# what is happening to my live plants??



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

I recently bought some amazon swords, some crypts and some other aquatic plants but im seeing that they are beginging to turn brownish see-through... the tank has 7ph, o nitrate, 0 nitrite, CH is like 20, GH is 0... i only have a betta in with my plants in a 10 g tank plz help


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

First off, what is CH? Did you mean chlorine, or KH?

Second, how did you buy your plants? Were they in a tank when you bought them or were they growing in the air?

Many aquarium plants are in fact swamp plants that can grow both emerged (out of the water) and submerged. When a plant that is grown emerged is submersed, the leaves used to the air will die, turn brown, and "melt". The plant is still very much alive and will soon put out new leaves which are adapted to living in submerged conditions.

If your plants were sold to you out of the water then that would explain the melting, but if they were sold to you submerged then they may in fact be dying. What do you use for substrate, fertlilization, light and CO2 and/or oxygenation by something like a bubbler?

Let us know so we can further diagnose.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The leaves can still do the same thing going from one tank to the next. A lot of times the plants is just settling in to its new environment. It will look like it is dying. Very common for Crypts and a number of other plants. Never seen it with a sword, but I assume it is possible.


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

the plants wre submerged execept for the amzon sword but the rest were the amazon is one of the ones that is actually doing ok... im concern that they will die and i will be 40$ down yeah not CH =KH


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Can you get pix?It would help us to determine if its algae or rot.

What light are you using?

Read that wrong,sorry.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Bettafan said:


> the tank has 7ph, *o nitrate*, 0 nitrite, CH is like 20, GH is 0


Plants have no nutrients. You should always be showing some level of nitrAtes in a planted aquarium. I would start with root tabs for the Crypts and Swords. I'm not sure what else you have in there.


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

I have a fertilizer water conditioner but when I Use it it sPikes my co2 and GH .... I use incandescent lights 2 20w bulbs because that is what came with the tank....


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Bettafan said:


> I have a fertilizer water conditioner but when I Use it it sPikes my co2 and GH .... I use incandescent lights 2 20w bulbs because that is what came with the tank....


fertilizer water conditioner? what is this?

as for the lights...replace the bulbs with flurescent ones. ;o)


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

It is a water conditioner with minerals for plants...... And what bulbs can I buy because the ones sold at my Persmart are only 10w and 15w the hood has incandesent hood with 20w so I'm afraid the flouracent my burn because of the difference in May burn out
Here is the product being used as fertilizer
Jungle Plant Care Solutions Fertilizer and Water Conditioner 8 fl. oz.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

20 Watt screw-in Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs have built-in ballasts which will prevent them from burning either themselves or the fixture they are in up. You can simply buy 20W CFL's, screw them in, and turn on. Really the only limitation with CFL bulbs is whether they will fit in the hood (the pigtail bulbs are often too thick to fit in a standard hood, you'll want a narrow bulb).

Also note - a 20 Watt fixture will run a 15W or a 10W bulb just fine, you just don't want to put a 30W bulb in a 20W socket because the wire gauges aren't thick enough to handle that high of current draw.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

The issues I've been facing on getting a 25 watt socket to accept a 15 watt bulb is the size difference. Other than that, I assume it would work perfectly fine


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

here are the pix of my plants


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I agree with Ben. When you move plants from one tank to another, they are going into an environment with slightly different water parameters. They have to get used to their new home. (They kinda' go into a bit of shock.)

Each time you move plants to a new tank, you're going to find that the leaves will turn clear, brown, start to die. Sometimes it happens within a few days and sometimes it takes a few weeks.

The new leaves that come in, will be adjusted to your tank, and should be bigger and brighter than the leaves it used to have.


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

ok mso i should not worrie to much and just cut of the ones that are dead ... where should i cut them at???


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Yeah, cut off dead/dying leaves, as the plant uses energy trying to save them when it could be using that energy to grow new leaves.

Cutting depends on the plant... if it's a stem plant, cut down as far as you can. For Swords, people have said to "peel" the dead leaves off... but I don't really get that, as peeling would up root the plant, so I always just cut as far down as possible - to the gravel if necessary.


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

do i cut with normal metal scizors inside the tank????


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I do.......... I'm sure you can find "aquarium specific" scissors.... but I just use good 'ole regular scissors. (As long as they don't have soap residue, rust or crud on them you should be fine.)


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

holly12 said:


> For Swords, people have said to "peel" the dead leaves off... but I don't really get that, as peeling would up root the plant, so I always just cut as far down as possible - to the gravel if necessary.


lol, you'll get catch on one day. You can hold the plant with one hand while peeling the leaf off with the other. I have done it with one hand with a quick jerk downward. Nothing wrong with cutting either, just depends on how much you like the stubs and how much you can keep your OCD in check - for anyone, not referring to your OCD, lol.


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## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

ty you holly12 i will do....and my swords only have 1 or 2 so they are not bad my others have a few


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Hahahaha Ben! XD


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