Will These Recover?

[csmith]

So I had a lapse in what I loosely call my thought process. I pulled all plants out of my tank to redo the whole thing this past weekend. I then took the swords, stored in a pot of water, outside and potted them. Somewhere in there I forgot to take into account the direct sunlight beating down on them for 30 minutes. Will these plants recover? The leaves are translucent, one's even deteriorating.

Also, in the last picture is a mysterious white fuzz ball. Can anyone identify it? It's on quite a few of my leaves and just appeared within the last few days.

 

[Biollante]

Nutrient Guy Alert

Hi,

Severe nutrient shortage across the board, if you had Ancistrus catfish those plants would be history.

Yes the can recover though you will lose most of the leaves.

Did you include Osmocote in those pots?

Biollante

 

[csmith]

Hi,

Severe nutrient shortage across the board, if you had Ancistrus catfish those plants would be history.

Yes the can recover though you will lose most of the leaves.

Did you include Osmocote in those pots?

Biollante

Of course I used Osmocote+, maybe 3/4 of an inch worth in my guesstimation. I've been dosing 10 mL of everything I have (10 mL each of N, P and K one day and 10 mL flourish and iron the next[still all Seachem products, they're almost out so I can move to EI]) and that'll continue. It wouldn't be such a bad thing to lose the leaves I guess, they're warped still from when I was underdosing and lacked Co2. As long as the plant as a whole will survive.

Any clue on the white fuzz?

 

[Biollante]

Deteriorating Plant Material

Hi,

Hard to tell exactly what the white fuzz is, my best guess part of the deteriorating plants. Watch water quality extra water changes.

Just to be sure, those plants were not exposed to bleach or anything like that?

{Nutrient Type Alert}
I would dose heavy micronutrients something like 8-ppm iron, since that appears to be the 10-gallon tank I would dose 25-ppm iron. When I say iron, I mean use the iron as proxy, one teaspoon of CSM+B three times a week. If you have iron and CSM+B half-teaspoon CSM+B and half-teaspoon iron. A little extra potassium will not hurt.

I cannot remember what you dose so I recommend tripling the macronutrients and two milliliters of Fleet Enemas will help move things along.

Just saw your message I would go with 30 milliliters of flourish iron three time a week.

What is your micronutrient?
{Nutrient Type Alert will continue…}

Biollante

 

[csmith]

No bleach, just sunlight and dry air.

So all in all I should just go crazy (triple) with the dosing for a while? I'll prune the fuzzy leaves this weekend.

 

[Biollante]

Sunshine On My leaves...

Hi,

Sunshine is not a big problem, aside from driving nutrient uptake; the dry air is another matter. As possible, I like to get mine a two to four hours of sunshine on a regular basis.

As long as you keep those monsters in small tanks, you will need to supply extra nutrients. Those guys will be a management problem in a 100-gallon tank. My guess is you will have to target in the 65-ppm range of nitrates and everything else proportionately, that is as high as I would go with shrimp, fish you can target easily 100 or 110-ppm nitrates.

Good luck
Biollante

 

[csmith]

My plan was to get them looking healthy again and trade them into my LFS for something different. Plan still applies, just a little more time required. I'll be scaping my 10 eventually with small stuff.

 

[Biollante]

Crowns Above Substrate, Please

Hi,

I meant to mention those plants are planted too deep, keep the crowns above the gravel.

Potted plants are easy to stick them in a tub; a 58-quart (55 liter) Sterilite container would be more than adequate. Add a small pump for circulation, something like a Fluval 1, even just the pump; Harbor Freight was selling submersible pumps for US$ 5.00 a while back, great for little setups like this.

A lamp, it doesn’t take much, perhaps a place where the plants can get a couple of hour’s sun.

Dose proportionately high I would figure a teaspoon of Potassium nitrate, two milliliters of Fleet Enemas, half teaspoon Epsom Salt three days a week, alternate day’s half teaspoon of CSM+B, half teaspoon to a full teaspoon of iron. Add a handful of Calcium sulfate at 100% water change, at least once a week.

Carbon dioxide would be nice, Excel or double/triple up water changes will certainly work.

Keep the temperature above 72 F (22 C), 80 F (27 C) is better. Soon the plants will be looking good, adventitious plants, crowns begging to be divided (if you will keep the crowns above the gravel), just make sure a good portion of root stays with each portion.

Once again, Bob’s your uncle, you are in the plant biz! This thing starts paying you.

Biollante

 

[shoggoth43]

Yep. The leaves are a writeoff. OTOH, these should bounce back quite well. I've done far worse to swords in the past. Add some CO2 or at least keep the surface clear to promote gas exchange if you don't have other forms of CO2 like fish and such in there. Go with Biollante's advice as he knows his stuff and you should be set.

You're lucky your LFS will take swords. Mine won't which is kind of a shame.

-
S