# Bottoms of plants dying, ludwigia question



## flashbang009 (Aug 6, 2009)

Hi all,

Just got over my tank's BGA problem, but i've noticed lately that after i planted all my new plants (roughly a month ago), They've started growing, but the bottoms are dying (somewhat expected due to density of planting), and so are the leaves about 3 nodes from the top. I have about 2 wpg on a 75 gallon tank, with newly started diy CO2. The CO2 levels are about 10-15 ppm, and i had some nice pearling a few days ago. 

I 2x dose excel daily, and regular dose Flourish every few days. The ludwigia repens i have seems to be turning almost a very light yellow, where as before (when i didn't have so many plants) it was a very nice red. My bacopa carolinia is very, very healthy, but the ludwigia doesn't seem too great. I think i need to replace 2 of my daylight t8's but i didn't think that would be the only problem. 

My theory, and i need help from the veterans on this, is that i don't have enough nutrients period. With the amount of co2 and light, and number of plants, i expected my stems to be well, flourishing. My amazon sword, crypts, java fern, and water sprite seem to be doing great. (wow in looking at that list i realized many of those are nutrient suckers...). SO.... should i start e.i. dosing? I was looking at aquariumfertilizer.com...

Help!?

Thanks


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Ouch! Not sure I can be of much help, but I had two set ups (two rounds in a 20) where I had too deep of organic substrate and the toxic death-gas destroyed my plants from the bottom up until I finally decided that I ought to take a peek at APC. But since you're not doing organics in the substrate maybe it has to do with the excel (to be honest I really don't know much about this product except that it is like a gluteraldahyde???)... Not that I know what your dosing plus CO2 equals in carbon et cetera load, but at least it invites someone to educate me a bit...surely the amount you'd be dosing in an aquarium (I'm assuming there's water movement) wouldn't 86 your plants like that.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

You have a heavy-feeding tank with moderate light and CO2 plus excel as carbon sources, and you are only dosing micronutrients (Flourish is micro only). Time to get some NPK in that tank.


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## wi_blue (Apr 5, 2005)

If my memory serves me correctly... I beleive one of my planted aquarium books says that yellowing can be due to a few deficiencies potassium, magnesium.... and I want to say from excess CO2.

I would check with Seachem about the 2x dose of excel. It can be helth to do that long term.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

I agree with Dave. Put some macros in there. 

Excel can damage some plants, Vals in particular, but it doesn't do anything to L. repens. DIY CO2 in a 75gal will never yield excess CO2.


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