# bolbitis heudelotti leaves turning black



## binesh (Oct 22, 2010)

Hi All,

I have few healthy rhizomes of bolbitis heudelotti and i keep getting new leaves every 4 days however the issue i have is that the new leaves remain green and healthier however the moment that rhizome shoots a new leaf the older leaves starts truning transparent, becomes brown/black and stays like that thereafter....this is happening to each and every old leaf. i have increased the dosing of k2so4 and kno3 as well but it does not seem to help. there is enough water circulation. These bolbitis rhizomes are with me from last 1 and half years and they have always shown this pattern.

my current tank specs - 
40x18x18 inch, 2x54watt T5HO for 8 hrs, PMDD dosing (increased by 30-40% in last 2 weeks). 2-3 bps presurrized co2.
filteration - one sunsun 1000l/h canister and one ehiem 500 l/h canister.

attaching 3 pics, one of the oldest leaf which is almost black, one relatively old which is slightly brown and one of multiple new leaves which are healthy and green.

all other plants have grown without any issues.

Cheers,
Binesh


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## Rivercats (Aug 31, 2012)

I had a similar problem with this plant but once I lowered my GH and KH down to 4 for both it's been growing like crazy and no black leaves anymore.


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## binesh (Oct 22, 2010)

Thanks, how did you lower you KH and GH?

Cheers,
Binesh


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## Rivercats (Aug 31, 2012)

I have horrible tap water here, GH 13, KH 11, Ph 9+. I have a 220g heavily planted tank so the only way I could lower my GH/KH numbers was to go RO. I had to do it slow and I do have a countertop RO unit so I would do a 10gal water change daily. It took about 5-6 weeks but all tank inhabitants adjusted slowly as well. Overall I noticed alot of plants looked better. I have a dirted tank so plant growth has always been good but I noticed the biggest improvement was with the bolbitis heudelotti.


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## Rivercats (Aug 31, 2012)

Oh should have told you I now keep both my KH and GH at 4. I still do daily WC's of 10 gallons but now know I need 6 gallons of RO to 4 gallons of tap to stay at my perfert numbers.


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## binesh (Oct 22, 2010)

Just to update - The issue was hard water, in my new setup where i am using the commercial can water which is supposed to be softer and the bolbitis is not having any such issues. all the leaves remain healthy and green, thanks and soft water did the job!!


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

I'm seeing that also. My tap water is also a high ph,7-9 and Hardness of 51. I might try going longer with no water changes and see if the dropping PH and minerals get sucked up by the other plants rather than the once a week "feeding" of hardness.


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

So far no luck. Never seen anything like it. It was doing fairly well when I moved it- still attached to its log- to more of a upfront spot in the 240. Then the black REALLY set in.
It hates something. I finally a few days ago got out my old 802 powerhead and set to aim at the Bolbitis to get a strong flow of water over it. Lets see if that helps.


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

oK,Those stems are still alive..no new fronds. Yet,when I added iron months later those stems got greener...I think they are starting to grow again.
I also found fresh new plant for sale.Lets see if my new iron dosing keeps it looking like it does now- perfect. After 3 hours of ownership lol.


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## terryna (Mar 16, 2018)

Rivercats said:


> I have horrible tap water here, GH 13, KH 11, Ph 9+. I have a 220g heavily planted tank so the only way I could lower my GH/KH numbers was to go RO. I had to do it slow and I do have a countertop RO unit so I would do a 10gal water change daily. It took about 5-6 weeks but all tank inhabitants adjusted slowly as well. Overall I noticed alot of plants looked better. I have a dirted tank so plant growth has always been good but I noticed the biggest improvement was with the bolbitis heudelotti.


+1


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

Well my second try has started. My tap water hardness according to the city report is 47. About ten times what I read is good for the plant. At 240 gallons, bottled water it out,R.O. is not ever going to be used. All I can do is try heavy dosing of iron..maybe more magnesium..not sure if that helps or would hurt,so went very light on that..2 teaspoons for the 240G.
Interesting because we don't need any water softeners for our drinking water,dishes or washing machine..there are not hard water spots on anything.
If this second time fails? Its the last time. I will just get more Java ferns,narrow leafed and plain and more trident Java fern..none are bothered at all by water..although they too do much better with iron added.

I notice that there is after one week.some eroding of the plants frond surface..it starting to catch detritus..like it was sanded down. Its growing a new frond and a second fiddle head. I might be obsessed with this plant..but not enough for RO and Co2! None of my other plants need it at all.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I looked at your water quality report: the calcium and magnesium values are in ppm, and they are about 22ppm combined, or about 1 dGH. So, you don't have hard water - it is very soft water. Your water comes from snow melt in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. That's why you don't get water spots, etc. You may have too soft water!


