bucephalandra Care with fish

[Freshstar]

I've got some Bucephalandra in my 20 gallon tank with a few tetras and a betta. The leaves are turning brown at the edges. Anyone know what's up with that? I'm using LED lights for 8 hours a day and dosing liquid ferts once a week.

[Skyline]

Bucephalandra can be finicky with light. You might be blasting it too hard with those LEDs. Try reducing the intensity or duration. Also, check your water params, especially nitrates. High nitrates can mess with the leaves.

[Flynnoa]

Bucephalandra can be finicky with light. You might be blasting it too hard with those LEDs. Try reducing the intensity or duration. Also, check your water params, especially nitrates. High nitrates can mess with the leaves.

Yep, I've seen this too. My Buce did better when I moved it to a shaded spot under some driftwood. What's your substrate like? They prefer something stable, not too sandy.

[Velorum]

Bucephalandra is sensitive to sudden changes. If you've recently added it or changed the lighting, that could be the culprit. I'd also recommend checking your CO2 levels if you're injecting. Low CO2 can cause browning, especially in high-light setups.

[creekfish]

Mine did the same thing. I just cut off the brown leaves and it grew back fine. Maybe it's just adjusting?

[Freshstar]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll try reducing the light and checking my nitrates. My substrate is aqua soil, so that should be fine. I'll keep an eye on it.

[Skyline]

Good call on the aqua soil. That's usually solid for Buce. Let us know how it goes after a few weeks. Sometimes these plants just need time to acclimate.

[Flynnoa]

Yeah, patience is key with Buce. I've had some melt completely and then bounce back stronger. Just don't panic and start changing everything at once. That's when things get sketchy.

[Velorum]

Yeah, patience is key with Buce. I've had some melt completely and then bounce back stronger. Just don't panic and start changing everything at once. That's when things get sketchy.

Exactly. Stability is huge for these plants. If you're dosing ferts, stick to a consistent schedule. Random changes can stress them out.

[creekfish]

I don't even dose ferts and mine are okay. Maybe it's the fish poop doing the work, haha.