Plant Diseases

[Coomon10]

Does anyone have a link for plant diseases? I guess they do occur in the aquarium...

I have some Elodea that is growing brilliantly but looks to have a covering of some sort, a sandy coloured one. I do have a sand substrate but this is all over. Can anyone help?

TIA

 

[Liam]

Its probably calcium deposits, the plant is taking carbon dioxide from the calcium carbonate in the water and that leaves the sandy deposits on the leaves, much like what is left in the kettle when the water is boiled and the Co2 is boiled off. Its not a disease just how plants that can grow in hard water get Co2 when their isn’t enough free Co2 in the water. Is it less on the new growth and more on the leaves further down? I take it you don’t add any Co2 to the tank and that your water is pretty hard.

 

[EliteFishy]

Does the yellow leaves look kinda fuzzy? If they do then it is algae growing on the leaves.

 

[Coomon10]

Its probably calcium deposits, the plant is taking carbon dioxide from the calcium carbonate in the water and that leaves the sandy deposits on the leaves, much like what is left in the kettle when the water is boiled and the Co2 is boiled off. Its not a disease just how plants that can grow in hard water get Co2 when their isn’t enough free Co2 in the water. Is it less on the new growth and more on the leaves further down? I take it you don’t add any Co2 to the tank and that your water is pretty hard.

Wow! Am dead impressed

Yep the water is hard here, I don't add CO2 and the newer growth has less than the existing! I am a little understocked fish wise at the moment (I have a quarantine tank and now takes longer to see my purchases in their proper home!) so hopefully with a few new additions there will be a slight CO2 rise to 'help'.

So will the other plants develop the same deposits as well too or are some plants more 'susceptiple' to this than others?

Thanks

EliteFishy: I don't have yellow leaves, I assume if it algae growing there is nothing much you can do about it apart from hope my lack of CO2 as mentioned hinders its growth?

Thanks

 

[Liam]

Yeah other hard water plants do it as well. On vallis if you bend the leaf it comes off in little flakes. Needless to say the water is rock hard where I am. In a canal near me the plants look almost fossilised they have so much calcium on them. If it bothers you and you want you could add diy Co2 or a product I haven’t used: Seachem Flourish Excel provides carbon in a form that’s easy for plants to use. But yeah more fish will provide more co2.