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30g
gravel and Flourite substrate (~3:1 ratio)
pH 7.4
temp 76
lighting is a 'Coralife 10,000K F20-T12-BP' (I am not a lighting/plant expert )

The tank has been set up this way for at least 6 months, the only changes have been the addition of single A. congensis here and there, the last was put in two months ago. I do weekly water changes of 20-25% and dose with Excel at that time.

This first picture was taken three weeks ago:



And here is a picture I took this morning:



The yellow arrow marks a spot where I completely lost a congensis. The orange arrow shows two congensis towards the front of the tank that are starting to yellow and show the same signs of deterioration. The circled plants are small A. nana that have some yellowing of the leaves as well.

What would cause a sudden change in the health of these plants, and is there anything I can do about it?

Thanks

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Theresa,

Seems like some deficiency to me, most likely Nitrates.

I base this on Chuck Gadds Deficiency Identifier.

Why would that be? I don't know for sure, but it could be that your substrate was leaking enough goodies into the water column to sustain the plants for a while. Now, that the substrate is older, it doesn't do that anymore.

Do you add any fertilizers?
Has your maintenance been steady in the last couple of weeks, and was the same as it was in the months before (what and how often) ?

That's all I can think for now,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Maintenance is regular...weekly water change of 20-25% followed by a dosing of Excel.

Interesting about nitrates...would a reduction in stock affect the plants that way? During the time period I mentioned I removed ~10" of fish

I looked at that link quickly...seems like it could also be a potassium problem. How would I take care of that? I don't want to get into messing around with chemicals too much at this point since I have new fish being delivered next week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

would a reduction in stock affect the plants that way? During the time period I mentioned I removed ~10" of fish

Absolutely, I must have missed that piece of information.

Fish produce ammonia, taken up by plants and bacteria. Ammonia is the base of nitrate, as you know. So - less fish = less nitrate for the plants.

seems like it could also be a potassium problem

This would most likely show as holes in the leaves, but you may be right anyway. Potassium is not generated via fish exhaust, nitrate and phosphates are.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

For potassium you can dose LeafZone. It won't hurt your fish at all...even newbies. I had some major pinholes in the outer leaves of the amazon sword in my 29 and I starting dosing LeafZone with my regular ferts and the problem has resolved. I agree with Ingo on the nitrate reduction. Removing 10" of fish would have a significant impact. I can't give any nitrate dosing advice as I haven't encountered that problem yet, but it's on my mind since I don't have a heavy stock load in my fully planted 55 yet. It'll be interesting to see what the gang recommens.

Don't worry, plant ferts aren't the equivalent to put other chemicals in your tank. Unles you do some hard core overdosing they will not interfere with your water quality.

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

If, and only IF, nitrates can be identified as the problem then a product like Flourish Nitrogen can be used. If you are not certain that it is the nitrates then you may not want to go that route.

Your dosing would have to be really small as you have a very low light ( 20W, right? ) over the tank and uptake would be limited by the light.

I don't know about BGA in very low light tanks, but, given that it can fix its own nitrate, you may have some if the other ferts are available.

Best thing would be to test the water for N and P first.

Potassium can also be added via products like Flourish Potassium. Again, you really would not need much.

Ingo

EDIT: Melissa - why are there no updates posted to your adventures ?

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oops...I've been busy with a million things besides the tank. Will post updates tomorrow after a picture taking session tonight.

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

In the picture the rhizomes look to be buried - ??

Check the rhizome (the stubby bit between the leaves and the roots) for rot. Usually uou only see an entire leaf yellow like in the one marked with the red arrow if the rhizome is rotting. Any yellowing on the rhizome should be cut off to prevent it spreading.

It may be a nutrient problem but it's unusual on Anubias as they are very conservative in their demands.

I take it from your post you only dose Excel after water change once a week. Any reason and how much ?

I've seen Anubias react badly to overdoses of Excel poured directly onto them.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Frankly, I've never had a problem with anubii (correct etymology?) and nutrients, after all, they are the breeder's best friend, saving java moss. I've had them in well lit tanks with nearly no fish in them, without a single spot or broken leaf, so as stated, nutrient uptake by anubias sp. are quite minimal.