Plant Help

[Sueshee]

I was hoping someone can help me on my plants & care for them. I have them in my aquarium for ni-trates & trites for my fishes sake.
I do not have a plant aquarium & I really know nothing about aquatic plants. What the roots are supposed to look like,What to do if my leaves start turning brown. All I basically do when I buy them is remove the rock wool & bury the roots in my gravel. the roots are white and some are black/dirt and really soft I don`t` know if that`s meaning it`s good and soily or if its dead roots. Here are the plants that I have.

[Tongue Flicker]

Black roots for aquatic plants means that they're doing their job of absorbing wastes well. Your amazon sword (the right plant) seems to be having translucent to yellowish leaves though so you might wanna amp up your lighting a bit

[Sueshee]

Thank you. So the black means I will not need to cut them off correct? Another question I have is on one of the plants the roots are short & hard. Is the plant healthy? there is not any thin little roots

[LeviRH]

Thank you. So the black means I will not need to cut them off correct? Another question I have is on one of the plants the roots are short & hard. Is the plant healthy? there is not any thin little roots

Black roots are bad. Generally from being damaged from the substrate, it's probably just too compacted. Mushy roots are never a good thing. Ever. Healthy roots are white and very fleshy.

The short and hard roots are probably due to the substrate also. Gravel is very dense, and not easy for plants to 'dig' their roots in.

Yellowing of the leaves is generally a nutrient deficiency.

[deranged chipmunk]

You really need to be a bit more specific about which plants have black roots. Some aquatics, like the Java fern family have black roots.

Yellowing in an aquatic plant could be a nutrient deficiency, a lighting deficiency or a co2 deficiency. They have slightly different requirements than terrestrials, so more info is really needed.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[LeviRH]

You really need to be a bit more specific about which plants have black roots. Some aquatics, like the Java fern family have black roots.

Yellowing in an aquatic plant could be a nutrient deficiency, a lighting deficiency or a co2 deficiency. They have slightly different requirements than terrestrials, so more info is really needed.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

My assessment is based souly off the information provided.

Swords are the only plant I noticed in the picture, and they do well without CO2 supplementation, and also do well in lower to moderate light. Plus they're heavy root feeders - a very small amount of nutrients is absorbed through the water column(in this case) - gravel is not good for holding nutrients, and requires root tabs to help combat that at a minimum.

However, your post is on point and accurate. Could be any number of things, and more information would be required to give a more percise answer. :-)

[deranged chipmunk]

Yeah, that post was directed towards the op. But I am pleased my post met your approval


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[deranged chipmunk]

Stupid tapatalk probably won't convert the wink emoji. Forgot it does that so here's the wink you may not have seen


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[LeviRH]

Stupid tapatalk probably won't convert the wink emoji. Forgot it does that so here's the wink you may not have seen


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Oh, I seen It. Lol.
No approval needed. Just trying to stay classy.

[deranged chipmunk]

Good! We need some class around here! Lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela