# what is growing on my plants



## luresaregood (Mar 4, 2012)

My tank is up and running with almost no issues. Nitrate, nitrite and amonia levels are all 0. my ph is a little high at around 7.2. I have ten swordtails, 4 panda corys and one baby molly in a 50 gallon tank. My plants are doing fairly well, but for this new stuff that seems to be growing on them. It started out as a fairly clear gelatinous substance that looked like it had some type of round balls in it. now the gelatin stugg is turning an opaque white and it is all over my amazon sword and my anubis leaves. Here is a picture of it growing on another plant that I cannot remember the name of. How do I get rid of it.


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

Looks to me that it's bacterial decay of dead/dying leaves.
Just remove the dead matter and you should be fine.
cb


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

That leaf is dead. remove it. Are you getting that same growth on any of the green healthy leafs?


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I agree, nothing to worry about, remove the dead leaf. Snails or shrimp would like to eat that too .


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## luresaregood (Mar 4, 2012)

snail said:


> I agree, nothing to worry about, remove the dead leaf. Snails or shrimp would like to eat that too .


what kind of snails or shrimp. will they be eat my live plants and will they be ok with other fish


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## luresaregood (Mar 4, 2012)

FishFlow said:


> That leaf is dead. remove it. Are you getting that same growth on any of the green healthy leafs?


they same growth is all over my amazon sword and my anubis leaves. not as prolific though


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp are good but your fish might be too much danger to them, with plenty of hiding places maybe.

Most snails are actually not a danger to plants. I find bladder and ramshorn snails an asset in a planted tank as they eat dead plant matter and algae but many people view them as pests. Mystery snails are generally plant safe and will help to clean up but will need a bit of extra feeding too. A tank doesn't NEED snails but I think it adds balance, other people hate them, it is a personal thing.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

luresaregood said:


> they same growth is all over my amazon sword and my anubis leaves. not as prolific though


I've had stuff like this in my tanks several times. It was always connected to new driftwood but it never caused any harm and went away on it's own after a while, or was eaten. Usually it was on the driftwood but sometimes spread to plants too. My nerite snails went crazy for it too.


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## Amber (Apr 7, 2012)

I personally like nerite snails. They are a great clean up crew and don't reproduce unless they are kept in brackish water, meaning not pests, and of course won't eat your plants. I hope that helps.


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