# Pothos rot



## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

I have tried the search button to no avail: 

Is it possible to rot my pothos from too much misting or something? This is what it looks like:



A few different leaves look like this; they eventually melt and turn to sludge.


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## rbrightstone (Apr 14, 2004)

That looks more like a burn than rot. What kind of light are you using? Does one of the frogs always sit on these leaves? I have seen frog dropings do this if they are contantly using the same spot, and intense light burn will look just like that also. When a leaf rots, it usually looks much more slimey than that one does in the photo. As long as you are using distilled or aged water, it is almost impossible to mist a pothos too much. I have seen them grow completly submuged for weeks at a time.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

My frogs don't seem to have a certain spot they sit and poop, not this leaf certainly. My lighting _was_ a simple, single tube (low wattage) aquarium light. (This is the light that I had been using while the leaf damage was going on.) Now I have a twisty bulb in a clamp lamp hanging above the tank.

I use RO/DI water for all of my misting.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

Here are some more photos:


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## rbrightstone (Apr 14, 2004)

Have you seen slugs and or snails in your tank? To check for them, check your tank with a flashlight about an hour after you turn off the light. You can also take a peice of leaf lettuce (be sure to rinse it off well), place on the bottom of the tank, and remove it an hour or so before the lights come on. If there are any, there should be a few eating the lettuce. [/quote]


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

I’m going to say that this condition is a function of too little light and not burn. I used to have a beautiful Pothos growing in my office. The plant was on my desk and there was a huge north-facing window behind my desk. The plant grew beautifully there for years. Then the company moved and I ended up with an internal office (no window). The very same plant developed brown spots on the leaves soon after we moved. My peace lilies thrived under the office fluorescents, but the Pothos looked horrible. I gave it to an associate, who sat near a window, and the plant went back to growing normally. The new leaves did not spot like they did in my office. I’ve grown this plant in sealed, half filled aquariums under double 20 watt bulbs, which were on 24 hours a day. Under those very humid conditions no black/brown spots developed. Based on these experiences, I’m going to hypothesize that this plant develops these spots when grown under very low light conditions.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

I think I'll add another of the twisty lights over the tank for 2 total, that should be plenty for it.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

You may want to up the wattage as well.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

I got the highest kind I can find, the ones that simulate 100w bulbs. Right now I have one that I replaced the dinky aquarium light with, so I'll get another and have 2 of them. I think they are 27w CF bulbs.

EDIT: I just looked, 26w .


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

There is one that is in the 43 Watt range. It is supposed to replace a 150 Watt bulb. It sticks out of the reflector a bit but it is bright. I use two over my 37 gallon.


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## wax32 (May 9, 2006)

I will look for that one!


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