Major mishap: advice please!

[kperera]

About two weeks ago I did a 95% water change, and made the mistake of first filling up the tank with tap water and then adding the water conditioner (Seachem Prime), rather than first adding Prime to the tank. I don't have fish, and I thought that this would be OK for the plants. Well, it wasn't and most of my plants experienced some degree of melting, except for the Java fern. About a week later I started EI dosing with dry ferts. All the plants have started growing new leaves since then, but the new leaves on the crypts (wendtii Green and Tropica) are dying. What could be the problem?

[NWA-Planted]

Originally Posted by kperera

About two weeks ago I did a 95% water change, and made the mistake of first filling up the tank with tap water and then adding the water conditioner (Seachem Prime), rather than first adding Prime to the tank. I don't have fish, and I thought that this would be OK for the plants. Well, it wasn't and most of my plants experienced some degree of melting, except for the Java fern. About a week later I started EI dosing with dry ferts. All the plants have started growing new leaves since then, but the new leaves on the crypts (wendtii Green and Tropica) are dying. What could be the problem?

Probably just doing that large of a water change.

There is nothing wrong with adding prime afterwards so dont worry. I just think it was the super large water change. How long had the plants been in there prior to this

Sent from a dark corner in my happy place

[UDGags]

I think the culprit is something other than the water change and prime. What are your other parameters? Had the plants been in the tank awhile?

[kperera]

The plants had been in the tank for about a month before the large water change. They were beginning to show P and K deficiency, so I decided to start EI dosing with the dry ferts and did the large water change to get a fresh start with the EI. My marble queen radican swords, tiger lotus, and hygrophila angustifolia also melted, but are not producing healthy new leaves. It's only the crypts that are still having trouble. The new crypt leaves that are coming out seem to die off within a few days.

[Diana]

I have done large water changes on plant only tanks without that happening. Not added dechlor at all. Chloramine runs 1 ppm in the tap water.

Not saying that is not what happened, just wondering if there might be some other cause.

How long were the plants exposed to air? I have definitely seen bad effects when leaves that are adapted to under water are exposed to air too long.

[kperera]

Originally Posted by Diana

I have done large water changes on plant only tanks without that happening. Not added dechlor at all. Chloramine runs 1 ppm in the tap water.

Not saying that is not what happened, just wondering if there might be some other cause.

How long were the plants exposed to air? I have definitely seen bad effects when leaves that are adapted to under water are exposed to air too long.

I started filling up the tank as soon as it drained out, so the plants were exposed to the air only for a few minutes. They didn't dry up at all.

[Jeffww]

How cold was your tap water coming out of the tap? Mine comes out at around50-60F in winter in houston so it could very well been that. Probably was not the chlorine.

[kperera]

Originally Posted by Jeffww

How cold was your tap water coming out of the tap? Mine comes out at around50-60F in winter in houston so it could very well been that. Probably was not the chlorine.

It was a cold day (a rare event in Central FL ), so that was probably it. Anyway, the crypts seem to be finally recovering.