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Anubias disease

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45K views 54 replies 13 participants last post by  Newt  
#1 ·
I have had this Anubias barteri 'coffeefolia' for some 20 years. A short time back the rear leaves (at the stump) began to turn yellow. I removed them w/o much thought. Then I noticed the plant just wasnt as green as it had always been. Upon closer examination I found this brown 'crud' on the rhizome and at the base of the leaves. With heavy brown crud accumulation where the leaf attaches to the rhizome the leaf rots and falls off. I have plucked the plant several times and cut away all the brown I could see hoping that would take care of the issue. The plant is still suffering so I dosed the brown crud with excel and was able to scrape it away with my finger nail. It also has small brown clumps here and there on the roots and this doesnt seem to scrape away.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'll be at a loss if I loose this plant and just may become so disappointed that I might give up the hobby I've done for 40+ years.

The pictures arent great as I bumped my camera awhile back it it doesnt focus the way it should; especially for close-ups.
 
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#2 ·
Seems the site wont accept my JPG's and all are under 203KB.

I'll try later.
 
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#3 ·
Site is having trouble right now with attached thumbnails. It still works OK with a link to a picture stored somewhere. I'd like to see a picture of this brown crud problem.
 
#7 ·
Hey Newt,

I hate to hear that you're having problems with your coffeefolia. I've actually been waiting for you to post some more progeny for sale so I could buy some to try and grow in my tank. This explains why I haven't seen you list any lately. I hope that you're able to defeat this issue and nurse your plants back to health. If not, I certainly hope that you won't quit aquatic gardening altogether. Things like this happen, but it's not the end of the world. If you do end up losing all that you have, I would bet that if you contact the people that you've sold offspring to and asked to buy back some of theirs, that you'd be able to start over again.

Good luck,

Andy
 
#8 ·
Ughhhhhh!!!:mad:

Andy, thanks for the words of support. I have a couple of stubs in a 5 gal plus this one leader I have left and will be experimenting. I've enjoyed this plant so much and the flowers it put out on a regular basis. Its been the center piece of my tank for so long.
 
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#9 ·
Sounds like it's contagious. Wonder if you'd have to sterilize your tanks in which the plants were housed. If it's bacterial, or fungal I wonder how long the contagion can remain in the tank once you remove the plants? Is only the coffeefolia affected? Do you have any other anubias plants in the same tank/s? So sorry this is happening!
 
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#10 ·
looks like some sort of yucky bacteria feeding on it... was there a lot of crap around where the rizhome is...? hope it survives, coffefolia is one of my favorites! =)
 
#11 · (Edited)
Its only affecting the 'coffeefolia'.
No other Anubias in the tank.

The crud only appears on the plant and starts at the stub/stump end. Odd that it works its way from the stump end to the leader end.

All I know is that my problems began with a batch of KNO3 that really smelled bad and it tested positive for ammonia. Seller said it was normal and OK to use. I knew it was not normal for KNO3 to smell. Almost lost my P. erectus (diff problem) until I began using a new batch from a differnet supplier.
 
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#13 ·
I've tried pruning it back several times and thought I had it all. The final point of the stub had no appearent rot internally.
 
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#15 ·
I just tried Excel and scraped off as much as I could with my finger nail. I'll be trying different things as long as I have the 3 living pieces. I have 2 stubs in a 5 gal tank with low light. The low light doesnt seem to make a difference. The crud I scraped off felt gritty/sandy and diatoms came to mind.
 
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#16 ·
I think you might try growing it in clean untreated water for a while. I don’t know what your water is like but I would think the chlorine and such might help. I would imagine the problem is probably endemic to the aquarium itself. Clean the plant every day and change the water, maybe add a little fertilizer. Just my two cents.
 
#17 ·
My town uses chloramine (chlorine + ammonia). I use whole house filters. the dirt and sediment take it down to 5 microns and the carbon block down to 1 micron.

I do a 100% water change in the 5 gal tank that has 2 infected stumps. I have been able to get the leaves to turn greener.

I need to find what the brown crud doesnt like.

I would appreciate it if people could send me their anubias stumps.
 
