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I'm having a major issue with my plants in my 10 gallon semi-planted tank - all the leaves are suddenly turning brown. I'm stumped - is it an algae problem or do they need more light/fertilizer? I did have an issue with black spots a month ago, which I fixed by switching back to tap water, but now this.

Most of my plants are above the substrate - anubias, 2 java fern, and a potted amazon sword. I've also got 5 hygro stems planted in gravel with root tabs for fertilizer. I was told these plants are easy to care for and don't need much light/fertilizer, which is why I'm confused. They were all growing nicely until this brown leaf thing started.

I'm happy to add more light or get some liquid fertilizer, but I really want to know if it's just an algae issue before I do. I've attached a couple pics - any help would be great, thanks!

I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

I think it's possible, whetu might be right about the fertilizer, 1 Seachem flourish root tab could be too much, especially since it's in the middle of the stem plants in the gravel.

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

Higher light won't be the answer. I'd start with getting your lights on a timer, 10 hours a day to begin with.

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

Yeah, I've got it set from 10 to 8, so I'll add an extra light strip, see how that goes.

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

What kind of lighting setup are you using on your 10 gallon tank?

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

I've just been using the standard lights that came with my aquarium kit hood - 6 white and 6 blue LEDs. They've always been fine, but I did add that Zorczon sword and some java fern recently, so maybe that's changed things.

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

Blue light's not doing your plants any favors. They need warmth, like red and yellow. White's okay too.

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

Anubias are pretty notorious for getting overgrown with algae, so regular cleaning is a must, especially if you're lacking algae-eating tankmates.
Itiwhetu's right, these plants generally don't need ferts - you're basically just fueling algae growth (assuming you've got fish in the tank alongside them).

whetu wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:08 am I'd say too much fertilizer is the likely culprit here. You mentioned using root tabs for the hygro stems, and I think that might be overdoing it, especially since the other plants seem fine without any extra fertilizer.

Blue light's actually a bit of a blessing for algae growth.

I've taken another look at those pics, and I'm starting to think that brownish tint might be algae-like, possibly even diatoms. Nothing too alarming, but it's worth double-checking your feeding schedule to make sure you're not overdoing it and inadvertently supplying excess nutrients.