# Problem with hygros



## Pareeeee (Jan 22, 2005)

I have many hygrophila polysperma plants in the foreground of my tank. It's been really strange because it goes in spurts - it's _extremely_ healthy one month and I can hardly keep up with the growing - then another month it almost all dies off. What does this mean? It's the only plant that fluctuates like this in my tank. 

At the moment, it is in one of it's 'down' periods. Very sparse and the leaves have 'dots' on them. I have a pic attached of a leaf.

I would appreciate any help! 
Thanx all!


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## penpitt (Jan 18, 2005)

I read somewhere that holes in the leaves(if its not caused by fish,which yours doesn't look that way) can ce caused by too much nitrates.Have you checked for nitrates lately?

As for keeping the hygro, I have the same problem. I'm not sure if its because my water is like liquid rock.I've tried several times here in Az to no avail but when I lived in Oregon it grew like a weed. Ssame lighting, dosing regimenand roughly same fish load. the only thing different was water.


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## jonah (Jan 19, 2005)

penpitt @ Tue Jan 25 said:


> I've tried several times here in Az to no avail but when I lived in Oregon it grew like a weed. Ssame lighting, dosing regimenand roughly same fish load. the only thing different was water.


On my last trip out to California I stopped at a rest stop in AZ. There was a warning on the restroom building that water was dangerous for the sick, elderly, children or pregnant women because of high nitrates found in the tap water. It was somewhere along I-40, but I forget where.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

Remember when it comes to your tank that there are only two ways stuff gets into your water: it is already there from the tap or else you add it to the tank. 

When you first plant a tank, usually the plants are small and will grow in but they may also be larger as well. When they are first put in, the tank has a given level of nutrients and trace elements etc. When conditions are optimal for plants, they establish and then they grow. The growth process is driven by the available nutrients. But as the plants grow they use up nutrients, many of which the tank keeper may seek to replenish with fertilizers and other additives. Unfortunately, we very rarely get the same levels restored. What can happen is the plants will outgrow their nutrient source. The result will be a die off of some portion or else plants will suffer in some other way- grow more lowly, lose some color, etc. The trick is either to prune a lot or else to adjust the nutrients upward to compensate for the larger plant mass. The best way to compensate for whatever may be coming in with your tap water is to follow a more frequent water change schedule.

Since hygro is one of the faster growing plants, it will take advantage of nutrient availability to grow and can eventually outgrow the available nurtient pool. At the same time, as plants grow, they will also be blocking the light available to not only other plants below them but also to their own leaves lower down on the stem.

Remember, the plants that grow the fastest and seem always to do the best in any tank are the ones which can suck up the needed nutrients faster than anything else.

Keeping a planted looking perfect is a constant battle- you plant, you grow in, you finally get that beautiful aquascape you planned for and then it becomes a jungle almost overnight.


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