# Rhizome rot and other plant questions



## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

Hello!
I was about to go shopping for some new plants for my fish tank, and was researching what I should go get. I came across rhizome rot info and think this might be what my anubias has. It doesn't look awful it, but it isn't fully green which I think it should be from other pictures I have seen of the plant. I thought and was hoping it was just transitioning to its life under water. It is shooting out lots of roots if that means anything.
I have had this plant for about 6-8 weeks I would say. Bought from a tube at the big box pet store.
If it is rhizome rot, I need to take it out immediately correct?
I cannot smell anything but I am not not known for my excellent sense of smell.
Is there any saving it or do i just bag it up and throw it away? 
I know it is contagious and can affect other plants (amazon swords I think I read can be affected by it?) I have water wisteria and a marimo moss ball currently so those should be safe, correct?
How long do I need to wait before adding any new plants if I go out and by another rhizome type plant? Or does the disease just live directly on the plant and won't really affect the water column? 
Also anyone have plant suggestions, I have two 7 watt (40 watt equiv.) 6500k CFls 13.5 inches above the substrate, which is just plain gravel. Does this put me in the high end of the medium light range? I am having trouble locating the formula for finding what light range my tank is at. I also plan on getting some plant fertilizer while I am out shopping today. 
Thank you.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Huge post alert, sorry.

I kept a large collection of anubias this past spring but lost it in May/June due to new plants coming in with rhizome rot and spreading it to everything in the tank (was mostly anubias tank with a few stems and floaters). I lost well over $300 in anubias. I recently tried to re-start the collection and am going through the hell of the rot taking my plants again! A $100 order is infected (at least a few have been and already rotted away to nothing), its extremely frustrating!

That definitely looks like rhizome rot from first glance. DO you know which species that is? Is it Hastifolia? Looks like one but not 100% sure, there are a lot of var. Hasitfolia and a few other species actually have a red-ish rhizome instead of solid green (including true coffeefolia). These red hued rhizomed plants has a natrual resistance to the disease from the chemicals that makes their pigment (but its resistance not immunity, I think my hastifolia may have the disease).

Can you tell me if it has any of these symptoms:
leaves turning yellow then brown then deteriorating (one after another), stem at the base (by rhizome) changing color (turning more brown), are there any soft spots at the base of the stems or on the rhizome that when rubbed over with your finger or lightly scratched with a finger nail shift/come off, do you notice the rhizome eating away/inwards around a root, do you notice stems coming off easily when touches (by base of rhizome) and seem soft and almost a little slimy?
My sense of smell is [censor] from allergies so I've never confirmed he garbage scent it can give off as the disease progresses. 
For as long as you have had it -think carefully- do you recall the rhizome noticeably deteriorating from first day to now? You've had it long enough now that if it did come with the disease it should have shown from the signs mentioned and noticeable eating away at the rhizome. If you are paranoid take clear photos now from all angels and again in 4 weeks. Compare them and see if there's noticeable deterioration/discoloration. Wait until the 4 weeks and photo check before getting new plants (only if you're paranoid). If you are confident its not noticeably physically rotted in the 6-8 weeks you've had it you can try new plants now.

If you've not read [this page] give it a look over, it covered a bit on the disease as well.

I can't recall if it effects sword but know it can spread to crypts and possibly buce (a close relative of anubias) but don't know 100%. The disease is very contagious and spreads through the water column. I've not confirmed yet (need a few more weeks to be certain) but it _might _even spread by taking media from a filter in a tank with infected specimen(s) and putting it in a tank with healthy anubias (stupidly did this to cycle a new filter before thinking it might carry some of the disease on the media). Sadly I put a disease plant (before I knew it was) in my 55g and its infected my cyrpts which are now melting (they've never melted since I got them and there has been no environmental change to trigger a melt). Rhizome rot in crypts shows as melted leaves then the base and roots die. Regular (non diseased) crypt melt just lose leaves but they grow back within a few weeks at most.

