What's wrong with my hydrocotyle leucocephala?

[barnicle]

I'm still getting the hang of this planted tank thing, and I've only had the easy-to-care-for stuff so far... but then I saw this plant and thought it looked awesome. I've done my research and everyone says it's a breeze to keep, but that's not my experience so far. I've only had it in the tank for about a week and the leaves are already falling apart. I've got Flora Base Pro under the sand, just waiting for my TNC Lite and Flourish root tabs to arrive. The tank's current light is pretty weak, it came with the tank and I'm not a fan - I'm hoping to upgrade to the Fluval Plant 3.0 soon. Something's not right here, any advice would be great.

[willie32]

A lot of aquarium plants are initially grown out of water, then when we add them to our tanks, they transition to living underwater. This change can cause the plant to drop its original leaves, as they're not adapted for underwater life. I think that's what's happening here, given the new growth on the tips looks healthier. Your liquid ferts should give it a boost once they're in, just be patient and give it time to settle in and adjust.

[finner]

I think light's probably not the issue here, that plant's pretty adaptable and can survive with minimal light for a while. It's also used in ponds and can thrive in emergent conditions, so it's not too fussy.

Considering where you got it from, it's possible it was CO2-grown, which means it'll go through a transition period adjusting to your setup. That's aside from the usual emersed to submersed transition, of course.

Honestly, I don't think plants like this need specialized lighting - they're pretty hardy. Too much light can actually cause more harm than good, leading to an imbalance in the tank.

[Giggletons]

I agree with the points made above. Had a similar experience with my mini hydrocoytle, it initially melted but eventually grew back.

[barnicle]

That's reassuring to hear, thanks for the info. I'd already got the plant submerged when I bought it, so fingers crossed it'll settle in okay. I had the tripartita variety before, but that didn't work out - I moved it from another tank and at first, it started growing new leaves, but then it just seemed to get eaten or something, now it's just a bunch of stalks. I've left it in to see if it'll do anything else.

[finner]

This one right?

Fluxx is a must-have for me, I just can't imagine my tank without it. I quickly learned how my corys interact with it, it's hilarious.

I've spent hours observing my Corys snuggled up on it, they're about 3 years old now - this pic is from when I first got them. I still keep this plant around because they love to sleep and play with it.

Pruning plants properly really does promote healthy growth, that's my experience.