The Tips Are Turning Yellow on Aquarium Plants

Aquarium owners include living plants in their fish tanks for various reasons. The plants add attractive ambiance to the environment, give the fish places to hide and breed, reduce stress levels of fish and help keep the water clean. Yellowing leaves on aquarium plants indicate a deficiency that needs attention.

  1. Nutrients

    • Aquarium plants need sufficient nutrients to thrive. Deficiencies in potassium, iron and manganese can all cause yellowing of plant leaves. Water filtering systems in some homes removes potassium from tap water, so tank owners must replenish the tank water̵7;s potassium. Potassium deficiency may lead to lack of iron. Keeping nutrient levels within proper levels reduces the chances of these problems occurring. Aquarium fertilizers contain the required amount of nutrients.

    Light

    • Aquarium plants need a certain amount of light to thrive. Different species have different needs regarding the type and amount of light. Yellowing leaves together with stunted growth of the plant overall and few leaves indicate a lack of light. Better growth nearer the light source also suggests that the plants are not receiving proper light. Add lights, use stronger lights, replace worn bulbs or increase the amount of time the lights are on corrects the problem.

    Planting

    • Sometimes leaves turn yellow and drop off immediately after planting in the tank. Whether just a few leaves or many, the problem may be due to the shock of replanting. If they grow new, healthy leaves after the yellow ones fall off, the cause was most likely the transplanting process rather than a nutrient deficiency or lighting issue. Read the planting requirements closely. Some grow on rocks, some float, and others need soil or other base.

    Prevention

    • Prevent problems before they occur by choosing only healthy-looking plants from tanks that contain healthy-looking fish. Carefully take off any damaged leaves before placing the plants in the new aquarium helps prevent disease from entering the tank. Sterilize plants by putting them in a potassium permanganate solution for 10 minutes before planting, but make sure your fish species will not be harmed by the potassium permanganate. Be certain the plants and fish you choose require similar environments in terms of nutrients and light.