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Plants seem to be lacking something?

The Don

The Don

Member
Joined
20 Jun 2014
Messages
43
Hi guys, I have a planted tank which I use root tabs, ferts and led strips I've made. Been making good progress until recently. I went away on holiday and had a timer for my lights and my dad popped over to feed the fish. When I got back I realised he'd fed them allot as their was left over food everywhere and ramshorn snails! After a good water change and clean up I reduced the food I usually feed them to tackle the influx of ramshorns. The problem I have now is the plants have holes everywhere. Allot of broken off pieces floating in the mornings. Its starting to look bare. I don't know who's or what's to blame, I read ramshorns only eat dying rotting plants? I have even witnessed my shrimps eating the exposed leaves too. Any ideas what is lacking?
 
What Martin said, I just had a similar issue and am trying to resolve... if the plants are also somewhat transparent it will most likely be potassium deficiency
 
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Ok I have api leaf zone which contains potassium so I have upped that as I hadn't been using it as much. I haven't got any co2
 
How long do you keep your lights on for?

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this is my non co2 tank, granted it is also no ferts so you may get away with a bit more light but if you add lots of light then you need lots of ferts and some sort of carbon

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If there are holes in the leaves then it sounds like a potassium defiency. What plants are you using? How much light do you have? Are you using ferts or CO2?
 
I have my timer set for 6 hours of the RPG LEDs 6pm-11pm (red and blue) and I put the white LEDs for my own viewing pleasure when I get in from work/gym so probably only 4 hours. Do you suggest I give the tank more light?
 
No, less light. Led lighting is strong in most cases and with more light you need to match carbon. I would also say you are lacking potassium and should maybe look at an npk fertiliser to supliment. Perhaps look at the tropics range

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It doesn't look like potassium deficiency to me. Potassium deficiency looks like tiny pin holes, sometimes with yellow edge, not tears or irregular size holes. The holes may enlarge in time if potassium is not dosed. The leaf otherwise stays intact or in some cases melts completely but not before holes appear.
The plants do look like someone munched on them, at least on the first and second picture. I've got ramshorns but they don't eat the plants so I can't tell. The third picture looks like nitrogen deficiency. And believe it or not, the dwarf sag looks like it suffered from too low light.
If you have no algae, I wouldn't change the light amount. Too low light in a low tech and then people wonder why half the plants don't make it in low techs.
 
I'm pretty new to the low tech scene but have seen that science fiction can do so I would take his advice over mine :p

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