All My Plants Are Dying

[Cameronb_01]

Hi Guys,
 
I was going to post this last week in Tropical Discussions but I think that now it is an emergency. As seen in the second picture the bottoms of my plants are all black and I think they are dying? Also as seen in the first picture there is stuff on all the leaves which I don't know how to clean off. In addition, there is a browny, grey fuzzy stuff all over the substrate which I vacuumed completely last week before doing a 25% water change, it has now grown back to more than what it was before I vacuumed it last week, (depicted in third picture). What should I do to address these three problems? 
 
Thanks so much in advance for all your help.
 
Best wishes,
 
Cameron
 
P.S I have already introduced 5 zebra nerite snails with no affect.
 
Tank is 450L large.

 

[BettaBettas]

I don't think your plants are dying I think its just killing off the useless leaves, I have the 1st pic plant and its flourishing without any ferts or anything. I do recommend maybe some ottos but that's up to you as for the snails I would say get a few more if you don't get ottos.
In the 1st pic that's just new growth I think btw, that plant has that coloration when it produces a new leaf.
Also sorry this comment is short and not having good grammar, I typed in like 2 paragraphs at first them I hit backspace and it took me back to google homepage... deleting my huge comment.... T-T anyway, wish you luck

also if you could take some of the fuzzy grey stuff out and then take a pic under a light that would help a bunch to identify it

 

[Ch4rlie]

A couple of questions to get a clearer idea of whats going on with your tank and plants.
 
How long has this 450l tank been running and is it cycled?
 
When did you add the plants?
 
How did you plant these into the substrate?
With the pots and rock wool etc?
 
Have you been adding any fertilisers or roots tabs at all so far?
 
What kind of light unit are you using?
T5, T8 or LED type of set up?
 
 
The nerites, well, they usually specifically require green spot algae to feed on, they do not feed on diatoms or BBA tbh.
UNLESS of course these nerites are a type of olive nerite snail (not the usual tracked or horned nerites). Olive Nerite (I think thats what they are called anyway, I can't remember tbh), but that does feed on some BBA anyway but rarely found in LFS.
 
Having 5 nerites will require you to ensure there is enough green algae for them to feed on unless the LFS has bred them to feed on alage wafers and suchlike otherwise they may starve.
 
 
But as to your pictures you posted.
 
The first pic looks like its a amazon sword type of plant of sorts, hard to tell from that perspective really. The brown dots on the leaves looks like diatom type alage or it possible it could be a calcium deficiency type of problem that sometimes shows up as brownish spots on leaves.
 
Second pic is a bacopa type plant, its is not normal to have black roots / stems, this could be a sign of roots dying but because the picture is a bit too blurry to be certain, it could also be black brush algae.
 
Third pic looks like its diatoms that covering a lot of the substrate. This shows up like furry brown dust balls of sorts, a bit unsightly tbh as I have had this before in my tank. Generally its common in new tank set ups, it will eventually go away but using a vac to remove as much as possible is a way to keep this under control of sorts until the tank settles and a balances out.

 

[Cameronb_01]

The 450L tank is fully cycled and has had plants and fish in it for about two and half weeks now.
 
I am using 2 Juwel High-Lite Day fluorescent tubes.
 
I removed the wool and pots and I planted the roots directly into the substrate.
 
I originally used JBL Ferropol for 1 week. I have now switched to using Seachem Flourish weekly and have dosed it once. I am also performing weekly 25% water changes.
 
A better picture of the stuff growing on the floor is pictured.
 
In addition one of the discus has a scratch or something on his side although there is nothing sharp in the tank, (pictured).
 
What could this be?
 
What do you recommend I do regarding the plant roots and the stuff on the Amazon Sword leaf?
 
Thanks in advance for all your help.
 
Cameron 

 

[BettaBettas]

I think if I had a better pic of the leaf, that would be helpful if you can get it but I don't think its a deficiency of any kind.. it may be but, I think its just new growth. Like I said before, with that type of plant (im sorry I forgot the name, believe it starts with an H) when it has new growth, the leaf has a purple netting design on it, until (or brown netting design) it gets a bit bigger and the leaf fully develops.

As for the Algae, or grey stuff, im not sure what it is I will do some research right now.
 
And for the discus, maybe anchor worms??? I cant really see it, sorry!

 

[Aquarian58]

Your second and third pics in your first post seem to indicate your tank is directly in front of a window, meaning it probably gets a lot of indirect sunlight during the day.
 
If this is the case, it could be the base cause of your problems with algae

 

[cowgirluntamed]

On the second picture...did those plants come in a "bunch"?? If so....you really need to unbunch them. When enlarging the picture it looks like the stuff in the middle is dying because it's too close together. Almost all of those stems should be individual plants i would think.

As for the discus...are there more in the tank? If so they could be getting into squabbles.

 

[Byron]

The algae is almost certainly due to the brightness of the light.  The tank lighting is bright, and the window is adding more.  You need to lessen the light, as there are not enough plants to make use of it.
 
You should increase the volume of the weekly (once a week, no less) water changes to 50-60% of the tank volume, and do a thorough vacuum of the substrate.

 

[StevenF]

Your pictures are not clear enough for me to know for sure if the plants are dying.  I will assume you are correct.  most algae issues in my experience are caused by a nutrient deficiency.  Plants are typically killed or have slow growth by nutrient deficiencies.  Algae will however thrive under those conditions.  High phosphate levels can also slow plant growth while increasing algae growth.  Typically a 25% water change once a week is not sufficient.  A 50% water change once a week is the best choice to prevent excess nutrient levels or from developing   Shrimp and snails typically cannot keep up with algae when there is a nutrient imbalance is present.  The imbalance must be resolved first before shrimp or snails will be effective.
 
Verify the flourish fertilizer you purchased says Comprehensive on the front of the bottle.  If it doesn't it will not correct any nutrient deficiency.  Only Flourish Comprehensive covers all nutrients required by plants. Be sure to follow the dosing instructions correctly.  Once a week dosing is OK. In my experience increase water changes and a good fertilizer are good choices for a problems such as yours.  
 
Other actions that can be taken are to post your nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, water hardness (GH), and water alkalinity (KH) levels.  They might indicate something we are missing. Also the color of your pictures appears a little off.  That could be due to the camera or your fluorescent tubes might be old and in need of replacement.  If they are over 1 year old replacing them is a good idea.