# Melting bottom stem



## oscarito (Aug 23, 2006)

I have been noticing that when i pulled away a few plants from the substrate to relocate, i notice that that bottom end of the plant that was in substrate seem like is was melting.

are the plants not planted deep enough into the substrate? are they not getting enough light?
Is the water quality melting away the bottom stem???


Tank profile:

55 gallon
4-65watt light
pressurised co2
Seachem Florite substrate


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

_Do you have a 65 watt or a 4x65 watt fixture over the 55G tank?_

_What plant is it that the stem is melting on?_

It could be that the stem got damaged before or during planting that caused it to melt. Some plants have a tendency for the stems to melt, like Didiplis diandra.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

if the bottom end gets melted, you can cut the melted part and plant it again, sometimes tweezer damage the end bottom so if the plant is delicate i recommend planting it by hand, Dont forget to remove the leaves on the lower bottom stem.


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

is it one species that exhibits the melting or more than one?

What's your nutrient regime like?

Are you sure the CO2 is up as high as it needs to be?

You have almost 5 WPG which is a good deal of light, so obviously you'll need to be certain that your nutrients including CO2 are good... 

Beyond that, sometimes stems just rot.. once in a while I notice that a stem of my A. reineckii will melt away at the bottom. I cut it off, replant and it's fine. Who knows why it does it. It's so infrequent that I don't worry about it..


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