# plants not bouncing back like I want



## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

a few months ago I move and had to downsize greatly. Ended up with a 90 main tank and a 50 long below it for storing my plant collection. I was using old bulbs, 2 t5ho.

Recently I replaced the bulbs and discovered one fixture was not working. So right now I am running 1 t5ho and 2 t8. All new bulbs.

I dose some basic ferts here and there.

I also run co2 but not yet setup to be totally consistant.

Now for the problem, The plants in the 50 tank have done great. I moved a whole bunch of java fern from the 50 and attached it to wood in the 90 once I got the lights good again. It has been about a week or so now and the java fern is looking a little wilted and turning brown on the edges. The java fern was in excellent shape in the other tank.

So does it just need more time to adapt or should I do something?

Also another question

If a piece of Mopani wood had previously been in a tank for a long period which would allow much of the tannins to come out and it is then left out of a tank for a few months and totally dried out. Would that piece of Mopani wood start to leach tannins at high levels when put into a tank again? Another piece was taken out for a couple days and dried out quite a bit and was put back in.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Mopani leaches for a long, long time. I have some that's been 3 years in a tank and still leaches some. Enough to turn the water pale yellow. And it was thoroughly soaked for months first. 

But one thing I know is that if it was well leached before it dried out, it can't go back to leaching like a new piece. It will leach, but at a much reduced rate.

Not sure why the ferns should be showing signs like they are.. unless there is a substantial difference in the light levels between where they were and where they are now. It may not look like it to your eye but could still be enough to bother the plants. Do you have a camera with a light meter, or a light meter for an older camera ? That might give you an idea. Or maybe it's a diff in nutrient levels ? If you have been dosing inconsistently, try to be more consistent. I've noticed a vast difference in my plants, all my plants, since I've had to keep them in my bedroom. The tanks I mean .. because I see them first thing, and feed, and dose them before I go out of the room, they're getting pretty steady levels of Excel and fert, and the difference has been just amazing. I was pretty lax about it before, but I won't be in future, it really does make a huge diff to the plants.


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