# Is anubias rot congatious?



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

As the title says. Is the rhizome rot of the anubias contagious? I have spent at least $100 on my anubias. Recently I bought giant anubia, its rhizome started to rot and leaves falling apart. Then I've noticed other anubias getting affected too. I got rid of all the plants affected but I am still kind of worried. I would really hate to loose the reminder of my plants.


----------



## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

yes, it's VERY contagious. Aqua Aurora dealt with a massive die-off at one point, she may have some better advice for you.


----------



## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Rhizome rot is a contagious anubias disease that can and will spread to other anubias sharing the same water. Typically those closest to the infected plant (especially ones touching it) get infected before those farther away. If you have a sick or suspected sick plant remove it immediately! You can quarantine it in a separate tank/container with water if you want. 
Inspect your anubias daily for discoloration on the rhizome or base of the stems, loss of roots, and rapid deterioration of leaves (looks like extreme nitrate deficiency bur happens much faster-leaf turns yellow then brown then breaks down), infected plants will also smell foul like rotting garbage. If caught very early you can try cutting off the infected rhizome (have to cut past it into the healthy rhizome) with sharp scissors/blade/razor. If you have to make multiple cuts to get all the rotted parts off dip the cutting utensil in a bleach or peroxide dip between cuts (some people recommend also dipping the final cut end into the dip once complete). Infection on the rhizome is noted by discoloration (typically a darker tan/brown/possibly slightly orange hue than the rest of the rhizome) the discolored area will be soft and easy to damage with a finger nail compared to the healthier part of of the rhizome. The rot can also occur as these discolored spots on the base of the stems. When cutting an infected rhizome you need to get past the discoloration in the rhizome so its all a uniform healthy hue (typically a light tan but some species have a red hue naturally in their rhizome). 
Rhizome rot can take as long as a month (4 weeks) to show signs so any suspected plants should be pulled and kept separate for that period of time. If they stay healthy and shown no signs of the disease after 4 weeks, and all anubias left in the tank is also healthy than it is safe to put the plant(s) back. Worst caste: get a lot of bowl and separate every single anubias, put in dechlorinated tank water and stick them on a windowsill for a month or put a plant light over them. They can survive without ferts just need a bit of light and do best under water (if kept above water they need very high humidity enviorment-85-90% or more humidity levels).


----------



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

Thanks! I threw away the affected plants. I did not want to risk it. The other ones I did inspect carefully and they did not show any signs of disease. Keeping my fingers crossed for the reminder to be healthy.


----------

