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why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 3:06 pm
by samster
My plants are looking super pale lately, especially the Anubias and Java Fern. Tank's a 20 gallon, got a Fluval light on for 8 hours, water changes every week. What's the deal?
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 4:06 pm
by gildon
Pale plants usually mean a lack of nutrients or light issues. What's your fertilizer routine? Also, check if the light's too weak or too far from the plants. I've had this happen with my Crypts when I slacked on ferts.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 4:45 pm
by dunlow8
Yep, gotta agree with gildon. If you're not dosing ferts, that's likely it. I use Seachem Flourish and my plants bounced back in a week. Also, how old's your light? LEDs lose intensity over time.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 5:31 pm
by jazster
gildon wrote: ↑Thu Jul 31, 2025 4:06 pm
Pale plants usually mean a lack of nutrients or light issues. What's your fertilizer routine? Also, check if the light's too weak or too far from the plants. I've had this happen with my Crypts when I slacked on ferts.
I've been skipping ferts too, gonna start again. But my light's brand new, so that's not it.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 6:16 pm
by folkly
Could be iron deficiency. Pale leaves often point to that. Try adding an iron supplement and see if they green up in a few days.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 7:18 pm
by manny_dude
What's your substrate? If it's just gravel, plants might not be getting enough nutrients from the roots. I switched to aqua soil and it made a huge diff.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 9:05 pm
by slyden
My plants looked like crap till I added CO2. Not saying you gotta go full high-tech, but even a liquid carbon booster might help.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2025 11:05 pm
by samster
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll try dosing ferts and maybe grab some iron. Appreciate it!
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2025 12:00 am
by gildon
samster wrote: ↑Thu Jul 31, 2025 11:05 pm
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll try dosing ferts and maybe grab some iron. Appreciate it!
No prob. Keep us posted on how it goes. Sometimes it takes a week or two to see changes.
Re: why do my plants look pale?
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2025 1:12 am
by dunlow8
Also, check your nitrates. If they're too low, plants can't uptake other nutrients properly. Aim for 10-20 ppm.