# Dying plants



## BLACKWATER (Apr 16, 2003)

What are the side effects of having dying plants in your aquarium? Will ph or ammonia go up?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

it's just like having uneaten food in your tank, so it will do the same thing to your water parameters


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

My understanding is that dying plants do create ammonia so unless you have sufficient bio-filtration...you could get a mini cycle. Because of the increased bio-load in the tank…your nitrates will accumulate faster. I also believe dying plants will lower the ph. Not exactly sure why....but that is what happens.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Plants tanke up these toxins to grow so if they die, all the nitrites that they took it will be released causing a spike/


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

Anything rotting or decaying in your tank such as plants or left over food will cause an ammonia spike.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

sean-820 said:


> Plants tanke up these toxins to grow so if they die, all the nitrites that they took it will be released causing a spike/


Really? That doesnt make sense to me. I know they consume nitrates (I think you meant nitrates)....but I dont think they store them....they consume them. When a plant decays it will produce ammonia which will eventually be converted to nitrates...but I dont think you would get a sudden release of nitrates.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Grosse Gurke said:


> Plants tanke up these toxins to grow so if they die, all the nitrites that they took it will be released causing a spike/


Really? That doesnt make sense to me. I know they consume nitrates (I think you meant nitrates)....but I dont think they store them....they consume them. When a plant decays it will produce ammonia which will eventually be converted to nitrates...but I dont think you would get a sudden release of nitrates.
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yeah, they just rot and the rotting process produces ammonia... there shouldn't be any instant release of anything


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

I'm no moderator, but isn't this a "Plants Forum" topic?


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Grosse Gurke said:


> Plants tanke up these toxins to grow so if they die, all the nitrites that they took it will be released causing a spike/


Really? That doesnt make sense to me. I know they consume nitrates (I think you meant nitrates)....but I dont think they store them....they consume them. When a plant decays it will produce ammonia which will eventually be converted to nitrates...but I dont think you would get a sudden release of nitrates.
[/quote]
Your right i meant nitrates. They consume them, but there using them to grow. This is a closed system in an aquarium so whatever they have taken up that they haven't expelled as waste is still in them and therefore in the system.

Its like cheato in sw tanks. The only way to make cheato worth having it if you remove it from the system as it grows to remove the toxins from the aquarium.If you don't, all the crap it consumed is still in the plant when it dies. Letting it grow can remove toxins, but thats just storing more so thats why you still want to be removing it completely. I think im at least right about this to a degree, but im not entirely 100%


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Piranha_man said:


> I'm no moderator, but isn't this a "Plants Forum" topic?


This isn't about growing plants, it's about dying plants and their effect on water chemistry.


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## Soul Assassin (Nov 21, 2006)

sean-820 said:


> Plants tanke up these toxins to grow so if they die, all the nitrites that they took it will be released causing a spike/


Really? That doesnt make sense to me. I know they consume nitrates (I think you meant nitrates)....but I dont think they store them....they consume them. When a plant decays it will produce ammonia which will eventually be converted to nitrates...but I dont think you would get a sudden release of nitrates.
[/quote]
Your right i meant nitrates. They consume them, but there using them to grow. This is a closed system in an aquarium so whatever they have taken up that they haven't expelled as waste is still in them and therefore in the system.

Its like cheato in sw tanks. The only way to make cheato worth having it if you remove it from the system as it grows to remove the toxins from the aquarium.If you don't, all the crap it consumed is still in the plant when it dies. Letting it grow can remove toxins, but thats just storing more so thats why you still want to be removing it completely. I think im at least right about this to a degree, but im not entirely 100%
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in the process of dying plants release nitrates and micro+macro nutrients (maybe even iron, phosphate ets.) into the water, increasing those levels. You dont want dying plants in your tank.


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## Jhowell (Jul 5, 2009)

Ok, now we are onto the topic of dying plants I too have had some rotting plants and my 2 Pygo's are acting very strange I have also just switched from HOB to an EHEIM canister filter which is pretty amazing switch may I add but after adding the new filter and re-arranging the tank quite a bit they are acting funny I had a few plants that started to rot solely because I wasn't turning the light on enough for them to go through the photosynthesis process (I believe) but I did a 3/4 water change treated the water and took my parameters and now they are hanging towards the top of the tank and barely swimming and I feed them small sized goldfish about every other day which they eat in one gulp and now I but 5 in there today and they acted as if they were friends and didn't eat them. Here are my parameters and I believe those rotting plants are soming back to life since I put the light back on more frequently is that possible? Please help me out!

Nitrate: 0ppm
pH: 6.5
Ammonia: .5
Nitrite: 0ppm
Temp: 74.9

Thanks in advance! Haven't been on the forums for awhile!


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## the keeper (Jan 16, 2010)

imo your temp is to low, raise it, i keep mine at 80, i see some people on here turn theirs to 85


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## Jhowell (Jul 5, 2009)

Ok I will try that, also the heater I have in there now my pygo's seem to have eatin away at the base of it, like the plastic parts i don't know why or how and have never seen plastic pieces but I will definitely take that into consideration..


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