[APD] 1st Planted Tank questions

["Liz Wilhite" <liz_wilhite at hotmail_com>]

Hi,

I've been lurking on the list for a while to get the flavor of things.  I 
hope my questions are not too basic.  I've been a gardener for years, used 
to be a chemist and am back in the hobby after too many years to think 
about.

The tank is 55G, 260W PC, CO2, Eco-complete.  It's cycling --right now N02 
is spiking and NO3 is rising.  I may have done something really stupid -- I 
have plants in there.  That means I am running lights and CO2 and have 
discovered algae.  Perhaps I should say that hair algae has discovered a 
comfy new home.  I expected the algae.  Most of the plants are stem plants 
purchased to stay in the tank until it was balanced then to be tossed -- 
bacopa, foxtail, ludwigia, milfoil, water sprite, etc.  There is also a 
sword (I think it looks like a weed), and a couple of wendtii crypts and a 
couple other plants.

It seems that every leaf on every plant is melting away.  At the same time 
there is strong new growth.  THe new growth tends overall to be brighter, 
redder, thinner and lacier with side shoots.  The crypts are melting but 
putting out lots of new leaves that seem healthy. I've been interpreting 
this as leaves from emerged growth dying.  Oddly, a red lotus and Apon. 
crispus haven't lost a leaf while putting out several new leaves this week 
(most plants have been in the tank a week).

Any thoughts on what is going on?  How dumb was it to put plants in this 
early?

Liz


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