# Anubias turning yellow



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

My tank has just been set up for a few weeks and very recently stocked with 25 tropheus. The fish are still settling in and being fed very lightly (not all are eating yet). Some of the anubias in the tank are turning yellow. I read that this could be an indicator of a need for a fertilizer (i.e. Flourish). Should I proceed with adding something or wait till the fish are more settled?

Due to the fish not being settled, I have only had the room light on not the tank lights - a possible factor contributing to the deteriorating plant health?

Thanks.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

plants react faster to no light than they will to a lack of macronutirents like nitrate, etc. and those before micronutrient deficiencies.

Before I go "solving" for the plant problem, let me start by saying that I am a firm believer in the saying, "decide if you are keeping plants with fish, or fish with plants".

With Tropheus in the tank, I would be focusing all care strategies on those guys... the plants can like it or lump it!

Still want plant advice?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Number6 said:


> plants react faster to no light than they will to a lack of macronutirents like nitrate, etc. and those before micronutrient deficiencies.
> 
> Before I go "solving" for the plant problem, let me start by saying that I am a firm believer in the saying, "decide if you are keeping plants with fish, or fish with plants".
> 
> ...


Thanks for the response. Point taken regarding where my priorities need to be (they're clearly with the fish).

I'd welcome the plant advice just for my knowledge then.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

ok, well... it depends on which leaves turn yellow. If it is the lower leaves only, and the rhizome is firm and intact, then I would blame the low light for now and watch for other signs. If it is not the lower leaves and is all or random leaves, then you have a problem! Which leaves are yellowing? how are they yellowing when they do? if the entire leaf turns yellow all at once then it's different than looking sickly and what not.

How much of the tank is planted vs not? if you have a ton of anubias in there and it was growing with the lights on, then you might needs fertilizers.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

This is how the plants are set up (it's a six foot tank).










The plant on the left has leaves near the top that are just starting to yellow (they actually just look like they've lost their deep green and are becoming a light green). The plant on the right looks okay so far.

What should I do?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

The top leaves turning sickly is not a good sign... if the plants are new and were not in an aquarium before (e.g. petsmart) then they may simply be changing from emersed to submerged form. They may also be lgith starved...

I think that fixture uses 1W LEDs doesn't it? 
1 watt LEDs might not be enough... I have (and actually am) growing plants under 1W leds but they are all the colors of the rainbow to make sure that there is enough reds, blues, etc.

If I were trying white LEDs I'd likely want something more powerful like the 3W crees. 
Can you supplement with spotlights over the two plants? You can buy nice LED ones, or make your own... even compact fluorescent ones will work for anubias.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Based on what you're saying, my guess is that the plants are light starved. The fixtures on my tank are the ones you think they are but I haven't even had them on since Monday because I've been trying to help the fish get settled. The tank has just been lit up by the natural light coming from an adjacent window through partially drawn blinds. It's been grey skies here the last few days so it's pretty dark in the tank room.

The plants are new but were submerged at the LFS I bought them from. The other thing I should mention is that I did do a bleach treatment with them (1:20 parts bleach to water) for two minutes and then immersed them in dechlorinated water. Regardless of what happens to the plants I don't regret doing this because a few tiny dead snails were left behind in the bleach bucket.

Can the plants be revived at this point or are they likely going to die?

I've been thinking I should wait till the fish are eating before I start keeping the tank lights on. Some are, some aren't yet. When they think I'm not looking at them though they're all chasing each other around the tank (suggesting they're healthy but not fully settled?).


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Just thought I'd provide an update. I started keeping the tank lights on (ten hours per day split into two five hour blocks) and the anubias greened right up. I thought these were supposed to be slow growing plants. The one on the right seems to have grown noticeably in just one week!


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

that's excellent news! Anubias are not slow growers when conditions are right. They need a ton of CO2 to really grow which your tank should be providing by being so thinly planted!


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## Anthraxx8500 (Feb 11, 2011)

indeed. *** had anubias not do well. and then *** had some just explode with growth. i believe they prefer a higher ph so gj on that front. have you also considered any swords? i know they can get nice and bushy and can tolerate a wide range of ph.


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