Anubias Barteri with no roots

MaloK · Dec 4, 2023

I started a small tank a month ago and one of the Anubias that I bought had no roots on the rhizome. I still installed it, but, it didn't change a bit since, it now have a small growth of red algae on the leaves. The 2 other are looking much better and are growing new leaves...

Was that plant a dud and I should have discarded it right away. Or will it be able to recover with time. I brushed the leaves today and they are still sturdy. But it doesn't look like any progress was done. Is it worth to leave it be or should I replace it ?

gilltyascharged · Dec 4, 2023

I would say that, unless it is yellowing/browning or has holes forming on the leaves to simply leave it as is. If you can, gently wipe the algae off. Growth could be accelerated with use of liquid fertilizer, but overall, it seems better to just set it aside and let it wait.

MaloK · Dec 4, 2023

Ok, I'll give it another month, for the moment I refrain to add too much fertilizer because the red algae seems to be the one enjoying it the most... The other plants are looking good or at least look like they are going to make it...

gilltyascharged · Dec 4, 2023

MaloK said:
Ok, I'll give it another month, for the moment I refrain to add too much fertilizer because the red algae seems to be the one enjoying it the most... The other plants are looking good or at least look like they are going to make it...

Hmmm...what is the lighting in the tank? A big thing to remember with Anubias is that it doesn't need all that much light to grow--the issue with it is that algae will start growing on the leaves, and Anubias, growing as slow as it does, will just mosey on as the algae takes over. When I first got Anubias barteri from my great-uncle, I put it in the 28g bowfront that has medium-high lighting. However, I took a few small pieces out and put them in an old gallon ice cream tub with a mixture of 8 parts RO water, 1 part mature tank water, and 1 part tap water. From there I added a little bit of Aquarium Co-Op Easy Green fertilizer, put it near (but not directly under) my grow light, and let it sit. So far it has been growing healthier than the Anubias left in the 28g! Despite the bristlenose in there (darn wall-hugger), those leaves are covered with green spot algae--of course, she prefers red and green algae, and would happily make a meal out of the stuff on your leaves, lol

MaloK · Dec 4, 2023

I'm new to Led lightning and nearly burned my Downois, I'm still lowering things as of today. I'm at 50% now and lowered the Red leds to 10% the light looks cooler. It still looks strong for the Anubias right under it. Theres one of them that is further from the light and is doing beautifully... I'm near balance. Also since the dying anubia had no root I was forced to glue it's rhizome to the wood directly. The Java fern around the tank are going crazy. New leaves are growing everywhere and a lots of babies are on their way... I never thought a cheap 31$ aquarium strip would be so strong.

From all the knowledge I can find here... I think... I need some floaters.

If someone has anything to suggest for a small tank... That has only 1/2 an inch between the water level and the lid. for a poor 8.5 tall. That can live in a constant slow whirlpool. And strong sunlight.

gilltyascharged · Dec 4, 2023

MaloK said:
I'm new to Led lightning and nearly burned my Downois, I'm still lowering things as of today. I'm at 50% now and lowered the Red leds to 10% the light looks cooler. It still looks strong for the Anubias right under it. Theres one of them that is further from the light and is doing beautifully... I'm near balance. Also since the dying anubia had no root I was forced to glue it's rhizome to the wood directly. The Java fern around the tank are going crazy. new leaves are growing everywhere and a lots of babies are on their way... I never thought a cheap 31$ aquarium strip would be so strong.

From all the knowledge I can find here... I think... I need some floaters.

If someone has anything to suggest for a small tank... That has only 1/2 an inch between the water level and the lid. for a poor 8.5 tall. That can live in a constant slow whirlpool. And strong sunlight.

Ah, the fancy lighting...much more advanced than what I can afford (darn high schooler wallet!). I just use a 80w T5 Vegetable Grow Light propped on two of the several containers on my desk, and voila! Perfect plant table. I just bought some Java Ferns recently from my LFS (non-tissue culture, submersed grown), and am waiting on it to propagate. So far one of the little plantlets that was originally snuggled up to the big leaf has unfurled and has grown an inch, so I think I'm doing well for two weeks in

As far as floaters go, maybe try some frogbit! It definitely seems to be doing well in my 25l with a sponge filter, and the more light, the faster it seems to grow.

