why do my plants look pale?

[samster]

My plants are looking super pale lately, especially the Anubias and Java Fern. Tank's a 20 gallon, got a Fluval light on for 8 hours, water changes every week. What's the deal?

[gildon]

Pale plants usually mean a lack of nutrients or light issues. What's your fertilizer routine? Also, check if the light's too weak or too far from the plants. I've had this happen with my Crypts when I slacked on ferts.

[dunlow8]

Yep, gotta agree with gildon. If you're not dosing ferts, that's likely it. I use Seachem Flourish and my plants bounced back in a week. Also, how old's your light? LEDs lose intensity over time.

[jazster]

Pale plants usually mean a lack of nutrients or light issues. What's your fertilizer routine? Also, check if the light's too weak or too far from the plants. I've had this happen with my Crypts when I slacked on ferts.

I've been skipping ferts too, gonna start again. But my light's brand new, so that's not it.

[folkly]

Could be iron deficiency. Pale leaves often point to that. Try adding an iron supplement and see if they green up in a few days.

[manny_dude]

What's your substrate? If it's just gravel, plants might not be getting enough nutrients from the roots. I switched to aqua soil and it made a huge diff.

[slyden]

My plants looked like crap till I added CO2. Not saying you gotta go full high-tech, but even a liquid carbon booster might help.

[samster]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll try dosing ferts and maybe grab some iron. Appreciate it!

[gildon]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll try dosing ferts and maybe grab some iron. Appreciate it!

No prob. Keep us posted on how it goes. Sometimes it takes a week or two to see changes.

[dunlow8]

Also, check your nitrates. If they're too low, plants can't uptake other nutrients properly. Aim for 10-20 ppm.