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#30 · (Edited)
Sounds Like you're using RO water? That can melt anubias, see this youtube video.

If the epidermis of submersed aquatic plants are damaged they become susceptible to fungi like r.solani which I believe was the culprit. If it was being melted by the RO water then it could enter the plant through any wounds from a weakened epidermis despite it being in it's submersed form. I read that in submersed form plants will not have functioning stomates, the stomata is usually the spot where a fungus like r. solani will enter when a plant is grown out of water. I think if the rhizome is burried, damaged or melted by RO water then the fungus can enter the plant because of openings in the epidermis.

Newt said:
Its only affecting the 'coffeefolia'.
No other Anubias in the tank.

The crud only appears on the plant and starts at the stub/stump end. Odd that it works its way from the stump end to the leader end.

All I know is that my problems began with a batch of KNO3 that really smelled bad and it tested positive for ammonia. Seller said it was normal and OK to use. I knew it was not normal for KNO3 to smell. Almost lost my P. erectus (diff problem) until I began using a new batch from a differnet supplier.
Click to expand...
Don't know what to make of this and I think the RO water may be to blame. KNO3 will usually smell bad won't it?

Check out some of the last posts in my emersed anubias thread. Ive referenced these findings to some journals so what I've said comes from those articles I researched.
 
#18 ·
You could use methylene blue, or copper sulfate, or potassium permanganate dips. Those all kill fungus. Though dipping them in these solutions might not really help that much if the fungus has infected the rhizome and is living inside it. Who knows though maybe its just on the outside for the most part?

I'm actually really shocked to hear of this anubias disease. Especially since it appears to infect them submersed as well as emersed. I was under the impression that there were virtually 0 aquatic plant diseases when grown submersed, but I stand corrected. Hope I never get the disease.
 
#19 ·
Newt. Pxs of the coffeefolia you sent me. You can see the two new shoots that are springing up from where I stripped of the leaves and nicked the rhizome. I just nicked it in two more places. It's doing great. Should have some in about a month, I suppose.

The piece I got from you I broke into two pieces. I have another piece that is about 3" also nicked. Both have leaders. Pardon the color, but Metal Hallides are on.

Image

Image

Image
 
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#21 ·
did you ever find out what was happening to ur plant????
i am having a similar issue... :

about a week and a half i did my water change and treated with excel afterwards as usual (1.5 the suggested dose or so), later that week i saw one coffefolia leaf melting and thought to myself "dang, must have hit the anubia straight up with excel..." yesterday i noticed some loose leaves so now while water changing i checked and noticed the rizhome (the end part with new leaves) is melting off.....doesnt look brown as in yours! i doubt is excel...any clues????.........
 
#22 ·
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#23 ·
uhmm....interesting. dont know if its the same as this seemed to have started at the leaf and spread to the rizhome... and the rizhome stayed clear. regardless is good reading and i cut off the bad rizhome and will check again and cut more if needed. i hope it doesnt spread to other anubias in my tank......... Thanks!!!
 
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#26 ·
I am very fascinated by this. Do you have any of the affected rhizome left you'd be willing to send me so I could look at it under a microscope and try to bug the aquatic botanist at my work to have a look at?

Also, if you continue to have problems you might want to see if baking soda on the ends where the fungus was helps. I've used baking soda to treat black rot on plumeria cuttings with a good deal of success.
 
#44 ·
Sorry, I missed this post. I bought a 2nd coffeefolia (not sure if its the heirloom variety) and its been in the tank for about 8 months or more. I went to relocate it and discovered the fungus in small clumps on the roots.I snipped the affected roots off and replanted with a fertilizer tab. Nothing visible on the rhizome. I'd be happy to send you any if they show up again. PM me your address.

Update on my original piece: Its still alive and looking better. It is much greener and growing. I have periodically treated affected parts (when I notice them) with Excel and dab the end into K2SO4. I continue to add equal amounts (by volume) of CaSO4, MgSO4 and K2SO4 for GH to my soft water and add SeaChem Alkaline Buffer.

The Anubias nana 'petite' still shows no signs of the fungus.
 
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