# Why are my plants dying?



## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

I have a 5 gallon tank with CaribSea FloraMax substrate, and 2 filters (probably way too much filtration).

There are 2 crypts, 3 hyrophilla, some hair grass and some java moss. It's been cycling for the past 4 weeks, so no fish or other fauna, and everything was looking fine - plants looking nice and green, the hairgrass had started spreading out a little bit. However, when I got home yesterday, all of the hydrophilla had lost most of their leaves, and the crypts have all these holes that look like they're dissolving around the edges, and the hairgrass is suddenly really pale. I checked the levels; no ammonia, little nitrates, some nitrites. 

What went wrong!?!

I made a large (~70%) water change, but the hyrophilla are still shedding their pale, transparent leaves


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## emersed (Jun 22, 2011)

What is your lighting?


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## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

emersed said:


> What is your lighting?


The kit came with a big clip-on LED thing. I can't find any info on its wattage, but the model number is Tetra-16W, so...?

The tank doesn't seem like it would support a strip light- it's a small, weird shape with no rim. If I put one of these bulbs into a bendy desk lamp, would that work?


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## emersed (Jun 22, 2011)

That would definitely work. Unless you spent a lot of money on an led, the wattage is probably not enough.


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## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

But, if it's the lighting, why would the plants all be vibrant and green and starting to spread, and then change that all around suddenly on the 29th day, going from green to transparent in the few hours I was gone from when I left in the morning and came home in the afternoon?


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## emersed (Jun 22, 2011)

So nothing has changed at all??, but on the 29th day, the plants started dying?


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## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

emersed said:


> So nothing has changed at all??, but on the 29th day, the plants started dying?


Right; that's why I thought it must have been a chemical or infection cause, rather than a lighting issue.

By the way, the hairgrass is back to vibrant green, but the rest of the plants still arn't looking so nice :/


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## emersed (Jun 22, 2011)

hmmm, Then what did you add to make the plants die? and have you done a water change?


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## HKK (Jun 25, 2011)

it happen to me before when I changed the water: too cold i guess


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## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

Nah, I changed the water after I noticed the plants had started dying. I was thinking maybe it was a lack of some nutrient in the water (having been the same water for a month), or too much of a nitrate buildup or something. 

However, I now have a new 13 watt light, and some liquid ferts. One of the hydrophillas is sprouting new leaves


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I think they used up the nutrients in the water. You had no fish to add ammonia and not feeding either. No water changes to add nutrients that you may havin your tap water. As you leaves begin to rot and fall they will supply nutrients to the grass. You need some way to give your plants nutrients. Make sure your ferts are NPK and trace elements. Your plans need both. High nitrate would grow yor plants. Not cause them to die.


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## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

I have no fish, but I've been adding ammonia to add ammonia. The ammonia fixing bacteria are set- Deadly levels to nothing in a day.


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## Morgan (Jun 28, 2011)

temperature? some will "melt" away within the wrong temp range.


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## mimizu (Jun 22, 2011)

morgan said:


> temperature? Some will "melt" away within the wrong temp range.


76 f


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

It's not your temperature. I feel pretty sure you need nutrients. Fix that issue and your plants should grow.


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