Dying Cabomba Caroliniana

[flix_cw]

I bought some cabomba caroliniana about six weeks ago, along with some hygrophila polysperma.

Up until about two weeks ago it's been thriving, growing in size, rooting nicely and growing new off-shoots.

While the hygrophila is still thriving, the cabomba is really on it's last legs now very suddenly. All the stems have rotted off at substrate level and broken free, the feathery leaves are littering the tank now, and even the top areas closest to the light are browning now.

I dose daily with a macrofert and seachem flourish excel, and ever since using those (before introducing the cabomba and hygrophila) my algae problems went away, and my other plants (java moss and some crypts) have absolutely flourished.

My tank is at 1.5 WpG.

Any help much appreciated.

 

[lljdma06]

Many plants have stores of food that will allow them to "thrive" for some time in the aquarium. Don't get frustrated, I cannot grow Cabomba to save my life either. It does in my tanks, just as you say, fine for some weeks, then dissolves and dies. And I can grow HC and fissidens, so I know it ain't me!

My water is very hard, and that may be the reason. Books say it requires high light, but I'm not entirely convinced and others here grow it well with moderate. Sometimes I think stores confuse C. caroliniana with C. furcata.

For me. it remains a mystery, like why I can't grow java moss. Yep, can't grow that plant either.

If you like that feathery sort of plant, try Lymnophyla sessilifolia, also called Asian ambulia. It's like Cabomba for dummies.