FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hi,

For some reason, everytime I put corkscrew vals in my tanks, the leaves start turning brown and dying within a week or two. I had that happened to me first in my low-light (<1.5wpg) tank with no substrate fertilizer (1mm gravel). They're doing better now that the tank's a bit more established (2 months). But it's happening again with the vals in my new, higher light (~2wpg) tank with laterite under the substrate (river sand). The leaves are melting just like when you move crypts. Do these vals take longer to establish their roots? Do they need higher nutrients/light/CO2 than other common rooted plants? I don't add CO2, just Excel & Flourish once a week or so. I've also just started to add Flourish Potassium this week.

The one thing I noticed in my lower light tank is that the vals started doing better after I took some hygrophila polysperma out (which I coincidentally put next to the vals in the new tank). I wonder if the hygrophila is the culprit?

Thanks for any advice.

-P

There are reports of people with vals who started adding excel and had their vals die due to the excel, so this might be your problem. I don't have vals myself, so it's not a first-hand experience and I can't vouch for its correctness, but it's something to think about.

I have hygrophilia polysperma next to my vals, and I use Excel, and my vals do okay. I usually get some melting of most of the leaves when I transplant them, and then in 6-8 weeks they're usually fine. They do take a long time to come back, but they will come back, so you shouldn't move them even if they look like they're dead. Some substrate fertilization for their roots will also help them a lot.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Thanks for that. Glad to know it's not unusual for them to take a while to get established. I will add some substrate fertilizer as you suggested (which I've done in my other tank and it seems to have helped).

Thanks again.

-P