Plants Looking Bare!

[Carp4U]

Just set up a planted tank in my room, well set up about 1 month ago but was only fully planted with fish about 3 weeks ago. When i came back from my holiday in france of 17 days long i came back to find most of my smaller plants had gone bare at the base and had a few strands of leaves at the top. My Vallisneria, Echinodorus Rose and Bleheri and my Java Fern are all fine. But my Cabomba, Didiplis Diandra and Lysimachia nummulaira Aurea and another plant which is unidentified seem to have very long bare sections of stalks when the leaves have come off. The Cabomba and Unidentifed plant were one of the first lots of plant which were put in, before i even had fish in. The other two were placed in at the same time as the Echinodorus which are healthy and were placed in with the fish which are 7 harlequin rasboras. The tank is a 15 gallon with C02 and Nutrafin Plant Gro added. However while i was away the CO2 stopped and so did the Nutrafin Plant Gro. Anyway i can change this because now my tank looks very different and not as colourful? Do i need to prune them or cut them down? Any advice is helpful!

 

[aaronnorth]

That sounds as though no light/ not enough is getting to the bottom. Plant 3 stems together, about 2 cm apart. With it being low light (i assume it is 15w bulb) without the CO2 and fertiliser it wouldnt have to much of a bad effect. Nutrafin plant gro is rubbish anyway.

 

[Renate]

I am had a similar problem. Had some plastic taped over area where filters, etc. hang on the back of the tank. Put glass in the area and now leaves are growing on the bottom of the stems.

Have seen tanks with low light grow plants that need hight light with the addition of co2. Thus now that you have your co2 back on perhaps they will start growing leaves at bottoms.

How long were gone? This is why I haven't added a co2 system, for occasionally a go out of town for a few weeks.

 

[Carp4U]

i was gone 2 weeks and the CO2 stopped within my first week of being away i would expect.