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Plants not doing great, please help!

embsidney20

embsidney20

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Hi

My ferns and anubias aren't looking to great. I've recently given up on most plants other than these two as my Angelfish are demons in disguise.

But now they are looking very sorry for themselves. I have dosed fluval grow plus but I don't know what I'm doing with it or if these types of plants even need the extra nutrients. I definitely have to set the light to a lower setting but can anyone explain what I can do to help them get back big and healthy?

Only I could kill such simple plants I swear 😂
IMG_20210930_114739.jpg
IMG_20210930_114801.jpg
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Please excuse the other plants in the pics. They are going in the bin as they only seem to be food 😂
 
Can you give any extra details? Water parameters and stock levels will help with knowing if there is a nutrient problem. Maybe a full tank shot to see light and plant placement as well?

What type of lighting do you have and whats your lighting schedule? These are low light plants but there is still a limit to how low they can go.

How long have they been in there?

Do you have good water water movement in the tank, especially on the surface?

Killing off java fern is actually quite an achievement. :) Normally it only really has trouble if the root part has been buried in the substrate or if it is missing. It looks like yours might be mounted to some wood so that is probably not the issue.

Your Anubus doesn't actually look too bad.

Normally for these two plants in low light I would say you probably don't need to dose too much if you have fish in there too. Dosing extra wont hurt them but probably isn't needed and may cause algae problems if you don't have the plant mass to out-compete the algae.
 
It is difficult to see in the photos - are the anubias and java fern planted in the substrate or attached to decor?
 
xxBarneyxx said:
Can you give any extra details? Water parameters and stock levels will help with knowing if there is a nutrient problem. Maybe a full tank shot to see light and plant placement as well?

What type of lighting do you have and whats your lighting schedule? These are low light plants but there is still a limit to how low they can go.

How long have they been in there?

Do you have good water water movement in the tank, especially on the surface?

Killing off java fern is actually quite an achievement. :) Normally it only really has trouble if the root part has been buried in the substrate or if it is missing. It looks like yours might be mounted to some wood so that is probably not the issue.

Your Anubus doesn't actually look too bad.

Normally for these two plants in low light I would say you probably don't need to dose too much if you have fish in there too. Dosing extra wont hurt them but probably isn't needed and may cause algae problems if you don't have the plant mass to out-compete the algae.
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It's a 125 litre. Has a fluval u3 and a sponge filter. I haven't tested water this week gimme a moment! There isn't actually much surface movement as I aim it at the bottom for the phantom and the cories, keeping it calm elsewhere for the angels but if that's wrong please let me know. I was hoping the air out of the sponge was good enough surface movement.

Stock is 2 angels, green phantom and 6 peppered cories. Light is aquasky and on full brightness for about 6 hours a day. Sometimes not at all if its a particularly sunny day as its in a very bright room. I don't seem to have any algae problems other than the brown looking fluff on some of the leaves which I assumed was a nutrient problem!

Thanks for your reply, hope this extra info helps. And everything is attached to wood that needs to be 😊
 
embsidney20 said:
Hi

My ferns and anubias aren't looking to great. I've recently given up on most plants other than these two as my Angelfish are demons in disguise.

But now they are looking very sorry for themselves. I have dosed fluval grow plus but I don't know what I'm doing with it or if these types of plants even need the extra nutrients. I definitely have to set the light to a lower setting but can anyone explain what I can do to help them get back big and healthy?

Only I could kill such simple plants I swear 😂View attachment 144308View attachment 144309View attachment 144310
Click to expand...
I’ve struggled with plants as well. Keep eBay cheap cuttings in a dedicated tank until they grow roots. Give tank ones at least 6 hours of LED light in addition to ambient lighting. Quick to throw away unhealthy plants, except a few I pulled and put in a jar. Some revived, Others goners. RIP
 
embsidney20 said:
Light is aquasky and on full brightness for about 6 hours a day. Sometimes not at all if its a particularly sunny day as its in a very bright room. I don't seem to have any algae problems other than the brown looking fluff on some of the leaves which I assumed was a nutrient problem!
Click to expand...
Hard to tell from the photos, but if the 'brown stuff' is a powdery coating, then it's diatoms and they're an algae...suggesting excess nutrients and/or light.
If it isn't algae, then try and use the Plant Boost setting on your Aquasky.
Also, if you get a pair of very sharp* scissors, (look in the Beauty section of your local supermarket), you can cut off the bad leaves. This will allow the plant to devote its energies into growing new ones. You might find baby fern beginning to grow on the tips of the removed leaves. Let these float around the tank and they'll develop into proper grown-up fern. ;)

*Sharp scissors make sharp, as opposed to crushing, cuts. Crushed cuts cause too much damage.
 
Bruce Leyland-Jones said:
Hard to tell from the photos, but if the 'brown stuff' is a powdery coating, then it's diatoms and they're an algae...suggesting excess nutrients and/or light.
If it isn't algae, then try and use the Plant Boost setting on your Aquasky.
Also, if you get a pair of very sharp* scissors, (look in the Beauty section of your local supermarket), you can cut off the bad leaves. This will allow the plant to devote its energies into growing new ones. You might find baby fern beginning to grow on the tips of the removed leaves. Let these float around the tank and they'll develop into proper grown-up fern. ;)

*Sharp scissors make sharp, as opposed to crushing, cuts. Crushed cuts cause too much damage.
Click to expand...
Thank you. They've definitely got worse since I started adding the fertiliser! I thought it might help save my other plants but the brown stuff getting thicker is definitely in time with me trying fert.

Am settling on an anubias jungle for the sake of their hardiness and a few ferns for the front. I just wanna make sure I'm getting it right before I splash out on some anubias mother plants, my LFS can source me the types I want at £25 each and I want 3 😬 haha but not if they are gonna head down this road though it is the only breed of plant that is coping in my tank 😂

I did see some tiny leaves with black roots sprouting under the big leaves on one of my ferns a month or so ago. My fish ate them haha but I didn't realise that was how easy it was to grow your own. I will deffo try that next time... If there is a next time..

I've had the lighting on plant mode for about 3 weeks now also and perhaps that is making the brown stuff worse as well. Everything needs a bit of a juggle around it seems! Thanks for your help!
 
I find algae seems to out compete slow growing plants like anubias and java fern.

A few fast growing stem plants at the back or some floating will mop up extra nutrients and if anything help things like anubias by making it less likely algae grow on them
 
It's actually funny you say that. I did have a lot of taller plants along the back but my angelfish have eaten them all 😂 and since they have been gone everything is going down hill!! I don't have any algae in the tank really other than the brown stuff. My pleco is pretty good at his job with the green stuff, I don't often see it for long! Doing my absolute head in. My fish are more than happy but the tank looks so ugly 😂😂
 
Yeah I think maybe skipping the ferts in this case might help. Diatoms are common and will likely burn themselves out. Try and keep the leaves of the plants wiped clean and remove dead ones as mentioned.

I would consider getting some floating plants. The angles will appreciate the cover but probably not be able to do much damage to them. They are also great at removing nutrients from the water and giving some shade in the tank.
 
My goldfish ate the prettiest plants! Don’t know names yet but looked like a terrestrial asparagus fern. All gone now, never to be used again in the Goldie tank.
 
JennySolano said:
My goldfish ate the prettiest plants! Don’t know names yet but looked like a terrestrial asparagus fern. All gone now, never to be used again in the Goldie tank.
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😂😂😂 I mean, the varied diet I'm sure is amazing for them but my bank card does not want to participate long term lol
 
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