plants turning brown

[W8NSEE]

IMG_20140416_102621.jpg20140416_101309.jpg

Not sure what to do about this situation. I only have one fish currently. Do i need more waste? Anything helps thanks.

[morpheus]

is it new to the tank? plants do go through a period called "melting" where a change in water chemistry (store to home) causes some leaves to die and it will grow back.

Other questions:
How big of a tank?
What type of light do you have on the tank?
Do you use fertilizers (root tabs or liquids - Flouish is a popular one)?

[W8NSEE]

Tanks been up and running for more than a month now. Its a 20 gallon tank, marineland 24"-36" double bright LEDs, no supplements, i just have the substrate flourite black.

Lmk if you need any more info. I am new at this.

[morpheus]

i am not a plant expert but i am sure others will chime in

if the tank has been running maybe 4-6 weeks, it is probably not fully cycled yet. that process can takes months depending on if you used seeded media from another tank. you can also use something called stability, its a chemical made be seachem to kick start this and introduce good bacteria. some people use fish in cycling, others dont. some fish produce more waste as well.

fish generate ammonia through waste and the breakdown of unconsumed food in the gravel also produces ammonia. bacteria converts ammonia into nitrites. both of these are toxic to fish in high concentrations which is why water changes are needed. once you have established bacteria in the tank they help keep these in check. the nitrites then get broken down in nitrates which the plants consume as fertilizer.

your lighting does give about a 6K spectrum, and that LED should penetrate to the bottom, so that should be ok for low light plants. in my plant tank i dose daily with something called Flourish. its liquid fertilizer. Other plants are more nutrient crazy and use root tabs which you can bury in the gravel to feed them. you can get those on amazon or any fish store.

[W8NSEE]

Okay i did use my used\ bacteria filled Aquaclear foam sponge from my previous setup in my new filter. I would have thought that would contribute to good bacteria.

[LordBarron7692]

Im sure it did but you might want to add a few more fish

[morpheus]

even with seeded material it still takes time. i have still seen it take months. but definitely using it helped.

also agree adding more fish wouldnt hurt. dont know what you currently have in there as the one fish

[kwc1974]

Depending on the fish I would wait. Herbavor or omnivor fish will decimate this plant

This is a sign of lack of nutrients, most likely potasium

add a all purpose fet, Seachem flourish
also add a CO2 source Excel

[Jozle]

+1 for the lack of nutrients.

[W8NSEE]

I have a Sarpae tetra that i plan on taking out when decide to add 3 maybe four sm.or medium angelfish...Will the supplements and new fish be to much for the tank?

[morpheus]

that should be fine in terms of bio-load. serapes are schooling fish, so having a group is better (like 6 or more). good call in removing the serape first. i think the angels may kill them. many keep angels alone, or mix with larger tetras (congo, buenos aires, emporers, etc) or gouramis.

as for the supplements, just follow the dosing instructions and you will be fine.