Problems planting

**limsteel** · 17th Dec 2003, 21:38

In my tank's front right hand side corner... other than GLOSSO, no matter what I grow there the plants will turn brown, grow very ugly, root will from on stem plants and root is also brownish...E.g.

[

] Blyxa Japonica grow taller (not bushy) and broke off from gravel and floated up...

[

] Didiplis Diandra, portion of the plants turn brown, root started forming above gravel, but also turn brownish.

[

] Tonina, lower leaves turn brown and rot off, growing side shoot but leaf asl browning![

]

What happen! I don't remember disposing nuclear waste there! Toxic gravel or what? but glosso OK leh! POKE POKE no nerve gas come out too...

**Sleepy_lancs** · 17th Dec 2003, 23:35

Care to post a picture for us to see with your lights on... so that we can help you?

**limsteel** · 18th Dec 2003, 01:39

Tried to take a photo earlier, but Digital cam not good enough to capture the image of the poor growth.

What I am thinking is that maybe the area is not fertile at all thus plants growing there are all weak. Tomorrow I will buy some Root Booster fert ball/stick to suppliment.

Previously, E. Diversifolia, Bacopa... also the same sign...

**Sleepy_lancs** · 18th Dec 2003, 04:04

Weird... never had this problem...

**tawauboy** · 18th Dec 2003, 07:17

is the water circulation partially blocked?
or does that corner have less light?
plants can grow on substrate without base fertiliser so your problem may not be due to substrate fertility.

**geoffrey** · 18th Dec 2003, 08:36

Maybe feng shui no good. Hang a wind-chime at that corner...haha....

**vinz** · 18th Dec 2003, 08:54

Try planting Sagittaria subulata there and see if it will survive.

**geoffrey** · 18th Dec 2003, 08:57

----------------
On 12/18/2003 8:54:36 AM

Try planting Sagittaria subulata there and see if it will survive.
----------------

Vinz, why Sagi? Is there anything particular about it as an indicator?

**vinz** · 18th Dec 2003, 09:36

One experienced planted tank guy (he sets up/maintains planted tanks for a living) told me before to use SS to revive anaerobic substrate. The plant seems able to grow in poor substrate and the deep roots help to oxygenate the substrate. I took the advice with a pinch of salt.

I never had to try that, but I planted some in my newt tank a few months ago. This tank has no CO2 nor fertiliser, and light is low to moderate. The JBL base fert is about 1 plus yr old now. There is a patch where some Echinodoruses grew slow but healthy for about a year before they all suddenly deteriorated within a week. They were removed and replaced with crypts... the crypts did extremely badly and most dissappeared. Those that survive only manage to keep one or two leaves and no noticeable new growth. No effort was made to revived the substrate with root fert.

A few of the Echinodoruses were transplated to a less used part of the substrate and they revived. So I concluded that the substrate in that area was barren. I struck off severe anaerobic conditions as there are no harmful gases even after months barely/poorly planted.

I planted SS and E. quadricostatus in other parts of the tank sometime later. The SS spread right up to the edge of the barren patch and stopped, but continued to spread over the rest of the tank over a few months. Now that they've covered most of the rest of the tank, they are starting to grow into the barren patch.

Progress over this barren area is much slower then in the other parts of the tank, but in the areas the SS has covered, the crypts are doing visibly better (new leaves!). Some of the crypts that dissappeared have reappeared. Though the improvement is not significant, it is indicative that the substrate is in better shape.

The E. quad, though planted in the same area as the SS, turned yellowish/pale. One runner grew into the barren patch way before the SS did, but the plantlet is yellowish/pale and remains small. It also did not managed to compete with the SS in the other parts of the tank.

**geoffrey** · 18th Dec 2003, 10:16

Thanks Vinz. I keep learning new things from everyone here and this makes sticking around AQ worth the while : )

**limsteel** · 18th Dec 2003, 16:19

One more thing... when I planted E Diversifolia, the plants is growing really fast, with the lower leaves blackening. When I decided to remove them the root was dark purplish to black... Any idea?

Vinz, I will try the Dwarf Sag... but the glosso growing there without any problem... as I see glosso root did not reach deep. Can the problem be deep in the gravel? Will under gravel heater solve most gravel problem, the convention current can aerate the gravel abit right. Maybe I can install it in my future tank (Coming after I shift house in 9month time).

**hwchoy** · 18th Dec 2003, 16:30

vinz, go to the temple, get some 'hu', burn and bury the ash at that spot. then chant loudly and hit your tank three times. now your barren patch will be fertile.