Marimo is safe from this disease as marimo is actually a specialized form of slow growing hair algae, not a moss. It cannot be effected by this disease. On that note: never use any algae killing chemicals on it or in the tank while it is in there (bleach or peroxide dips, Seachem Excel, or any other form of algae-cide). I've not kept wisteria so I cannot say if it effects it.. I _think _not, but don't take my word for it.

As for your light range, I don't have an exact answer for you, but read [this post] and look at the images showing various light levels from different wattages and distances to get a rough idea what you have. You can also post in the forum that is a part of (Lighting sub-forum) and ask, many people there help with lighting and other aspects of planted tank keeping.

If you get other rhizome based plants I'd suggest quarantining them for at least 4 weeks as well (a bowl with tank water next to the tank, a separate tank, or bowl by a window with decent indirect sunlight work. Sadly the rhizome rot seems to have spread o more and more vendors these days, so its better safe than sorry.

If you want to buy safe anubias I can vouch for plantedaquariumscentral.com, theirs were the first I had and lasted many months healthily till i introduced sick plants from another vendor. I plan to buy from them again in the future (they kept being out of stock when I was trying to restart the collection >.< lesson learned: just wait and get the safe stuff!)

As for plants to get there are several species of fern:java, trident, African water, willow, narrow leaf, needle leaf, threadfin, Philippine its a durable plant, rhizome based like anubias but I've not encountered the disease in it (I think its chemical make up and pigment is so different the disease doesn't effect it). Its undemanding slow growing, same needs as anubias. There's also buce, a close relative of anubias but I only have 1 (was accidentally included in an order) I don't know much about these plants but they are also rhizome based slow growers, not sure if they can get the disease or if the chemical that makes their pigmentation resists it.
There are several species of hygrophilia and rotala that do well in high end of low light through medium light (some rotla may need stronger lights than yours).. ludwigia is another plant to look at.. Crypts are an options but with the disease consider quarantining them for several weeks (try to keep conditions the same as the final tank destination, changes in temp, pH and water chemistry can cause them to melt (the non diseased type)). Hmm pennywort, pygmy chain sword, hygro sp. japan, bacopa are a few others to look at.


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## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

Thank you AquaAurora, so informative! I am so sorry about the loss of your plants, that's frustrating and sad. That's a lot of time, money and energy, so sorry to hear!
I do not know what species it is, all the tube said was "assorted anubias", I went on a plant identifier website but couldn't decide which one it is. 
It only has lost one tiny since I got it, within the first 48 hours, it turned yellow and fell off, it never browned. The stem is still intact, it can be seen in the 1st and 3rd picture. Towards the foreground the white thick stem looking thing that is turning towards the leaf. 
I just took it out, no soft spots even the brown colored spots feel firm and not slimy when I scratched nothing came off. I gently felt around the roots by the rhizome and nothing came off either. So hopefully it is a Hastifolia, it has always had brown on it, I don't feel like the brown is spreading but I am going to take pictures and examine them again in a month. I am a little paranoid, I want my tank to be as healthy as possible =) 
I haven't noticed any deterioration at the rhizome but I honestly hadn't been paying as close attention because I was so focused on my fish. I will be keeping an eye on it closely now. 
I also gave it a good sniff and it didn't smell rotten, so perhaps there is hope for the plant.
Thanks for the lighting link, this is the information I was looking for!
I quarantine everything that gets put in my tank and I will usually for 2 weeks so I will make sure to wait a month if it is a rhizome plant.
I will check out plantedaquariumscentral.com after I am done typing this since I want new plants and wasn't impressed with the LFS selection today so I didn't get anything. I will go with a couple that you recommended I know I am going to get java fern and pennywort, and will look into the rest of your recommendations.
Should I be fertilizing my tank at all? Any recommendations? Thanks again for all your great advice.


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