What deficiency is this ?

[aquagenetics]

The first thing I noticed is your light intensity.
It is difficult to judge from a photo because your lens may not be showing the real intensity. However, If you dose EI and you still facing nutrient deficiency, light intensity is an element you should consider.
It can be so high that drives plants to require even more nutrients. If I was you, I would keep my light intensity at a medium level and I would keep dosing EI. Having extra nutrients in water column will not cause any harm.

What I have learned during my short aquascaping journey is that the best you can do is to limit your light. The most common perception among newcomers or even more experienced hobbyists is that plants need tons of light to grow. This is not true. They just grow faster and you take the risk of having algae and instability problems.

Yea i lowered it now to medium (i think ? how do you determine this.) i also watch alot of youtube channels like green aqua etc, and they always have their lights on 100% and theyre tanks look amazing.
when i looked at a review about these lights they did a PAR reading and it wasnt so much for 1 bar, so i thought i needed to put the light on 100% as i also saw in other video about a guy with the 1500 series of juwel helialux spectrum, and his tank was doing great, he was even growing cryptocoryne flamingo. AQUARIUMS for me atleast hightech is a big puzzle. and i wont give up 😛

 

[Fred13]

Yea i lowered it now to medium (i think ? how do you determine this.) i also watch alot of youtube channels like green aqua etc, and they always have their lights on 100% and theyre tanks look amazing.
when i looked at a review about these lights they did a PAR reading and it wasnt so much for 1 bar, so i thought i needed to put the light on 100% as i also saw in other video about a guy with the 1500 series of juwel helialux spectrum, and his tank was doing great, he was even growing cryptocoryne flamingo. AQUARIUMS for me atleast hightech is a big puzzle. and i wont give up 😛

Of course, you won't give up!
Keep in mind that Green Aqua are professionals. That doesn't only mean they are experienced. It means that they have dedicated persons for measurements, maintenance, etc...
You could have a great tank with high light, even higher than you initially had. But still, you are asking for trouble and the gains are minimal. To be honest, it will also be difficult to maintain rapid growth in the long term. Even fish prefer medium light. I remember myself having super high light that got my fish stressed.
It is best to have a healthy tank with average speed growth to ensure that you have the time to react to trouble.

My suggestion is good filtration, plenty of co2, plenty of nutrients, medium light (your only limited element).
You will not be disappointed.

 

[aquagenetics]

@Fred13
look this guy has bigger version then my aquarium, has 1 bigger type of lights same brand and model. but slightly bigger
and when i asked him what light settings he used 100% and his aquarium looks amazing, and hes from same country as me. however i do notice his skimmer is next to the outflow, i am gonna do this aswell. for extra flow.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

its not a Myriophyllum i bought it as a Proserpinaca palustris

My mistake, I wasn't sure what it was, I just thought probably a Myriophyllum, but it does look more like Proserpinaca palustris. It was the dissected underwater leaves that made it look Myriophyllum like.

this new growth on the Pogostemon erectus looks fine ?

If your plants had been suffering from lack of iron (Fe), but were now not? It is only the new growth that would be darker green and normally sized.

If it was a deficiency of magnesium (Mg) (or nitrogen (N), potassium (K) or phosphorus) then you would get a rapid greening of the existing leaves because these nutrients are mobile within the plant and it could shuffle them to the leaves receiving the most PAR.

cheers Darrel

 

[aquagenetics]

so the first thing i always notice is when i decrease the lights intensity, is that my plants take way longer for them to start pearling. i always thought pearling plants is a sign of good health and perfect photosynthesis going on.
and i also like the look of it.

 

[arcturus]

so the first thing i always notice is when i decrease the lights intensity, is that my plants take way longer for them to start pearling. i always thought pearling plants is a sign of good health and perfect photosynthesis going on.
and i also like the look of it.

That is true. but your plants are not showing signs of good health 😉 So, until you understand the root cause of your problems you cannot use pearling as an indicator. In any case, it will take some time for the plants to adjust to the reduced lighting. Now focus on improving the flow and securing a consistent concentration and distribution of CO2 during the photo-period and then let the tank run with moderate lighting for a while. If these changes have no effect then you will need to review the ferts...

 

[aquagenetics]

i also adjusted the skimmer, i placed it near the front window on the right side, and the outflow of my filter is back left side so i hope it will help with circulating, till i try to make the spraybar.

 

[erwin123]

i always thought pearling plants is a sign of good health and perfect photosynthesis going on.

There are other things you can do to check plant health:
(1) look at the lower leaves. are they in worse condition then the newer growth?
(2) is there algae on the plant? (unhealthy plants are algae magnets)
(3) compare with photos from databases or UKAPS members' photos- leaf size, leaf shape, stem thickness, etc

 

[aquagenetics]

(1) yes they are at some plants
(2) yes they were suffering from diatoms

 

[erwin123]

(1) yes they are at some plants
(2) yes they were suffering from diatoms

This photo suggests to me that the plants aren't in good health - you have quite a bit of filamentous algae, even on the C. Crispulata/Spiralis leaves at the top of the photo, which is usually quite hardy and resistant to algae as it grows so fast.

