# Cyperus Helferi - leaves with brown tips?



## ShrimpieLove

Hi! 
My cyperus helferi in the last 2 weeks or so has turned many of its tips of the leaves yellow and brown... And i know its supposed to be a really nice lime green color but a few stalks near the center are very light green and im not sure if thats ok or not...
Any suggestions? 
I use flourish fert. A light dose once a week and lighting is a T5HO 24watt X2 (6700-5000k)
heres a pic of it....


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## igor.kanshyn

Have you removed that lead strip before burying the plant?


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## ShrimpieLove

Igor, yes I did- it was a ceramic ring on it so I took that off


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## Mr Fishies

I've never been able to get my hands on it before - where did you get it from if you don't mind?

Could it be adjusting to its new home still? It's a pretty slow growing plant from what I understand, it may be slow to show signs of transplant shock. 

I've found with other rosette plants, ie: crypts, swords etc that when a leaf starts to die off - it's going to die off so you may as well remove it. Pruning of old leaves allows the plant to devote more energy to things other than keeping damaged leaves alive and encourages new growth. Just like most terrestrial plants.

Don't focus on saving old growth, focus on new growth. With that in mind, *most* sources claim CO2 is needed for good healthy, but all indicate that it likes a lot of NPK so maybe you're starving it with your light dosing? What Flourish are you using? If it's the one labeled "comprehensive plant supplement" than it's a micro fertilizer only. It doesn't provide NPK, just trace elements, iron, etc. It's kind of like trying to live off vitamin pills alone - no food.


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## igor.kanshyn

I don't have such problem with my plant. It looses old leaves all the time, but it's like 2-3 leaves a week.

Mr Fishies is right. Cut all brown leaves and watch new leaves growing. You have enough light for it.


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## ShrimpieLove

I got it at Menagerie -The home of awesome plants heheh  I was there today and I believe they had some left still... 
ok I will cut off any leaves at the base and see if that helps. Npk is a new term to me lol ill have to learn that one  
The flourish I believe is just the basic one "Flourish" but ill have a look at it again and see what it says exactly and post again


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## Mr Fishies

GuppyLove said:


> I got it at Menagerie -The home of awesome plants heheh  I was there today and I believe they had some left still...
> ok I will cut off any leaves at the base and see if that helps. Npk is a new term to me lol ill have to learn that one
> The flourish I believe is just the basic one "Flourish" but ill have a look at it again and see what it says exactly and post again


NPK are (N)Nitogen, (P)Phosphorus, (K)Potassium. The same 3 elements you see described on lawn/plant fertilizer containers ie: "14-6-10" etc.

Maybe you'll need root tabs under the plants, or you may not need to go that route though - lots tanks with plants just getting regular water changes and doing fine with fish food and waste keeping things going.

Not sure how big the tank is but you may have a fair bit of light with 48W of T5HO. So keep in mind that light drives photosynthesis, plant uses nutrients from gravel and water, when nutrients are all down to low levels, plants start to suffer but algae can and will still grow.


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## ShrimpieLove

Ahh ok ive seen that on my outdoor plant fertilizer...
Maybe ive been vacumming the gravel too much as well...
Its 15 gallon so i guess thats about 3 watts per gallon, and its on for 9 hours(used to b 10 but i knocked off an hour to see if that helped with the algae that started to grow and it seems to have helped with the algae.
my java fern seems to like it-lotsa new shoots with the new light
the Cyperus has gotten lighter colored in the last couple days, less lime green and some shoots are verrry light green


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## ShrimpieLove

Ok I checked My fertilizer and this is the one I am using: http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Flourish.html
it says its contains trace elements but that it works better in combination with this product: http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlourishTrace.html

so for more NPK could I add the Seachem Trace Elements as well as My normal use of Flourish? 
I now understand that npk a bit better , I think  since My tank lighting would be considered high, then I need more npk than probably just the Regular Flourish correct? 
Most of the plants seem to be doing ok though...just the Cyperus doesnt look so hot and my lugwigia has nice reddish tops but is losing some leaves from the stalks...


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## arc

http://www.aquariumslife.com/aquascaping/fertilizers-and-co2/aquarium-plants-deficiency/

This website should help, tells you the signs of deficiencies. Give it a few more weeks before doing any serious fertilizers changes though.


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