Some time back I was advised to put live plants in the tank against Plastic.
I basically bought a mess of different species, what survived in the tank I would keep, what dies I would not try growing again.
This I did and it proved very worth while.
They basically took off in a matter of weeks the tank looked excellent. (I assume it was full of nutrients as the tank had not reached top of the cycle)
A few weeks ago I started noticing the leaves either started turning brown or the plant leaves literally falling apart,
I left them alone to see what the out come would be.
This was after I had recently installed a new filter system which is still running next to my old one, also I had to change the lighting tubes.
Now they seem to have recovered and they all seem to have started putting on fresh growth.
They all look a bit ragged at the present.
I am a bit mystified as to what went on and if I'm going to get a reoccurring problem with them.
Do you think the cause could have been because I have two major filter systems going on the tank and its taking out every last drop of nutrient out of the water?
I have noticed that I hardly need to Hoover out the tank anymore as the rubbish seems to disappear very fast.
Water tests out with no problems.
Should I just leave the tank alone and let it sort itself out, as I dont really want to start adding more chemicals to the water to help the plants recover.
Thanks Rat
I find the better the plant system and cleaner fish, like corys, ottos, shrimps etc the less work there is to do, i hardly bother with the gravel cleaner now, so i think your plants may have turned the corner and things are on the up. di
Leaves turning brown and falling apart is generally a sign of a lack of nutrients. When they picked up did you add any fish to the tank? How often do you do water changes? You will get some nutrients back into the tank if your using tap water. Do you add any sort of liquid fertiliser and last but not least what type of plants are they?
1xTrigon 1903 Clown Loaches,14 Cardinal Tetras,8 Rummynose Tetras,6 Cory Trileneatus,6 Hatchetfish,4 otocinclus,1 SAE,1 Bristlenose,, 10 amano Shrimp
Anubius Barteri,Crinum thianum,Limnophilia sessiflora, Echinodorus Blehri, nymphaea lotus, Ammania Senegelis, Crinum calimustratum, java moss, 1xRekord 60Empty at Present
12 litre tank - 4 japonica shrimp, 4 Red crystal shrimp, 5 High Spot Rasbora
Anubias Barteri, Glossostigma Elatanoides, Ammania Senegalisis, Limnophilia Sessiflora, Bacopa amplexicaulis