Why are my plants melting!? A checklist for the Aquarist.
A planted tank is more than just a set up the people construct. It isn’t something that is done just for the heck of it and often times, a lot of care, time, and money go into making these planted tanks and aquascapes magnificent. However, there are several points to take note of in order to provide a healthy environment for the plants and fish in your planted aquarium. Even small mistakes can turn into disastrously great problems.
Whether you have purchased the wrong plants or did not provide them with proper care, there are many reasons which can result in the melting of your tank plants. In order to avoid this issue in the future, make sure you properly investigate and research suitable plants for your aquarium that can be maintained and kept up with, without any hassle. To assist our readers in this matter, we have highlighted a few reasons and solutions as to why certain aspects can result in the of melting plants and provide an easy brush up on besting this problem. So, if you are excited to learn some of the best methods and techniques to make your tank plants look natural and beautiful, this article is sure to provide you with basic working knowledge of plant melting.
What is the root cause of plants melting in an aquarium?
Of course, there are some natural causes which weaken the health of fish, plants, and other life in your planted tank. Small mistakes and oversights can also proceed toward plant melting. But what the heck is plant melting and where does it come from? Plant melting is not frequently heard, but it is a common issue in the planted tank community and is usually the result of freshly moved plants or wonky water conditions.
At the start, make sure you are aware of the growing habits of your new plants to plan your tank environment accordingly. Ask the shop owner or another source about best aquatic plants suitable for your planted tank so that you can make an educated decision without any issue, addressing concerns before bringing any new tank members home.
Some aquatic plants can only survive in large aquariums with plenty of CO2. Knowing your tank’s output and understanding its details can help you prepare your newly acquired plants before they are introduced to your tank. Under normal conditions, plants usually do not melt, but in the instance they do, you will need to know how to respond when it does happen. Furthermore, most plants have a slower growth rate in comparison to their out of water counterparts, and you will need to have some patience and follow a few guidelines to ensure their proper growth. If your CO2 levels are fluctuating or if you’re the type to try to tweak the levels constantly, this could be why your plants suffer. Set it and forget it! Instability = melting plants.
Possible reasons for your plants melting
Some of us may not focus on maintaining and caring for the upkeep of our fish tanks, but for aquarist and aquatic hobbyist, it is not considered a chore, but more of stress release and enjoyable activity. There are several natural factors that can kill plants aside from plant melting. One major cause of plants melting can be caused by to an algae attack, as it starts attacking plant structures from the roots. The health and nutritional process are some of the first functionalities to experience damage, which can cripple or kill your plants within days. Hair algae and diatoms are known to destroy new tanks rapidly. If your plants are melting due to hair algae, grab a Siamese Algae Eater and an army of Amano shrimp quickly. Also increase flow in the tank, up the CO2 a bit and reduce lighting. Then wait for things to stabilize.
Moreover, high levels of salinity and dirty water are also well-known causes or the weakening plant health that can lead to melting. If tank water is not changed routinely, then contaminants can build up, making survival conditions for plants worse. Some plants require correct nutrients and a CO2 supply that is properly setup, adding supplements and chemicals can absolutely kill your plants within no time.
One of the most common reasons new plants melt is mainly due to the way in which they were cultivated. Huh? Yep, that’s right, believe it or not, a good chunk of aquatic plants are farmed in above water greenhouses, which explains a growing common occurrence in plant melting, as plants will need to produce new leaves that are suitable for underwater uptaking. This is why using carbon filter media, and heavy amounts of water changes are so important in the first couple months of setting up a tank. There will be so many organics in the water due to melting plants that water quality will go downhill fast. We want our plants to have best survival rate possible. Plant heavily and make sure you start with some carbon. You can remove carbon media after the first three months.
How to avoid plants melting
Now that we are aware of a couple of factors and aspects that can cause your planted tank’s environment to go south, it is time to look into what to do to avoid it through routine maintenance and care that will provide them a better health and beauty environment to thrive in.
Firstly, let’s focus on routine cleaning and dosing of your planted tank. As fish waste, deposits, biomatter, and other bio-loads produced by your tank will tend to cover the ground surface, leading to difficulty in the survival of plants and can harm more than just growth. Performing water changes routinely will ensure that the water remains clean, clear, and free of potential contaminants or mineral/element build up that the hobby does not have adequate testing for. Perhaps the planted tank hobby will be lucky enough to one day have access to something like the Triton Method for reef tanks where every aspect of our water will be able to be tested for impurities. Adding any chemicals or detergents to clean your fish tank will worsen effects on the health of both plants, fish, and other aquatic life. Additional cleaning chemicals and detergents are harmful and leave residue behind in water, which can prove to be hard to recover from as it is very toxic. Also, make sure that there are no metal hose clamps or small parts anywhere in your tank or filter. Metal will erode over time, and heavy metals can cause your plant health to deteriorate.
For plants that are treated routinely through dosing, do not forget to perform a water test to ensure your dosing supplements do not greatly change or alter the chemistry of the water. Dosing is a way to provide additional nutrients to compensate and stimulate plants that usually in high-tech CO2 setups, where the plant load requires more than the substrate can provide. Using a poorly planned treatment regimen can cause more damage to both of the plants and fish than you may realize.
In order to grow in environments where CO2 being amply supplied, additional ferts are usually used. Not only cannot monitoring these dosing levels causing shock leading to melting, but it can also spark algae outbreaks, and if you have experienced an algae attack or know someone who has gone to war with algae, then you know that it is a war for the long run.
Read more on Planted Tank Source.