Help! Anubias in Bad Shape

[DirtyPaws949]

Hi folks, I recently bought a used 65gal set up, and it came with 3 incredible driftwood pieces COVERED in anubias.
the guy had moved out 7 months ago and left the tank with a family member, and it was not maintained (filter was pure sludge, about 1-2” of sludge covering the bottom, all the leaves of the plants... you get the idea.

some of the damage is from not being maintained (I think, but idk much about plants), and a bit was probably from the move and drying out. I transported them in trash bags to try to help retain moisture.
Are the ugly bits salvageable? Should I remove the bad leaves? What can I do to help them.

 

[fishguy1978]

Wow, those are HUGE!!! They look like A. Coffeefolia. Yes, prune each one back by removing damaged, yellowing or otherwise unhealthy looking leaves. Check the rhizomes for rot too. Given proper care these should recover. Proper being 10-12hrs of light and water.

 

[DirtyPaws949]

Wow, those are HUGE!!! They look like A. Coffeefolia. Yes, prune each one back by removing damaged, yellowing or otherwise unhealthy looking leaves. Check the rhizomes for rot too. Given proper care these should recover. Proper being 10-12hrs of light and water.

that’s a lot of leaves ?
Light shouldn’t be an issue, most of my aquariums are outside, including this one. Then I have the LED lights on a bit at night while ogling at the tank.
I put some of my geriatric Nerite snails in there (2.5-3 years old) from my 75gal, will put more in as I find them on the glass. Once they get the diatoms under control I can get a better idea of which bits need to go.

it looks like he had at least 3 types on them, the main one, a narrower pointy one (hastifolia?) and a small-leafed (nana petite?) one in the back (hard to see in photos, I’ll take another pic)

 

[Red Cichlids]

Nice find! I don't know if you are on the same water as the previous owner, but the leaves have lighter green in between the veins, usually meaning a lack of iron. This is typically caused by hard water, which makes the iron unavailable for the plant to use. I have very hard water and only fertilize with iron, which will give the new leaves a solid dark green color as they come in. Fish guy's advice to just trim back the discolored leaves and stems will go a long way. Large plecostomus will sometimes eat through the leaves over time, so it is better to have smaller plecostomus, such as bristlenose, in addition to a few Siamese algae eater sharks (look like flying foxes, but less colorful) to browse the hair algae off the edges of the leaves.

Nice blue angels too!

 

[kno4te]

Water changes and dose some fertilizer. Should recover. Great looking anubias.

 

[DirtyPaws949]

Nice find! I don't know if you are on the same water as the previous owner, but the leaves have lighter green in between the veins, usually meaning a lack of iron. This is typically caused by hard water, which makes the iron unavailable for the plant to use. I have very hard water and only fertilize with iron, which will give the new leaves a solid dark green color as they come in. Fish guy's advice to just trim back the discolored leaves and stems will go a long way. Large plecostomus will sometimes eat through the leaves over time, so it is better to have smaller plecostomus, such as bristlenose, in addition to a few Siamese algae eater sharks (look like flying foxes, but less colorful) to browse the hair algae off the edges of the leaves.

Nice blue angels too!

honestly, it was a steal. The ad said tank/stand/filter/heater/lights... got there and he included the livestock, driftwood/plants, substrate (probably 50-60 lbs eco complete), chemicals, nets, siphon... everything he had for it. I was stoked. What I paid for everything is probably less than someone would pay for just the driftwood/anubias.
to my understanding, the water is hard. I don’t tend to test for it any more since it’s not included in master test kit. I have some strips but in my experience they’re unreliable and go bad easily. I pulled the tap water report for my city from the web. He included a mostly full bottle of iron supplement and 2 full bottles of all-in-one fert, so I can add some of that now

I’m trying to stay away from plecos, but two smaller ones came with another tank I got (was given the wrong dimensions and didn’t think to check until it didn’t fit in my car). Once both tanks go thru quarantine/treatment I’ll combine the fish from the 60gal with the 65gal and/or split them up between the 180/150/75 gal (depending on the fish). I have 5 SAE in the 180gal, one is 6” (was living in a 15gal and someone rehomed him to me), and the others are smaller 2-3”. The 180gal is galvanized steel and algae isn’t an issue, so they would probably thrive better in the glass 65gal with sunlight coming in thru 4 sides.

All the rhizomes look green and healthy. Should I trim the leaves as close to the rhizome as possible or closer to the leaf? Will the rhizome generate new growth to fill in where the leaves were taken off?

 

[fishguy1978]

Yes, trim as close to the rhizome as possible. Yes, it will fill in eventually.

 

[DirtyPaws949]

I added the fertilizer and iron on Wednesday and now they seem to be melting! ??
I did the recommended 1 pump per 10gals.
yesterday I did a 40% WC to get rid of it.

 

[fishguy1978]

Heavy pruning time, sorry

 

[Red Cichlids]

The darker, wilted parts of the leaves are what I have seen when I have allowed anubias to dry out too much. I think that might still be damage from the move.