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certain amount of melt for a newly planted tank?

2506 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  wheatiesl337
Hey guys.. help me keep my head here..
two days live with new plants and Co2 (pressurized)

Can I assume a certain amount of leaves melting? I think I read that this is somewhat expected in a brand new tank..

For the root feeders should I be putting root tabs in already ?

Thank you..

This is what is in the tank now..

Vallisneria Spiralis, Italian Vals
ANUBIAS FRAZERI
Echinodorus "Red Flame" Sword Plant
Rotala Rotundifolia (Indicia)
WATER SPRITE, Ceratopteris thalictroides
Cryptocoryne balansae
GIANT HAIR GRASS, Eleocharis montevidensis
Cabomba caroliniana, Green Cabomba
Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia
ROTALA SP. 'NANJENSHAN'
Golden Lloydiella, Gold Creeping Jenny
Blyxa auberti
Lilaeopsis mauritiana, MICRO SWORD
Dwarf Lily Plant , Nymphaea stellata
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A lot of energy goes into each leaf and so plants do not routinely lose them when conditions change. Plants lose leaves in response to nutrient, damage or a lack of productivity in a leaf (low light/emersed grown leaves are not adapted to underwater conditions).

Aquatic plants are not so delicate that they cannot handle being transferred from one tank to another. As long as all nutrients are present and there is enough light for each species they will grow healthily and not lose leaves.

Out of your list of plants, I'd expect some of the large sword plant's older leaves to melt away as it grows out new leaves. This is because most sword plants from the local pet store are emersed grown and the leaves have a thick wax cuticle that prevents the leaves from exchanging gasses and nutrients when under water. This makes the leaves unproductive and the plant salvages what it can from them by pulling out nutrients - this causes the leaves to die off.

Alternanthera's lower leaves will melt if lighting in the tank is low, you might also get some leaf loss if it was emersed grown.

The crypts are a possible exception to the above advice and sometimes melt for seemingly no reason, so be aware of that.

And finally vals don't like flourish excel so don't dose that in the tank or they can lose leaves because of it.

Lilies will also grow huge and take over your tank, shading everything else out beneath it, so watch that plant like a hawk long term.

And finally, sometimes anubias have anubias disease which can cause anubias to die, the rhizome becomes rotten and so do the leaves. Watch the plant if it starts to lose leaves (stems become mushy first usually) or the rhizome goes yellow/clear/mushy start cutting off bad bits and don't let infected parts touch other healthy leaves.
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Zapins.. The tank is only 2 days planted and the plants were shipped from a company on the west coast (im east coast).. not sure if that makes a difference.. that said the plants all came looking great..

Now I just started dosing my ferts today.. so I guess it's entirely possible the nutrient levels are low.. I hope things start to settle down soon..:I
I added a few more details to my original post.

If you start having plant problems start a thread in the "Plants" section of the forum and post close up photos of the problems and we can help you figure out what is wrong.
I added a few more details to my original post.

If you start having plant problems start a thread in the "Plants" section of the forum and post close up photos of the problems and we can help you figure out what is wrong.
Thank you.. I will try to get good pics next time..
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