# java fern and anubias problem



## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

i did a full tank clean recently to get rid of this weird algae thing. after two days my java fern have developed spots that are translucent and brown. the anubias have also developed clear spot. new growing leaves have been growing out yellow. what's the problem? this is the first time ive encountered this problem. HELP PLEASE. thank you. =(


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Welcome to APC! 

I think we're going to need more info in order to try to help out. Tank size, type and amount of light, fert regime, etc...


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## Bubbs (May 31, 2007)

Welcome!
Here is a good website that lists plant deficiency symptoms and what nutrients is required to counteract them.
http://www.finostrom.com.gr/images/aqua/fertilizers/map.htm


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

it's a ten gallon, with 1.5 wpg. 12 hour photoperiod. ive had these java ferns for over a year, never saw such condition. never really had any problems with them. i have a nutrafin hagen ladder co2, and i dose a little excel every other day. and this bottle of micronutrient which the lfs said to dose weekly.

now that i look more closely, the leaves that are infected have thread like things floating on the edges.

please help before too late....i think it's spreading among my java fern.


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## Bubbs (May 31, 2007)

IMO you don't really need that much co2 to keep anubias and java ferns unless you have other co2 loving plants in there. Also for my tank I have my lights on for about 8hrs a day and thats surficient enough to have the anubias and crypts sprouting leaves every 2 weeks. 12hrs seems excessive IMO. 

Have you recently added any new plants? new plants could introduce little criters that are eating away at your plants.


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

what's imo? eh...i did add a dwarf ambulia-like stem plant. it's pretty healthy though. i never really add fertilizer, so nutrient deficiency shouldnt show up now if it never showed up right? you think those thread like things on the infected leaves can be worms? can worms do that to plants? thanks a lot for helping.

if it really is worms.....how can i get rid of it???

if it isn't worms, can it be calcium deficiecy? cuz if it were worms...wouldnt there be holes or eaten spots in the leaves instead of just translucent brown spots?


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## Bubbs (May 31, 2007)

IMO - in my oppinion. I can't be too sure but if this problem started after you added the new plant then it can be worms. Do you have a picture?


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

now that i look at it closer, it looks like hair algae i guess. but it's very thin and transparent.
will get picture now. gotta find way to focus it....dont think i can get the thread-like things to show though.


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

heres the picture.....the brown spots are a lil more translucent than the green parts, and it's just like dying leaves. theres are thread loops on the leaves that have the symptoms. i dont think they're worms though. but algae can't cause leaves to die like this right?

http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k214/kiwikkiwi/?action=view&current=P1000023.jpg


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k214/kiwikkiwi/P1000029.jpg

heres a picture of the anubias. the most right leaf is the probably infected one. not sure if it's infected. do you know if anubias leaves can be touching the heater? cuz this leaf was, and another one on a smaller anubias was. this one turned out like this, and the other was a little yellow. no other anubias leaves are infected.


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## Bubbs (May 31, 2007)

Check out this thread from another forum (don't know if you can access it but try anyway).
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php?t=1058&highlight=java+fern

I'm beginign to think that its not worms or nutrient deficiency but is probably due to the temperature in your tank. i have the same thing happening to one of my java fern at the moment too. The reason I think mine if looking deseased is because the tank is also being treated for white spots and the temp is pretty high therefore causing my fern to melt. If its not temp then I'd say Nitrogen deficiency.


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

hmm.......ok. i dont have my thermometer at the moment. the only one i have from my bigger tank, i think is broken. i'll let it settle and see if it is broken. then i'll check the temp. i hope just changing the temp back to normal will fix it.


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

but...doesn't the symptoms seem more like calcium deficiency than nitrogen deficiency if it isn't really the temperature problem.

what's normal temperature by the way?

hmm.....i think my thermometer is broken. it tests 85 degree, but when i use another one, it's just 70 degrees. but that IS after i turned off the heater for some time...i'll let it sit and see if the plants still get worse


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

is it really nutrient deficiency? i bought new ferts that i thot was the problem. i also turned down the heater. is this a fungus that's affecting my plants? one of my panda's died all of a sudden, he was still struggling when i saw him, and he was all white. im really sad right now =( what can this thing be??


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

If you were trying to grow yourself big and strong, you wouldn't just eat vitamin pills and drink soy milk, you would want to eat a balanced diet of enough food to meet your body's needs. The same is true of plants. You are providing them with micronutrients (like vitamin pills) and CO2 (like soy milk), but no nitrates, phosphates and potassium, which are the primary nutrients plants need. You can get by with this if you over feed the fish enough so the fish food acts as fertilizer too, but that is one way to cause fish health problems too. Decaying fish food may be good for plants, but it isn't good for fish. So, you need to get some potassium nitrate and monopotassium phosphate, and start dosing that for the plants. You can use "Greenlight Stump Remover" for the KNO3, and you can use Fleet Enema (but not the mineral oil type) for phosphate, if you want to use things you can easily buy locally. This will help the plants a lot, and reducing the amount of fish food will help the fish a lot.


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## kiwik (Apr 3, 2007)

right now, im dosing seachem flourish, not excel, weekly. i also have seachem potassium. should i just buy seachem phosphate? what else would i need? i have a petco nearby, and i go to petsmart sometimes, and theres a few lfs but i dont remember seeing the stuff you recommmend so i dunno if i can have access to taht. im gonna go check on sat.


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