Mysteriously Sick Sword Plants. Diatoms? Over Fertilizing?

Help! Having issues keeping my new planted community tank (2 months old) healthy. Mostly all sword plants that should, under these conditions, be doing just fine. I’ve got another planted tank with regular sand and it’s doing great. Some of the damage might be due to snails, but there aren’t enough of them to be killing everything off like this.

Tank is getting 8 hours of LED light, acceptable parameters with pH of about 7.4, thrive 3x per week. No CO2. Substrate is Fluval fluorite and sand mixed.

I am having a horrible issue with build-up in my Fluval 306 outflow tube. It clogs with brown gunk (diatoms?) very rapidly and I have to tear down the filter far more often than what should be necessary to clean it out. I included a picture of it all blowing out of my outflow pipe.

Is all that brown gook in my tubing diatoms? Are they starving out my plants? Swords should be doing much better under these conditions so I am clearly messing something up. The fish are doing great at least. Am I giving the tank too much Thrive perhaps?





Help please!

How aggressively should I cut these back? I’ve read that many swords need to lose their “terrestrial” leaves and then will grow back new aquatic leaves, but I’m not sure this is that.

 

Did you check nitrates and phosfates Larry ?

 

That first picture looks how a sword plant is when it has been grown out of water. The leaf will grow back longer and less stemy.

 

That first picture looks how a sword plant is when it has been grown out of water. The leaf will grow back longer and less stemy.

My Swords show these leaves submerged.

 

My Swords show these leaves submerged.

Interesting. Mine showed leaves like them for a few months, but they slowly died back and were replaced by leaves that were longer and skinnier.

Is that just the type of sword that you have or is your sword a newer addition?

 

Interesting. Mine showed leaves like them for a few months, but they slowly died back and were replaced by leaves that were longer and skinnier.

Is that just the type of sword that you have or is your sword a newer addition?

Sorry misunderstood.
The new ones are longer indeed.
But the longer leave in the pics is one of the worst.

 

All of these plants were purchased 5-8 weeks ago after setting up the tank. My nitrates sit at an average of 40-50 in this tank, have not checked phosphates, don’t have a test for that. I did put a new charcoal bag along with a purigen bag in a few weeks ago. Someone else suggested charcoal might be pulling out too much phosphate?

 

Tank is relatively new set up. Diatoms are to be expected regardless of plants. It’s been my experience that when adding new plants to a relatively new tank, and then dose the tank, there is an explosion of diatoms. I added 2 BN pleco in a 90 gallons when this happened. They cleaned it up pretty good. The other thing I did was add some Hornwort. It will outcompete the diatoms for nutrients. You can remove it later. Also the Amazons looks like some melting. Could also be calcium and magnesium deficiency, but I doubt that since you say you have another aquarium swords do well in.

 

Are you feeding the swords? Swords are heavy root feeders. Best to put root tabs under them. Also liquid ferts help.

 

Someone else suggested charcoal might be pulling out too much phosphate?

No, but it does remove chelated trace elements.

I did put a new charcoal bag along with a purigen bag

Why both charcoal and Purigen?

Also liquid ferts help

To OP
If they contain trace elements, remove the charcoal.
Most liquid ferts contain chelated elements.

 

No, but it does remove chelated trace elements.


Why both charcoal and Purigen?


To OP
If they contain trace elements, remove the charcoal.
Most liquid ferts contain chelated elements.

Appreciate the responses! New tank and so many new rookie mistakes I am making. I feel like a kid again

These are the ferts and tabs I am using right now. Not sure which ingredients are which?




I don't particularly love them, but there were recommended to me.

Should I take the charcoal out? How about the Purigen? I wasn't aware they didn't interact nice with one another. My nitrates are pretty tough to control so I was trying them both.

I'm pretty convinced that I don't have an active diatom issue, my plecos would be taking care of it in the tank anyway. The stuff in my filter tubing is just sludge and I need to get better at cleaning/capturing it according to some pros.


I took these photos to two reputable LFS last night and asked around. The two biggest theories are that these leaves were primarily the "terrestrial" leaves that are grown out above water and are dying naturally. This makes sense because the plants are all relatively new (6weeks-ish). The other theory was that pest ramshorn snails (which I knew I had some of) are just making them into snacks, the leaf gets damaged and starts to die, they get more snacks, they make more snails. Snails are having a bigger impact than I thought. I actually have a bad infestation on my hands and I didn't realize it until last night. Mostly pond snails, but a fair amount of ramshorn too.


So, does natural leaf death+pest snails+whatever I am screwing up with charcoal make sense for why they are looking so rough?

I took all the plants out, clipped all dead/dying leaves, washed the snails off and put them into an empty quarantine tank. Trying to trap the snails in the main tank manually for now using the gross old clippings, will move to chemical remediation if that doesn't work in a few weeks.

Thank you again for helping me out!

 

I would remove the charcoal and purigen. Thrive should be good. Just do 50% water changes weekly. The kliener bar was grown emersed will look like pic when new leaves grow in
as for the snails. If your tank is big enough a pair of clown loaches will eat them all. If smaller chain loaches may work.