Plants turning brown.

My son and I both have 5g Fluval SPEC tanks. My plant seems to be browning around the edges of the plant, but still seems okay maybe, but his plant was perfectly green when I bought it and now it has major brown spots. Is this normal? Bad? What can or should I do?

Thanks

I'm not sure, but it looks like your sword might just be getting coated with diatoms. Wipe it off. It should disappear in a week or two. How long have you had the crypts potted? Sometimes they'll "melt" and lose some (sometimes all) leaves when you change their home. They usually bounce back eventually.

While we're here, mollies and guppies are going to very quickly outgrow a five gallon tank. There are several kinds of fish that can do well in a planted 5g; we can make recommendations if you like. Good luck!
TW

I agree with @WhistlingBadger. It does not appear to be a problem with the plant, but with diatoms.

Diatoms will usually burn themselves out after a short while and are very common in new tanks. Just keep wiping them off and they should be fine. It’s also normal for plants to stop growing and have some die off when moved to a new tank for a couple of weeks until they settle in. If they keep having problems after a couple of weeks or if you end up with a lot of fast growing algae then it‘s time to re-evaluate things.

WhistlingBadger said:

I'm not sure, but it looks like your sword might just be getting coated with diatoms. Wipe it off. It should disappear in a week or two. How long have you had the crypts potted? Sometimes they'll "melt" and lose some (sometimes all) leaves when you change their home. They usually bounce back eventually.

While we're here, mollies and guppies are going to very quickly outgrow a five gallon tank. There are several kinds of fish that can do well in a planted 5g; we can make recommendations if you like. Good luck!
TW

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I have had the crypt (thanks for identifying my plant... still learning) for about 2 months. The sword for about a month.... (both estimations). Are diatoms bad? It's just algae right?

I know our tanks are too small. This was part of the "too-late, already got fish" learning process.

So... I am in the process of spec-ing out a 20 gallon tank piecing everything separately (vs. buying a kit). There is a place near (well, sort of) me, that is a higher end fish store, that seems knowledgeable fish people and is very organized and clean (which is an indication of their knowledge). I was probably going to get a 20 gallon tank, buy a separate flip hood, then buy a Marineland 30g top-seated wheel filter, along with a titanium heater, and possible an air pump. I can't remember all the brand names though, but it seemed like high-end stuff. Will need to spec out a lamp, but hopefully his recommendation will be good. He say the lights can be anywhere from $50 to $100, so I'm thinking based on comparison to the Marineland 20g kit which is $140 (comes with hood, light, filter/pump). He says all the tanks they buy are Marineland and all of their customers have never complained about them. The store is in a rich neighborhood, so maybe? At first I was looking at an Aqueon 20g tank kit, but while the reviews were mostly good, I kept seeing a theme, was that the kit's filter/pump and heater were barely enough for the 20g, which is why I'm going to build / part it out all separately.

It must have been diatoms on my son's plant. However, one of the leaves looks like it is dying because the "brown" didn't wipe off.

CarissaT said:

If they keep having problems after a couple of weeks or if you end up with a lot of fast growing algae then it‘s time to re-evaluate things.

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Also, what do you mean by fast-growing algae? We probably have to clean the algae off the tank walls about once every 7-10 days.

Diatoms are harmless as long as you keep the leaved wiped off enough that they can get light. They're just ugly (except under a microscope!). They'll pass with time.

I've only had one or two tanks that didn't need the walls cleaned every week or two. Sounds like you're about par for the course, there.

I feel your pain with the "too late, already got the fish" learning process. Most of us have been there, except for a few immortals among us who actually did their research and got things right the first time. Your projected setup sounds pretty good. Kits tend to have underpowered filters and lights. Marineland is a fairly respected brand. If you can, get a 20 long instead of a regular 20. 20 longs are harder to find, but the fish appreciate the extra room to stretch out and swim.

I was in the middle of posting that the plant looks like the leaves are deteriorating/decomposing, when you posted the proof they are. Don't worry about that, provided the new leaves appear from the centre of the crown. The plant may have been cultivated emersed, and if so, the leaves will over the next several weeks all die off, but new leaves that are the submersed form will appear from the crown, or we hope they will. This is a hungry plant, and substrate tabs do wonders. Seachem's Flourish Tabs are very good, one inserted next to the crown and replaced every 3-4 months. The plants are in their pots, that's OK here, just insert the tab next/under the pot. The roots will grow through the pot/medium and into the substrate.

