Plant not doing well

[emo]

I've had plants in my tank for over 2 months now and they are all doing really well. It's a 10g with about 2.5 wpg

I'm a bit confused as to why my Dwarf Sagittaria (Sagittaria Natans) isn't doing as well!

I took a picture to show what I mean...

As you can see, a lot of the leaves are browning and shriveling, they are also going completely transparrent before withering and dying..

Marked in red is pretty much the only new action from them


Maybe I planted them too close together?


Any suggestions? Fertilizers or anything? I thought these were considered very easy to take care of!

 

[George Farmer]

Your Sagittaria may not be getting enough nutrients through its roots. Is your sand substrate mixed with nutrient-rich substance i.e. laterite or root tabs? If the sand is sterile then most root-feeders will have a hard time growing, even with sufficient light. Another point is that over time your sand may compact resulting in anaerobic areas and the production of Hydrogen sulphide (bad for most life except Cyanobacteria/Blue-green slime algae). I know this from experience I'm sorry to say.

Are any other plants with largish root structures showing similar symptoms? I imagine your other plants doing well are getting most of their nutrients from the water column and not the substrate.

In summary I would try adding some substrate fertilisers i.e. laterite, root tabs, Deponit balls etc. For long-term plant health however you can't beat a heater cable IMO.

HTH

 

[emo]

Hi, thanks for the reply!

All my other plants are doing really well, most propigate by runners...

I was thinking about getting root tabs, are there any you could reccomend? Or are they all much of a muchness.



Oh, a heater cable? What's that...


Thanks again

 

[George Farmer]

To be honest I don't know of any root tabs here in the UK, I know API used to do them and they contained Laterite but they've stopped making them. Try a search on Google UK.

A heater-cable lays underneath your substrate in a zig-zag pattern. It heats a couple of degrees higher than the water column providing a convection current. I love them - They have so many positive effects; they warm the roots encouraging growth, convert the substrate into a massive biological filter by the convection currents constantly cycling the water, reduce the need for gravel vacuuming (I NEVER vacuum mine), eliminate any anaerobic dead-spots that cause all sorts of problems. In my opinion if you want long-term success with plants (some of my plants are 2 years old now and still thrive) a heater-cable is essential. That's my opinion anyway!!