[PlantedSteve]

Hey guys,

I'm doing a dry start on a 55g using eco complete, seachem root tabs, HC, a bit of DHG, and a Finnex Ray 2. Because HC is so slow to grow I thought I might try to greenhouse the tank for a bit. I've got the top of the tank covered with plastic wrap and I dropped in a CO2 line at about 1-2bps.

After the initial shock/melt period, the plants seemed to be growing pretty well. I mist them daily with mineral water + a tiny dose of excel.

Lately, some of the leaves on the HC have gone a bit brown and dry. I can't tell if this is from low humidity (the tank is pretty moist inside) or if it's caused by something else I'm doing? Could it be the injected CO2? Maybe the light is too strong?

Here's a pic: https://i.imgur.com/YVMR59R.jpg

Thanks!

 

[Fiala06]

I always thought yellowing was due to an iron deficiency. Not 100% sure tho.

Found this:

 

[PlantedSteve]

One of my friends suggested that maybe the injected CO2 was too much for it and it wasn't able to respirate properly at night when the lights are off?

I think I'm going to try draining a bit of the water (it's a bit high since I mist daily) and quit the added co2.

 

[natebuchholz]

Looks to me like a humidity issue.
Injecting C02 into an emersed setup has no benefit.
Increase humidity and take the plastic wrap off for 10 min a day to allow proper air exchange.

Your HC could still be transitioning as well.

 

[Zapins]

Might be too wet. Look closely at it are there thin spider webs covering the dying parts? If so this is fungal hyphae and they are eating the plants. The fungus attacks when HC is grown in too damp conditions. The water line should be 2 inches below the surface of the gravel for best results.

 

[PlantedSteve]

Looks to me like a humidity issue.
Injecting C02 into an emersed setup has no benefit.
Increase humidity and take the plastic wrap off for 10 min a day to allow proper air exchange.

Your HC could still be transitioning as well.

I don't know if it's still transitioning. It's been about a month and a half since it's been in the tank and it seemed to be doing just fine until the last week or so. Maybe I'm mistaken, though - this is the first time I've done this!

Aside from simply misting more often, how can I raise the humidity?

Might be too wet. Look closely at it are there thin spider webs covering the dying parts? If so this is fungal hyphae and they are eating the plants. The fungus attacks when HC is grown in too damp conditions. The water line should be 2 inches below the surface of the gravel for best results.

Definitely no fungus. I had some a few weeks ago after setting things up and I spot-treated it with a bit of excel/h2o2. I don't think the excel or h2o2 would have done anything to harm the plants since the ones I sprayed are actually doing considerably better than the brown ones...

 

[touch of sky]

Try giving a yellow stem a little tug to see if they are rotting off at the base or root.

 

[PlantedSteve]

Try giving a yellow stem a little tug to see if they are rotting off at the base or root.

Just pulled one entirely - roots seem fine, actually. There's still a bit of agar attached to them from when I planted them originally, but they're alive and healthy, otherwise.

 

[touch of sky]

That is good to know. I would agree that reducing the level of the water might be a good idea.