Signs of deficiency , E.I, floating plants.

[BexM]

my crypts and valisneria are melting, is this because of the change in light levels and lowered co2?

will they recover?

 

[sciencefiction]

Yes, it's possible because of the change of co2 levels. Also, my valis always melts when it gets overshadowed by my emersed plants. There's is a level below which it doesn't grow. It browns from the tips down and then melts half way down. The bottom part may then stay alive for a while until it gets the "sun" back.

All of these problems came about when I started adding ferts afters I removed the dirt.

To me it looks the older leaves are yellowing, the new leaves grow well which points to what was already mentioned, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous or magnesium and rules out iron. If it's nitrogen, the yellowing will start from the tips, not uniform. Phosphorous is unlikely as fish produce it and this is a low tech. Plus the damage starts from the edges.
Potassium causes necrotic holes so I think Darrel has it spot on here and this is a typical magnesium issue, as visible on your floaters and anubias. Rules out co2 because of the floaters and lack co2 won't cause that sort of thing, especially not on anubias, lol. Dose more magnesium/Epsom salts(you can get cheaply from any pharmacy. As he says it maybe caused by the ca:mg balance.

 

[BexM]

Thanks for the reply sciencefiction. I'm hoping that any imbalances will be non existent now the tank is low tech and the growth is slow. I suppose i just need to be patient, stay consistent and give the plants time to recover.

I really like the crypt undulata, hopefully they will grow new leaves.

 

[BexM]

Thanks for the reply sciencefiction. I'm hoping that any imbalances will be non existent now the tank is low tech and the growth is slow. I suppose i just need to be patient, stay consistent and give the plants time to recover.

I really like the crypt undulata, hopefully they will grow new leaves.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I really like the crypt undulata, hopefully they will grow new leaves.

Should do, most of the wendtii group Cryptocoryne spp. are pretty forgiving, and the rhizome will still be intact. I would expect new leaves to grow as it adapts to the change in conditions.

You may need to play around a bit with light levels as bit. I just let the plant mass increase until it maintains itself at the level set by the PAR. One problem with this is the plants at the bottom of the tank may begin to suffer from lack of light, particularly I've found if you have a lot of Anubias, Microsorum and Bolbitis in the layer above them.

In the tank with a very large Anubias <"http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/wanted-pictures-of-tanks-kh-related.36141/">, I've lost most of the Cryptocoryne from the bottom, now the Anubias fills 7/8 of the tank.

cheers Darrel

 

[BexM]

Thanks Darrel

That makes sense, i could always add the reflectors back if lower level plants look like they are struggling. Part of the reason i upped my lighting to t5 was because i was having trouble growing carpet plants like lilaeopsis mauritiana and i was told the t8s wouldn't penetrate to the substrate (about 18 inches ) i have dwarf sag in there now. It seems ok so far.

 

[roadmaster]

I have some experience with the issue of some plants not growing well (or at all) in nutrient-poor substrates. So there is a possibility that some plants may not grow well unless you plant them into some good substrate (although it should help if you use some nutrient sticks). It's definitely wrong to assert that all plants should do well under EI dosing regardless of the substrate used. Try to grow different plants in EI water without any substrate and you'll see what am I speaking about.

To my knowledge,plant's in inert substrates may struggle until such time as organic matter collects within said substrate (ie)fish food's,fish waste.(common in newly established tanks with inert substrates)
Grow sticks or root tabs can help in the mean time.
Also my understanding that majority of plant's don't care where the nutrient's come from so long as they are there.
They are just as capable of taking nutrient's from the water column as they are from enhanced substrates.
If this were not true for the majority of plant's, then those using inert gravel/sand,and dosing water column only would report as much and on a grand scale and they don't.