# Did these new plants kill my fish?



## dloehrs

This is an addendum to a question I just posted in the general questions section. I just added these plants to my aquarium. I've never had these before but they looked cool so I added them. Gold Ribbons, White Ribbons, Umbrella, and Kyoto Grass. The skinny is four fish died overnight after adding these and new fertilizer sticks. 3 of 10 Tiger Barbs and 1 Clown Loach died. 6 Angels, 4 Balas, 2 Plecos, 2 Eclipse Cats and the remaining Barbs are all doing fine, are active and look good. It is a planted aquarium, I have a variety of other plants including Java Moss and Java Ferns, Onions, Moss Balls, and about 4 other species I cant remember in the tank. Are any of the new plants a hazard to the tank and the fish??


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## daniel89

you could of added to much ferts sticks?


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## emc7

Some of those plants aren't aquatic and are destined to die and rot in your tank. While this can foul the water, it usually takes days or weeks. I agree that the fertilizer sticks are a more likely culprit. what exactly are they and are they intended for underwater use? Some species of Dracaena are toxic to pets that eat them. Have the fish been nibbling on the new plants?


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## Tallonebball

actually im pretty sure all of those plants you put in aren't aquatic, the only on im unsure of this the umbrella. Most likely, as some have said, you upped the fertilizer in your tank to a poisonous level.
Id say do an immediate water change, around 30%.


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## Sea-Agg2009

It sounds like you bought the plants in the plastic tubes from petsmart. Indeed they are not aquatic and basically rot in most tanks. They are really designed for paludariums (half water half land). They love humid weather, but once they are submerged they die. I never liked fert sticks, they are crummy. The principle was derived from gardening around the house. Problem is there is MUCH more water in an aquarium than in the soil around your house. This causes the sticks to dissolve much faster than they should, releasing a ton of nitrogen and other chemicals into the water. Manufacturers say they solved that problem, but I am skeptical as to their methods. Most plants gets most of their nutrients from the water, so unless you are planting your tank to look like a literal jungle, you don't really need to fertilize the soil. Get some Flourish and you'll be set.


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