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

Thanks..I had it backwards..REALLY backwards-lol. I was thinking too..that piece I bought was locally grown by a guy who might have had Co2 as the LFS store guy had said about some Ludwigia I bought red a couple of weeks earlier and is now only red on the undersides of leaves,green on topsides. So,I doubt he was bothering with R.O. and all that.
I used some advice on Iron to use the commonly sold type with Seachem..one works fast the other slowly..to give consistent feeding.
So,I don't know what else to do. If I have soft water and natural daylight with dosing...not much else left to change. Co2 is not where I want to go right now. I have wondered if I used what I used to use all the time to get great plant growth in the 70's to 2000 or so, Penn Plax gro bulbs..the purple lights. I cant find them locally,so went with marineland brands that for sure are a cooler light...colors don't pop like gro lux. I see online those old style bulbs I used to get for $18 are for no good reason $40+..other fluorescents have not changed much in price.
Where do you draw the line?...I passed what I intended to spend quite awhile ago Still,not enough!


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Apparently bolbitis heudelotti is not a beginner easy plant! I have tried it a couple of time, with zero success, but I just figured it was my not knowing how to grow it. My attitude is that there are so many diverse plants that are easy to grow I just don't spend much time trying to grow hard to grow plants.


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

Here it is in the early stages of going black..first,the upper fronds get rough and look like they were sanded..or have detritus on them. They don't. I even went over it with an old algae catching toothbrush right before I took the photo.
There are too many people on the net who call this "As easy low care plant that takes lowest light". Its not. Its doing the growing new fronds as old ones die off..and pretty soon the newest lush green frond will darken. Like a curse that can't be stopped. Darn thing too is,the leftover rhizome stays dark green..waiting for something for a year or so.

To one website that calls this unkillable? A razzberry. Very disappointing on something I tried my best on.


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## Maryland Guppy (Mar 5, 2015)

From AquaticMag


> Bolbitis heudelotii is easy to care for and makes it a great choice for beginners. This plant can make an ideal focus point in an aquarium with multiple specimens in the background position of the aquarium. It provides additional shelter for tank inhabitants. It is a slow grower plant that needs every 1 to 2 months to form a new leaf and in the aquarium, it develops best if it is attached to rocks or driftwood. It requires temperatures of 68-82.4 0F(20-28 0C), moderately acidic to neutral water with a pH range of 5.0-7.0 and hardness range of 4-12 dGH. It also appreciates clean, well-aerated water or decent amount of water movement in the aquarium. It tolerates a wide range of light levels. For optimum growth, the light intensity should be ranged from 2-3 watt per gallon using full spectrum (5000-7000K) bulbs. In lower lighting conditions, the leaves grow slowly and become a dark green but in higher light and carbon dioxide conditions, the leaves develop into a translucent vibrant green color. It needs regular mineral supplements at the rate of 1-2 gm per 100 liters of water. On the high iron content water, the leaves turn more brownish. Nutrient-rich substrate, vitamin supplementation, and mild CO2 injection greatly increase its growth rate. Keep the plant looking its best by removing dried fronds at the base of the rhizome. For proper maintenance, the leaves can be pruned by cutting the frond at the base of the rhizome which keeps the plant in check with the appropriate shape. This plant is also great for African cichlid environments.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That AquaticMag quote above says"....Keep the plant looking its best by removing dried fronds at the base of the rhizome..." How can a submersed plant have "dried fronds"? Maybe it was meant to say "browned or black fronds"?


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

I wish it was the iron that made it darken...but it's pretty much what my first try did with no iron over a year ago.
Ok,I doubled down and put more iron after a water change then I had been doing. Java ferns love it. Bolbitis? Too soon to tell.
You think more epsom salts would be good or counterproductive?
I swear ALL my other plants are doing well..no complaints at all. Syngonium and roots are out of its mind
When I hit the lotto? I'm giving Seachem iron to all my garden plants!


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## Maryland Guppy (Mar 5, 2015)

Stan510 said:


> Ok,I doubled down and put more iron after a water change then I had been doing. Java ferns love it. Bolbitis? Too soon to tell.
> You think more epsom salts would be good or counterproductive?
> 
> When I hit the lotto? I'm giving Seachem iron to all my garden plants!


Fe & MgSO4 are not all that plants need.
14 elements/compounds are needed for adequate growth.
Too much Fe can be counterproductive!

What else do you dose???


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

That's it. I don't have anything else. I have contemplated visiting a local and big,hydroponics store to see what they have in terms of fertilizers. But,IF I go into gluconate and aquarium plants I doubt he will know what I need. They are more for what people usually grow indoors in California It ain't pansies either. wink,wink.
But if anybody here knows that they do carry useful products,I would appreciate it.


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## Stan510 (Dec 23, 2018)

So far..touch and go is looking better..Iron gluconate has strength to the plant. I know that because my first try from LAST YEAR..the rhizome didn't die..but sat doing nothing until I started dosing..I watched as it grew darker green. Now I see juuust the start of a stem forming for a new to be crozier.
Iron gluconate is just a fantastic supplement...I would never bother with Flourish or tablets or Osmocote now.
Just today i added the blue leaved Willow Hygrophila...looking forward to seeing that become a background hedge. Not many bluish colored large aquarium plants right?..Iron should REALLY bring that as it does for Hydrangeas in the garden.


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