[goldfishes]

Please tell me what I am doing wrong. I have a low light tank at 1.5 gallons and dose fertilizers using the PPS-Pro method. I purchased three crypts back in September and they won't quit melting! They grow a little bit and all the sudden, they start to melt again. Is there anything else I can do to help them grow? They were so pretty when I first received them.

Thanks.

 

[Cory Keeper]

I had the same problem with my Bronze, I threw them out and swore never to get crypts again, I now have 3 different species... heh.

I dunno, your guess is as good as mine though, could never figure it out.

 

[goldfishes]

Aren't they pretty....like when they have leaves that aren't melting??

 

[ed seeley]

They don't like unstable conditions. Are you changing anything to cause the melting?

 

[goldfishes]

I have had the tank up for about a year now. I use the PPS-Pro method, change the water 20% once a week and leave the lights on for 10 hours since it is low light. I haven't changed anything I am aware of. The only thing I can think of is my betta is getting older and he lays on plants a lot of the time. Thanks for your help.

 

[goldfishes]

Just an update for anyone who may have the same issue. I replaced my filter with a higher powered one, and the melting has stopped! Whats more is the plants have doubled in size in just a little over a month. I read on this board that flow could cause melt, and in my case, that was the problem! Thanks all for your helpful posts!

 

[rs79]

Sure, now they have some CO2.

Did the leaf tips curl before they melted back when they used to do that? That's almost certainly a sign of too high nitrates.

 

[Cory Keeper]

Dunno if this applys, but my C. Spirialis and C. Lutuea (not sure what the new name is, so please don't flame me) kept melting on me again. Mind you I have super super soft water, (Like a PH of 6 or less) added crushed coral and the melting has stopped, in fact everything is doing better. I think that was the culprit of the original crypt melt too.

 

[goldfishes]

No curling. They would just start out with a pinhole in them and it would rapidly melt from that area. I tried increasing fertilizers, but that didn't help either. My parameters were and have stayed around 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 20-40 nitrates.

 

[goldfishes]

Dunno if this applys, but my C. Spirialis and C. Lutuea (not sure what the new name is, so please don't flame me) kept melting on me again. Mind you I have super super soft water, (Like a PH of 6 or less) added crushed coral and the melting has stopped, in fact everything is doing better. I think that was the culprit of the original crypt melt too.

I didn't think about the hardness of water. Good idea. I'll go test it now. Thanks.

 

[Cory Keeper]

No curling. They would just start out with a pinhole in them and it would rapidly melt from that area. I tried increasing fertilizers, but that didn't help either. My parameters were and have stayed around 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 20-40 nitrates.

That is the same exact thing that happened to my original crypts, do you dose potassium? If not that could be the reason.

 

[goldfishes]

Yes, I dose using the PPS Pro method. I am also wondering if it could be just me. :Cry: