How Often Do Plants Melt When You First Add Them to Your Tank?

You’ve just planted your new aquatic flora, and a week later, the leaves are turning translucent, turning into mush, and falling off. Don’t panic! This process is known as “melting,” and it is completely normal.

The Emersed to Submerged Transition The vast majority of aquarium plants sold commercially are grown “emersed” (out of water) at large nurseries. Emersed leaves are thicker and designed to absorb carbon dioxide from the air. When you submerge these plants in your tank, they can no longer use those air-adapted leaves. The plant intentionally sheds them (melts) to conserve energy, rapidly growing new, thinner “submerged” leaves that are adapted to pull nutrients directly from the water column.

Cryptocoryne species are particularly famous for this, so much so that the hobby has coined the term “Crypt melt.”

What Should You Do? Wait it out. Siphon out the rotting, mushy leaves to prevent ammonia spikes, but do not uproot the plant. As long as the root system and the crown of the plant are healthy, you will see new, aquatic-adapted green shoots appearing within a week or two.