Betta Fish Forum banner

Anacharis problem

1222 Views 9 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  SweetNightmare
So when I got my new ten gallon, I also picked up some anacharis to soak up ammonia. Only thing is that it didnt look that great when I got it. I figured it'd perk up with some plant food and tlc, but it still looks bad. The leaves are clear and fragile and fall off like crazy. Is it time to just give up and get a healthier plant from my work? Also, a few of my Water Wisteria's leaves are looking a little brown. The ferns are perking up quite nicely though. :/ I've been fertilizing once a week, though for the first few days I put tiny ammounts in every day to boost growth hopefully since the anacharis looked so sickly.
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
No one? I should also mention I'm new to plants, and I only barely have a green thumb. That's why I picked low maintenance plants. (And ones that can live in low light because the kit came with an LED hood.) Would maybe setting up my hospital tank and putting the anacharis on my window sill help? If it doesnt start perking up in a few days(and I dont mean magically better, I just mean a few leaves looking more green and less clear) I'll just buy a healthier bunch from my work. I just dont know why the anacharis continues to die, and the water wisteria losing leaves, and the java ferns are doing fine, better than in the store. (Well, after I got some rubber anchors from my work; stuck them under some crevaces in the rock cave and they're green and beautiful.)
Plants can sometimes go through a melt down period, adjusting to new conditions.. Often ferns don't do this but other water plants will.
I too had a wisteria slowly fade away for no reason though.
As long as there is still some green, keep trimming the dead and don't get up hope.
I would check to see if there are any new chutes of anacharis growing on the stems you have now. That is a sure tell sign that it is still healthy. If you don't see it getting any better or starting to turn black, it is time to toss it out.

I've had much better luck with online plants than I have had with petstore plants.
Oh yea. If it's with your betta fish, just isolate it in tank water while it goes through it's temper tantrums. :p Green shoots that sprout up you can clip and add to the tank.
When I get paid again, if it doesnt bounce back, I'll order some from the internet. How do they ship them? I've never understood how ordering fish or plants online works. Either that or I'll get some from my work, which always has healthy Anacharis, even if our other plants are...not so healthy. (Hardly anyone buys plants from us unless I recommend they take some anacharis home for those with uncontrolable ammonia levels.) The planted stuff seems to be doing okay, even though the leaves are browning a little; the stalks are thicker than when I bought it. The rest is just slowly wilting. I moved it to some colder water with a tiny bit of my liquid fertilizer and put the tank, my 2.5 gallon hospital tank, on the window sill, as per another forum's suggestion. Hopefully the sunlight and cooler waters will help it regain some of its green(or grow new shoots) so I can replant it in my tank.

And my wisteria isnt doing terrible, the top leaves are getting greener and changing shape, and some of the stalks are growing roots, including my small floating stalk. So I think the browning is just adjustment. I have LED lights, so they're definitely not growing fast. If anything starts wilting, I figure I'll just move my them to the windowsill tank, especially since spring in Texas means lots of sun when it's not raining cats and dogs.
See less See more
Wisteria leaves change shape depending on how much lighting they get.
It's interesting, you should try looking into it and see how much your LEDs are doing for the plants.
I have, LEDs are considered low light, it takes very high LED wattage to keep up with even moderate light plants. That's why I picked plants that survive or, in java fern's case, thrive in low light. (One plus to LED lights are that you can light up low light plants without hurting their health.)

Anyways, not only was the anacharis and water wisteria in high light when i got it, but the Anacharis wasnt in too great a shape. However, I needed it to make sure ammonia spikes didnt happen in my tank. Most seem to agree it does best in cold water with more light, though it can live in almost anything. So another forum where someone asked about the same thing, someone said put it in these conditions until it's healthy, then reintroduce it and it should thrive. If it works, I'll be thrilled. Plus I'll know a new way to grow new chutes. And that's interesting about the wisteria, I definitely notice the top leaves at the surface changing shape quickly.
See less See more
Yea, just a guess but I think they become thicker/more rounded to try and absorb my light. Just my theory. :D
I wouldnt doubt your theory being correct. I'm thinking when I save more money, trying to get a better light. I adore my LEDs, especially my 'night' blues, but I do want healthy plants. Hopefully they all keep doing well though. :)
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top