# Need help, the leaf ends started to get black on my walstad tank



## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

Hi i tryed to find some info about this but i was not able to find.

like you can see i am running an well planted walstad tank that do well:
https://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/143595-week-3-walstad-tank-speedy-betta.html

but for some reson the leaf ends on my echinodorus started to get black.

i hope this not something bad,

thanks for your answers

here some images:



















Plants:
- Echinodorus bleheri
- Echinodorus major
- Limnophila sessiliflora
- Ceratopteris thalictroides
- Cryptocoryne wendtii
- Cryptocoryne balansae
- Microsorum pteropus
- Eleocharis parvulus

Fluval Flex Aquarium:
- Capacity: 15 US Gal (57 L)
- Dimensions: 16 x 15 x 15" (41 x 39 x 39 cm)
- Pump Output: 132 US Gal/h (500 L/h)

LED Light:
- LEDs: 48 + 6 RGB
- Wattage: 10.8 W
- Lumens: 2450 lm
- Color Temp.: 7500 K

Light duration per day:
5h on, 4h off, 5h on

Gravel:
2-3mm

Soil:
Terra preta

Fish:
1x Speedy the Betta
5x Corydoras
5x Otocinclus


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I have never seen or heard of this before. Perhaps the terra prata soil, which is uniquely enriched with charcoal, has caused this? Microscopic charcoal particles deposited at the leaf ends? But this is pure speculation on my part. 

I'll be interested to hear what others have to say.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Have you tried rubbing the black off it?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I always had the oldest leaves on Sword plants start looking bad, as new leaves were growing ever bigger. I suspect this is normal. In any case, you can remove the bad leaves and will soon have even better and bigger new leaves to take their place.


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## CRS Fan (Nov 25, 2008)

These leaves appear to be Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) not Swords. I’ve seen this happen with Java Ferns where nitrates are bottoming out (but this should not be happening in a Walstad set-up). Just food for thought.....

Best regards,

Stuart


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## zolteeC (Dec 26, 2017)

CRS Fan said:


> These leaves appear to be Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) not Swords. I've seen this happen with Java Ferns where nitrates are bottoming out (but this should not be happening in a Walstad set-up). Just food for thought.....
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Stuart


Full picture of the plant would be better.
I have also seen similar with Java fern only. It was in a tank where other plants were growing nicely but Java fern was struggling and eventually it was gone. I don't know the reason. I had hard water and plenty of light.

(Its quire normal that water column NO3 level is very low in a mature NPT tank. At least every time I measured I got 0, still plants were fine including floating plants. I don't know why, but these Java Ferns are somewhat "different" than my usual plants, like rotala, cryptos, bacopa, ...)


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## mysiak (Jan 17, 2018)

I vote for the plant in the picture being Java fern as well. It looks this way in my tanks, especially if under strong light. I don't have much luck with ferns, but they seem to be growing fine only in low light conditions. As soon as they're under direct light they turn black, attract black bearded algae and die eventually.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

zolteeC said:


> Full picture of the plant would be better.
> I have also seen similar with Java fern only. It was in a tank where other plants were growing nicely but Java fern was struggling and eventually it was gone. I don't know the reason. I had hard water and plenty of light.
> 
> (Its quire normal that water column NO3 level is very low in a mature NPT tank. At least every time I measured I got 0, still plants were fine including floating plants. I don't know why, but these Java Ferns are somewhat "different" than my usual plants, like rotala, cryptos, bacopa, ...)


*I think the reason for this* is that, in an NPT tank it is the roots in the substrate that have access to nutrients, not the leaves of the plant. But, Java Fern is not generally rooted into the substrate. The roots pick up nutrients from the tank water instead.


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

mistergreen said:


> Have you tried rubbing the black off it?


yes and its not something removable


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> I have never seen or heard of this before. Perhaps the terra prata soil, which is uniquely enriched with charcoal, has caused this? Microscopic charcoal particles deposited at the leaf ends? But this is pure speculation on my part.
> 
> I'll be interested to hear what others have to say.


thank you for your answer. maybe! i will have a closer look into this now


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

hoppycalif said:


> I always had the oldest leaves on Sword plants start looking bad, as new leaves were growing ever bigger. I suspect this is normal. In any case, you can remove the bad leaves and will soon have even better and bigger new leaves to take their place.


thanks for you feedback


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

CRS Fan said:


> These leaves appear to be Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) not Swords. I've seen this happen with Java Ferns where nitrates are bottoming out (but this should not be happening in a Walstad set-up). Just food for thought.....
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> ...


thanks for your answer but the plant is an Echinodorus major and it has roots


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

zolteeC said:


> Full picture of the plant would be better.
> I have also seen similar with Java fern only. It was in a tank where other plants were growing nicely but Java fern was struggling and eventually it was gone. I don't know the reason. I had hard water and plenty of light.
> 
> (Its quire normal that water column NO3 level is very low in a mature NPT tank. At least every time I measured I got 0, still plants were fine including floating plants. I don't know why, but these Java Ferns are somewhat "different" than my usual plants, like rotala, cryptos, bacopa, ...)


thanks for your feedback. its an Echinodorus major. i post some videos of my tank so you can see evrything


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

mysiak said:


> I vote for the plant in the picture being Java fern as well. It looks this way in my tanks, especially if under strong light. I don't have much luck with ferns, but they seem to be growing fine only in low light conditions. As soon as they're under direct light they turn black, attract black bearded algae and die eventually.


its an Echinodorus major


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## SpeedyTheBetta (Jul 23, 2018)

hoppycalif said:


> *I think the reason for this* is that, in an NPT tank it is the roots in the substrate that have access to nutrients, not the leaves of the plant. But, Java Fern is not generally rooted into the substrate. The roots pick up nutrients from the tank water instead.


its an Echinodorus major and it has roots. thanks for feedback


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## mysiak (Jan 17, 2018)

SpeedyTheBetta said:


> its an Echinodorus major


My bad, from that picture it really looks like Java fern


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## CRS Fan (Nov 25, 2008)

SpeedyTheBetta said:


> thanks for your answer but the plant is an Echinodorus major and it has roots


I have been wrong before. A more comprehensive view of the whole plant would have been helpful. My apologies for the incorrect ID.

Respectfully,

Stuart

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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