Can dead plants deteriorate the health of the fish?

[BettaJen]

Hi. So I got three different kinds of plants for my aquarium a few weeks ago.

One looked like water wisteria, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. I could see it getting brown and slimy so I took it out.
I got some leaves that are naturally purple/brown. I see some are getting dead. Should I remove them?
I noticed a layer of slimyness on the surface of the tank and bit of brown in a white decoration I have.
And I have what looks to be rotala indica. It seems to be doing very well.
However, the color of my fish seems to be getting dull and his tail or parts seem to be fraying.

I wonder if they are connected. Also, I should change my filter cartridge. Could this cause a problem too?

The people at the pet store didn't know the name or the specifics for the plant, they just told me people pick what looks good. :/ I did some research and I'm glad I took the rotala indica(I think it is).

How do I get my fish back in better shape? I heard aquarium salt was good. This is still sort of new to me. Thanks.

[BettaJen]

So here's the plant that seems to be doing well. Its got buds growing out. I took out the other plants and took some of the slime and brown bits out with a net.
I'll do a water change.
I'll go to a better store for aquarium plants in the future.
I hope my betta will be okay..

[Olympia]

Heehee my little girl is named Maja too! (Pronounced the same way).

Anywho, I wouldn't worry about the filter cartridge.. how long has the tank been set up? Do you have a lot of plants or is this just your first few?

Generally, you do want to remove dying plant matter as it will release toxins such as ammonia, especially if this is a smaller tank if could build up quickly.. In a larger, densely planted tank I generally leave rotting leaves as they don't effect water quality as much, but if this is a smaller tank (10 gallons or less) I'd be removing any dead matter.

[BettaJen]

I'd say its been up for 6 months.
I have a fake one and a real one. I should get more.
Thanks for the advice! Its a ten gallon.
That's cool about having the same name. :D

[Olympia]

Hmm.. I don't think one rotting plant could have that much of an effect. Just keep up on water changes and hopefully it'll clear up.

[Pogthefish]

By the way, NEVER change the filter cartridge. It RUINS the cycle of the tank. A filter cartridge takes 1 month to begin working, and then it is called "cycled" The bacteria that grow in in eat ammonia and produce less toxic, nitrate, it is only toxic in high levels. There are proceses in between, btu I won't get into detail. Anyway, the bacteria live in the filter and everytime you take out the cartridge, you are throwing away all that beneficial bacteria!

[Catie79]

I did have an ammonia spike in a small tank after what was supposed to be an aquatic plant from a Petco (jerks) promptly started dying. My fish started flicking so I took the plant out and did a water change. So that would be my one warning.

[Pogthefish]

Yeah, dead stuff makes ammonia. Some people cycle their tanks by putting a dead fish is and letting it rot, producing a steady source of ammonia.

[Fieldz]

Did you cycle your tank properly? I, for example, now have a self sustained 6 gallon aquarium with 7 tetras and they are all perfectly healthy. I do 30% waterchanges weekly and the plants are thriving, completely green and growing alot everyday. How did I do it? I cycled my tank for 2 months and had tons of patience.

[BettaJen]

I don't know too much about the cycling process. I just put in my filter and let it work.
It was clean and good for a long time. Betta made bubble nests.
With the new plants that died, everything is going downhill.
Should I quarantine my betta and try cycling the tank? I can research how to do it.
Or should I just clean everything and do water changes until it gets back to normal?
Thanks for your replies~