# some leaf decay- how do I trim, what should I do better for the plants?



## Jeane09 (Nov 19, 2013)

Need some advice on plant care, I know very little about aquarium plants, help on any of these points is appreciated. I had to move the tank so they were in a bucket for a few days, then replanted about a week ago. Most have new baby leaves growing already, but also lots of leaves turning brown, too. I don't know if it's just shock and they're now recovering, or am I doing something wrong with the balance of light/feeding?

I have one 20-watt (600 lumen) bulb on a timer, 10hr/day. I only have a few small fish so far, so I thought I should feed the plants too. I've been giving them Aqueon liquid aquarium plant food, but only half the dose as mine are still pretty sparse. I put in 10ml once a week (tank is 20 gal). I tried to pick plants that have low light requirements and are easy for beginners like me. But now wonder if I should reduce the light hours, or feed less/not at all? some are getting a brown film on the upper surface of the leaf. Here's some pics of the problems w/my questions on each plant:

why are the ends of my amazon sword turning brown? should I trim off the brown tip w/scissors, or remove the entire leaf? some small leaves are going pale/transparent, too. Does this plant need more food than the others, I am thinking of getting those fertilizer tabs you stick in the substrate near the plant for it.








The Java fern has new baby leaves but the ends of them are turning dark color and kind of translucent, like lettuce leaf does when you crush it. Maybe I damaged the nascent leaves when I was tying them onto the wood? Should I remove these and hope for new ones? Also, is that thread thing under the leaf hair algae?

























The Anubias seems to be doing great and also has new leaves, but there looks like dust or debris is settling on them. Is it important that I clean this off?








My water sprite has new little leaves growing piggyback on the upper stems, also new ones unfurling at the base. But lots of leaf ends are brown and raggedy. Should I trim off just the brown parts, or cut the stem off further down? If I trim it further down, will it branch out more?

Sorry for so many questions. I really love the way the planted tank looks and am hoping it fills out, so I want to do what's best for them.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

did you know that Amazon swords can get to be more then 3 feet tall ?...they do need more food..get some jobs plant spikes and break one in half and oush it into the gravel under the roots.
java fern leaves often turn dark..even black..but watch them carefully..tiny baby plants will grow from the dying leaves..
it is ok to just trim plants with scissors..the sword leaves , just take off at the base of the leaf..


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## Jeane09 (Nov 19, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions, I will cleaning some up today (and killing two birds w/one stone so to speak, I'm going to put the dead plant bits in a piece of pantyhose and stick it in the little cycling tank to provide ammonia).

I had no idea Amazon sword would get so big, yikes! That's definitely not going to fit in my tank, there's only ten inches height in there.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

The brown film you get covering the plants is normal when you start your planted tank. I had that at the start of my 5g tank too. I just rubbed it off once a week until I found the right balance between light, ferts, and co2 (or liquid carbon in my case) to not let any algae form. The specles form on my anubias too, doesn't seem to hurt it though, grows like crazy. On the last pic of your java fern you can already see the new tiny plant forming (like loha said), that's why there is roots on the end of the leaf. As for trimming, I usually leave the decaying leafs on for my snails and corys to eat, but it is usually a good idea to trim them. If you do, cut the whole leaf of, not just a tiny part of it.


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## Jeane09 (Nov 19, 2013)

So that's a baby leaf and root growing on the underside of the java fern? Cool! I didn't know they grew like that. Will it fall off on its own and root somewhere else, or do I remove and replant it when it gets bigger?

I wasn't planning on adding co2 I wanted to keep this simple & low-tech, do you think my plants will be ok without it? I noticed today the water has a subtle green tint, is this algae in the water? I've turned the light hours down from 10 to 8, in case that helps. So far I don't see any algae on the glass or gravel like I had before.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

another thing i often bring up....go down to a local lake or river..do you see any giant co2 tanks sitting on the shore dosing the plantlife ?


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## Jeane09 (Nov 19, 2013)

you are so right ha ha


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2014)

lohachata said:


> another thing i often bring up....go down to a local lake or river..do you see any giant co2 tanks sitting on the shore dosing the plantlife ?


I love your wisdom lohachata. It is fantastic.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

true loha true, but there is also way less fish per amounts of plant


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

yes ; in the wild there are far fewer fish per sq. ft. than in an aquarium..that means that there is more co2 in an aquarium for the plants that are in it..so even less need to inject it...


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

right that's not what I meant to say, I meant to say there is way less fish per amounts of plant in the aquarium, not the wild, my bad. I like using Flourish excel, not really expensive and it helps the plants grow


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## Aqua-purell (Apr 2, 2014)

*What should I do care for the water hyacinaths plants?*

Need some advice on my plant care. I am not a very good at this. I would like to ask about the goldfish pond - aquatic plants. I am just a beginner and new to this water hyacinath plants. Never had it before! Help me on any of these points is appreciated. Lots of leaves are turning brown. I don't know if it is just shock to the water temp, water conditioner or light. Or am I doing something wrong with the balance of not getting enough light. :|


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

make a new thread, don't write it at the end of an old one, otherwise they get too long and confusing. To do this press the "Create thread" button at the top of the page of the plants section


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