Are you currently doing a planted cycle or do you currently have fish/inverts in there?

MaloK · Dec 4, 2023

gilltyascharged said:
Ah, the fancy lighting...much more advanced than what I can afford (darn high schooler wallet!). I just use a 80w T5 Vegetable Grow Light propped on two of the several containers on my desk, and voila! Perfect plant table. I just bought some Java Ferns recently from my LFS (non-tissue culture, submersed grown), and am waiting on it to propagate. So far one of the little plantlets that was originally snuggled up to the big leaf has unfurled and has grown an inch, so I think I'm doing well for two weeks in
As far as floaters go, maybe try some frogbit! It definitely seems to be doing well in my 25l with a sponge filter, and the more light, the faster it seems to grow.

Are you currently doing a planted cycle or do you currently have fish/inverts in there?

I'm trying to get plants settled properly before trying a planted fishless cycle. I have a bottle of Lab grade ammonia that I used previously with seeds from another filter and... It was the bomb. Nitrates showing up in under a week. Ammonia levels going down drastically everyday. I hope to give the less stress possible to the plants doing it... I use a very old recipe I found on the web. But will certainly look at what Dr. Tim's has to say on that before starting.

I already made an error buying a fertilizer condemned by many peoples here... But it works: Algae grows as soon as I put some. and the roots of the Babies Fern grows exponentially. dosn't seems to do much for the rest. Going to study more on the subject.

Sgooosh · Dec 4, 2023

MaloK said:
I'm new to Led lightning and nearly burned my Downois, I'm still lowering things as of today. I'm at 50% now and lowered the Red leds to 10% the light looks cooler. It still looks strong for the Anubias right under it. Theres one of them that is further from the light and is doing beautifully... I'm near balance. Also since the dying anubia had no root I was forced to glue it's rhizome to the wood directly. The Java fern around the tank are going crazy. New leaves are growing everywhere and a lots of babies are on their way... I never thought a cheap 31$ aquarium strip would be so strong.

From all the knowledge I can find here... I think... I need some floaters.

If someone has anything to suggest for a small tank... That has only 1/2 an inch between the water level and the lid. for a poor 8.5 tall. That can live in a constant slow whirlpool. And strong sunlight.

hi, do you have any photos of the anubias? I take some cuttings without roots and they seem to all grow within a few days/weeks.

MaloK · Dec 4, 2023

Yes, I have a lot to do tomorrow but I'll take some new pics soon...

You can see how they where looking 2 weeks ago, here's My Tank

Honestly, I took the most ugly plants all the way when I got them and cutted a deal. This was another 2 week earlier.

Sgooosh · Dec 5, 2023

MaloK said:
Yes, I have a lot to do tomorrow but I'll take some new pics soon...

You can see how they where looking 2 weeks ago, here's My Tank

Honestly, I took the most ugly plants all the way when I got them and cutted a deal. This was another 2 week earlier.

hmm, I see some healthy roots on the anubias in those photos, but a picture showing the bottom will really help.

MaloK · Dec 6, 2023

I talked too soon, this morning I can see a new leaf will unroll soon.

I believe that lowering the red lights is helping, But It only been 4 days, so this remains to be proven.

Sgooosh · Dec 6, 2023

MaloK said:
I talked too soon, this morning I can see a new leaf will unroll soon.

View attachment 332062
View attachment 332063

I believe that lowering the red lights is helping, But It only been 4 days, so this remains to be proven.

Those are roots on the bottom, and they seem to be white at the tips, which means new growth

I think you'll just need to give this little guy time to anchor down!

gilltyascharged · Dec 6, 2023

MaloK said:
I'm trying to get plants settled properly before trying a planted fishless cycle. I have a bottle of Lab grade ammonia that I used previously with seeds from another filter and... It was the bomb. Nitrates showing up in under a week. Ammonia levels going down drastically everyday. I hope to give the less stress possible to the plants doing it... I use a very old recipe I found on the web. But will certainly look at what Dr. Tim's has to say on that before starting.

