# My experience with melting Anubias



## rajah_22 (Dec 12, 2013)

I know there have been past threads on this, but thought I would share a bummer of an experience I've had with some Anubias. I've had a tank running for a few months and the Anubias were doing fantastic. Good growth and one shot up a flower. Then I purchased some new Anubias, including nana and petite from a LFS. With a week several of the petite started to drop leaves and the rhizomes turned mushy. Over the next few weeks I lost most of my healthy original plants to the same cause. Nothing was wrong with my tank in terms of environmental conditions and all other plants are thriving. 

After a bit of research, I am 99% sure this is caused by a pathogen and the new Anubias introduced it into my healthy stock. I've tried to treat it by aggresively cutting off all the affected looking rhizome, roots and leaves, but so far every plant that has showed symptoms has died. I have a few left, but I'm pretty confident they will be heading to trash bin soon as well. Most of the remaining plants are showing brown roots, which seems to be the earliest symptom. I've lost about 15 plants to this so far. 

Here are some pics so folks can now what to look for, particularly when buying new plants. 

Early sign is brown discoloration on roots and rhizome. Some plants showed leaf melt before this was super obvious, but most showed these symptoms first. 


A. nana petite showing browning on the rhizome. This one dropped leaves within a few days later. 


Result of pulling up a well established A. barteri that in the process of flowering. This plant was doing fantastic and then just completely dissolved after the new plants went in. 


Close up of the A. barteri rhizome, showing tissue rot. As others have noticed, these things stink when they get to this point. 


I'm thinking an antifungal dip might be one treatment option if this is a fungal pathogen. Water changes in my opinion wouldn't do a thing. 

Anyone have thoughts, opinions or other experiences like this? I know some threads are out there, so I'm wondering about updates for treatment, etc.

And here's the plants I've been losing over the last two weeks or so. Some of the petite towards the bottom just went into the bin and the nana above is starting to show signs. The nana towards the right succumbed a few days ago. I think the more established plants have been somewhat more resistant. Will see what happens...


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

From my experience with calla lily bulbs, and this was a long time ago, if the rhizome is getting mushy and stinking then a fungicide dip would probably work. I used to drench the lily pots when I noticed it starting to show up and it would stop. Anything that is already mushy and smelly is toast though. 

I don't remember what the pathogen was.


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## rajah_22 (Dec 12, 2013)

Any particular fungicide you would recommend for aquatic plants? I haven't really looked into it...


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

It's been a long time since I was in that game (commercial greenhouse). You'll want to pull the plants out of the tank and do this. DO NOT put that stuff in your tank!!!!


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## rajah_22 (Dec 12, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> It's been a long time since I was in that game (commercial greenhouse). You'll want to pull the plants out of the tank and do this. DO NOT put that stuff in your tank!!!!


Oh, yeah. For sure. I was thinking a dip in a bucket, a very good rinse, and then back in the tank to see what happens.


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## houbanna (Nov 29, 2013)

On a side not I got some anubias from a local chain pet store( not going to say any names but they were not That SMART) before i put them in my tank I examined them and found root rot on them. I returned them and told management that they should not be resold due to its disease, I went back a week later and they repackaged it for resale. I know for a fact because of the plants and the water I had in it with no gell. Never going back to those people


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## rajah_22 (Dec 12, 2013)

houbanna said:


> On a side not I got some anubias from a local chain pet store( not going to say any names but they were not That SMART) before i put them in my tank I examined them and found root rot on them. I returned them and told management that they needed to be resold due to its disease, I went back a week later and they repackaged it for resale. I know for a fact because of the plants and the water I had in it with no gell. Never going back to those people


Good decision not putting those Anubias into your tank. You might have saved yourself a huge headache.


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

rajah, I would reccomend leaving the anubias in a bucket of water for a few days before putting it back into the main tank. Change out the water with tank water everyday for like 3 days to give it a thorough rinsing before putting it back into the tank just to be on the safe side. Plants can go several days without being in the tank. 
Good luck, I hate this stuff, when I had my lowtech setup, I got it often. With my co2 and fertz it doesn't crop up nearly as often. But thats just my experience, I'm pretty sure its like you say caused from a pathogen. 
Joshua


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