mucus on new bulbs

[DazzleDiscus]

I have 3 new onion bulbs that I put in my tank, only now they have a very slimy film on them... They are still alive and are coming out of dormacy. I had carefully removed the dead and dying skins prior to putting them in the tank. It's been two days now, and there is this thick, cloudy mucus stuff all over the bulbs. Anyone have a clue on how to get rid of it? I put them in a different tank in case it could harm the fish. I don't have a lot of knowledge on plants, and this new event has me quite puzzled.

[grey_fox]

Hi DazzleDiscus,

One reason is that it can be that the outer layers of the bulb from your crinum sp. is rotting away.

Just to enquire more, did you insert the entire bulb into the gravel or is it exposed? It should be planted only 1/3 into the gravel, exposing 2/3 of the bulb.

[DazzleDiscus]

I did not plant it in the gravel at all. The first bulb I had I just left it floating 'til a few roots grew, then I tied it down so it would grow in the substrate itself. Only one of the bulbs sank, and of course that's the one that is giving me a hard time. I rinse all the stuff off twice a day. the bulb itself still looks like a soft white/green shade - like it's still alive. It is slowly growing leaves, but not nearly as fast as the other 2. Should I go ahead and bury 1/3 of the bulbs now?