I already made an error buying a fertilizer condemned by many peoples here... But it works: Algae grows as soon as I put some. and the roots of the Babies Fern grows exponentially. dosn't seems to do much for the rest. Going to study more on the subject.

Now I'm curious--can you please explain more about the recipe you mentioned above? I'm currently starting a planted cycle myself in a 9L tank, and while I don't have any testing strips to confirm nitrate and ammonia levels, a nice amount of biofilm has grown on the pre-soaked oak leaves I put in there. If there is another, less trial-and-error-with-what-you-have-on-hand type of way, I would love to hear it!

Also, what fertilizer was shunned? I haven't seen too much about fert brands yet, and want to make sure it's not something that I accidently pick up without knowing the possible drawbacks. But hey, if it works, then it works! You can't argue with results.

Edit: Just realized that I added an extra quote above, darn it

MaloK · Dec 6, 2023

Yes of course, The method described is not really for planted tank. When Planted, the level of ammonia maintained is less. and the cycle takes longer. and will also require water changes. Not really required when crash cycling a bare bottom tank.

But... It's not an endeavour I would take without an appropriate testing kit. A slight overdose of ammonia can easily kill all your plants or provoke a super algae bloom... It's an updated method written Chris Cow Ph.D. Organic Chemistry in 1999. called "Fishless Cycling Revisited".

It gives a really good idea on how to dose your product... Different concentration = Different dosage. I attached the file to this post.

You can siphon the excess of bio-film rapidly and it will accelerate it's dissipation with time.

I bought some Flourish Excel, Trace and Iron... After some research I discovered that Excel is rough on invertebrates and shouldn't be used if you want to have some. But it sure works for plants, no contest.

Once established I cut back on water changes until Nitrate raises too much. then I establish a schedule from those data. This can mean couples of months of run time between water changes... I alleviate the problem by Filtering the tank over activated carbon 1 week per month and replenish trace elements and iron after removing carbon.

Once the Nitrates raise is established. I cut the time it takes to get there by two, this gives the frequency of water changes. And reduce by a third the amount of water required to bring the amount to a safe level. This way you always change a little more than required, but not much.

Normally in a year or so. Water changes becomes scarce and always topping the tank with RO water prevents scale buildup and keep your general hardness in check.

gilltyascharged · Dec 6, 2023

MaloK said:
Yes of course, The method described is not really for planted tank. When Planted, the level of ammonia maintained is less. and the cycle takes longer. and will also require water changes. Not really required when crash cycling a bare bottom tank.

But... It's not an endeavour I would take without an appropriate testing kit. A slight overdose of ammonia can easily kill all your plants or provoke a super algae bloom... It's an updated method written Chris Cow Ph.D. Organic Chemistry in 1999. called "Fishless Cycling Revisited".

It gives a really good idea on how to dose your product... Different concentration = Different dosage. I attached the file to this post.

You can siphon the excess of bio-film rapidly and it will accelerate it's dissipation with time.

I bought some Flourish Excel, Trace and Iron... After some research I discovered that Excel is rough on invertebrates and shouldn't be used if you want to have some. But it sure works for plants, no contest.

Once established I cut back on water changes until Nitrate raises too much. then I establish a schedule from those data. This can mean couples of months of run time between water changes... I alleviate the problem by Filtering the tank over activated carbon 1 week per month and replenish trace elements and iron after removing carbon.

Once the Nitrates raise is established. I cut the time it takes to get there by two, this gives the frequency of water changes. And reduce by a third the amount of water required to bring the amount to a safe level. This way you always change a little more than required, but not much.

Normally in a year or so. Water changes becomes scarce and always topping the tank with RO water prevents scale buildup and keep your general hardness in check.

Thank you so much! While I've heard of somewhat similar methods (increasing one element carefully to boost the growth of something whilst suppressing the other), I never would have guessed that it stabilized the tank that well in ~year or so.

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