WhistlingBadger said:

Diatoms are harmless as long as you keep the leaved wiped off enough that they can get light. They're just ugly (except under a microscope!). They'll pass with time.

I've only had one or two tanks that didn't need the walls cleaned every week or two. Sounds like you're about par for the course, there.

I feel your pain with the "too late, already got the fish" learning process. Most of us have been there, except for a few immortals among us who actually did their research and got things right the first time. Your projected setup sounds pretty good. Kits tend to have underpowered filters and lights. Marineland is a fairly respected brand. If you can, get a 20 long instead of a regular 20. 20 longs are harder to find, but the fish appreciate the extra room to stretch out and swim.

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We had planned on the regular, since the place we plan to put it is exactly the size of the regular. Right now, the ONLY place we have for a tank is literally in his bedroom. I have the other in my office, which is a converted bedroom. Less outside light into these rooms. Our first floor is like a flood or sunshine no matter where you are, including sky lights. There is one corner where we could put it but it still would get lots of sunshine. I know sunshine is bad if you don't want algae growth (and I don't!)

FishyJoe said:

So... I am in the process of spec-ing out a 20 gallon tank piecing everything separately (vs. buying a kit). There is a place near (well, sort of) me, that is a higher end fish store, that seems knowledgeable fish people and is very organized and clean (which is an indication of their knowledge). I was probably going to get a 20 gallon tank, buy a separate flip hood, then buy a Marineland 30g top-seated wheel filter, along with a titanium heater, and possible an air pump. I can't remember all the brand names though, but it seemed like high-end stuff. Will need to spec out a lamp, but hopefully his recommendation will be good. He say the lights can be anywhere from $50 to $100, so I'm thinking based on comparison to the Marineland 20g kit which is $140 (comes with hood, light, filter/pump). He says all the tanks they buy are Marineland and all of their customers have never complained about them. The store is in a rich neighborhood, so maybe? At first I was looking at an Aqueon 20g tank kit, but while the reviews were mostly good, I kept seeing a theme, was that the kit's filter/pump and heater were barely enough for the 20g, which is why I'm going to build / part it out all separately.

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I prefer buying the equipment separately because then you can get what suits the fish. Not all filters are good for all fish, and plants enter in this too. For a 20g tank, you have a choice of a dual sponge filter connected to an air pump, or a small internal filter that is basically a motor and foam, like the Aqueon Quiet Flow. I certainly would not use anything other than one of these, as you are not going to have fish requiring more in a 20g tank.

As for heater, buy quality; they are more reliable, and nothing will kill a tank of fish faster than a heater that either overheats (I've had this) or fails to heat on a winter's night. There are several, I personally buy Eheim Jager heaters. For a 20g I would use a 150w heater. Place it beside the filter so the heat will readily be dispersed.

Light these days is usually LED; you want a suitable plant light and these tend to be more expensive. The LED that comes with a "kit" tank probably will not be veery good, though they may have them now. Spectrum is critical, you want good plant growth but not problem algae.

Byron said:

I prefer buying the equipment separately because then you can get what suits the fish. Not all filters are good for all fish, and plants enter in this too. For a 20g tank, you have a choice of a dual sponge filter connected to an air pump, or a small internal filter that is basically a motor and foam, like the Aqueon Quiet Flow. I certainly would not use anything other than one of these, as you are not going to have fish requiring more in a 20g tank.

As for heater, buy quality; they are more reliable, and nothing will kill a tank of fish faster than a heater that either overheats (I've had this) or fails to heat on a winter's night. There are several, I personally buy Eheim Jager heaters. For a 20g I would use a 150w heater. Place it beside the filter so the heat will readily be dispersed.

Light these days is usually LED; you want a suitable plant light and these tend to be more expensive. The LED that comes with a "kit" tank probably will not be veery good, though they may have them now. Spectrum is critical, you want good plant growth but not problem algae.

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I did plan on buying a high-end heater. I took a picture of it with my phone, so I'd remember the name to see if I could get it online cheaper than the store, but the picture was blurry. It was I believe 150 watts and rated for a 30 gallon tank. It was $40 or $50.

So Marineland is not in your "buy" list?

FishyJoe said:

I did plan on buying a high-end heater. I took a picture of it with my phone, so I'd remember the name to see if I could get it online cheaper than the store, but the picture was blurry. It was I believe 150 watts and rated for a 30 gallon tank. It was $40 or $50.

So Marineland is not in your "buy" list?

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I know nothing about Marineland other than the name.