. They are just as likely to eat fish food


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## kana (Oct 23, 2007)

fishee said:


> I'm using a 36" Coralife Freshwater Aqualight that's 96 watts. It uses compact flourscents. I think my tank is stocked well enough to provide a decent bioload.
> 
> I have: 11 rummynose tetras, 7 serpae tetras, 5 cories, 2 ottos, and some shrimp.


 
I have the same tank and same light that you are using and I'm beginning to think that it isn't as much light as what it states. I inject C02 and dose fertilizers daily and still dealing with algae and tall straggly plants. My ludwingia repen is totally green which indicated low light situations. 

I'm thinking of replacing my lights.


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## DaveS (Mar 2, 2008)

I think like any tank it is a matter of balance. I also have a 46g bow front tank, and I have a total of 60W (dual tube t8 strip light) and it is by far my best tank as far as steady growth and algae are concerned. I have a very heavy bioload and just a sponge filter, so the tank is somewhat naturally balanced. With 96W of PC lighting, my guess is nutrient deficiency more than anything. You are at the 2 WPG level which is still considered low light I suppose, but 96W of PC lighting is still a decent amount of light. I would still try using a comprehensive daily fertilization routine and see what happens before dropping the money on a new lighting system.

Dave


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## fishee (Feb 14, 2008)

Dave, do you think you can tell me what plants you have in your tank because I'm having trouble finding good plants for my tank. I feel like the 46g bow is really tall, so I can't find plants so tall.


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## DaveS (Mar 2, 2008)

In my 46g tank I have valisneria americana (jungle val / giant val), a couple species of crypts, a couple species of anubias, and java fern. None of those plants would be considered high light plants however.

The vals do great, and they get very tall ... several feet in fact! The java fern also gets quite tall as well while the other plants make for nice lower growing areas.

Dave


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