 

[aquagenetics]

yea i know the plants are not in good health, thats the whole issue here im trying to figure out 🙂

 

[arcturus]

i also adjusted the skimmer, i placed it near the front window on the right side, and the outflow of my filter is back left side so i hope it will help with circulating, till i try to make the spraybar.

The JBL CrtistalProfi 1500 is certainly unable to reach anywhere close to the advertised 1500 l/h. Given the size of that filter, the actual flow rate could easily be 1/3 or 1/4 of the rate, even if the filter media is not packed too tightly. This can be insufficient for a 240 litre aquarium with CO2 injection.

The skimmer can help with the circulation but will also increase surface agitation and gaseous exchanges, which can lead to inconsistent CO2 levels. So, the skimmer is another variable you should remove from the equation. I would not let the skimmer run during the photo-period and CO2 injection. If needed, set it on a timer for a few hours outside the photo-period.

Consider getting a circulation pump to increase the flow, especially closer to the substrate, and stop using the skimmer for that purpose. Your aquarium has barely any hardscape, so a small circulation pump will be able to create a good flow.

​

 

[Konsa]

Hi

The JBL CrtistalProfi 1500 is certainly unable to reach anywhere close to the advertised 1500 l/h. Given the size of that filter, the actual flow rate could easily be 1/3 or 1/4 of the rate, even if the filter media is not packed too tightly. This can be insufficient for a 240 litre aquarium with CO2 injection.

The skimmer can help with the circulation but will also increase surface agitation and gaseous exchanges, which can lead to inconsistent CO2 levels. So, the skimmer is another variable you should remove from the equation.

Hi
while I agree that the filter is likely underpowered for 240l tank too.
I do not agree with the skimmer being a negative in CO2 injected tank.Yes it does great job at increasing gas exchange and thats not a negative thing.While obviously some CO2 will gas off and it needs to be compensated with a little higher injection rate, it is actually aiding stability in CO2 levels.Not having it ON and having poor gas exchange on the surface often causes CO2 to build up constantly during the coarse of the day.
Been there done that too
Regards Konstantin

 

[Konsa]

also noticed when using the default spraybar the smaller one, co2 bubbles had trouble getting pushed out of the openings.

Hi
I don't like the inline atomizers.
If you dont clean them frequently enough they get clogged resulting in bigger CO2 bubbles being produced that dissolve much more difficult and get stuck in pipes.Not sure what quality are they made now I was using them in their early days tho.
Have you considered using a reactor instead?

Regards Konstantin

 

[Fred13]

@Fred13
look this guy has bigger version then my aquarium, has 1 bigger type of lights same brand and model. but slightly bigger
and when i asked him what light settings he used 100% and his aquarium looks amazing, and hes from same country as me. however i do notice his skimmer is next to the outflow, i am gonna do this aswell. for extra flow.

Yes, I am sure he does have a great tank with high light. But he found the right balance between the 3 main elements. Light, co2 and nutrients.
It is difficult for someone to understand it but even 2 identical tanks are different. That is magical of course and makes the hobby much more interesting.

As for the pearling, if I remember right is more of a sign that the water is oxygen saturated. The plants now may delay pearling but they still do. They still grow. What you actually win is time. Time to identify the problem and act.
You can always increase your intensity later on if this pleases your eyes.

 

[aquagenetics]

Yes, I am sure he does have a great tank with high light. But he found the right balance between the 3 main elements. Light, co2 and nutrients.
It is difficult for someone to understand it but even 2 identical tanks are different. That is magical of course and makes the hobby much more interesting.

As for the pearling, if I remember right is more of a sign that the water is oxygen saturated. The plants now may delay pearling but they still do. They still grow. What you actually win is time. Time to identify the problem and act.
You can always increase your intensity later on if this pleases your eyes.

Yea i am working on it, i got some 30mg/l co2 liquid now, and trying to get the co2 to be limegreen at lights off and not going into yellow, also still dosing EI and we're gonna learn on doing it with powders probably
so doesnt have the problem with the FE chelates.

 

[Konsa]

Hi
How long before lights on you start the CO2 and how long before lights out injection stops?
Regards Konstantin

 

[erwin123]

The skimmer can help with the circulation but will also increase surface agitation and gaseous exchanges, which can lead to inconsistent CO2 levels. So, the skimmer is another variable you should remove from the equation. I would not let the skimmer run during the photo-period and CO2 injection. If needed, set it on a timer for a few hours outside the photo-period.

Surface agitation will lead to increased gassing off and thus require you to inject CO2 at a higher rate. But a higher rate of injection promotes CO2 consistency because CO2 injection at a higher rate means that consumption of CO2 by plants has a smaller/negligible effect (this is covered in the link below).

As a beginner, I followed this guide in 2hr aquarist and found it easy/easier to reach a stable pH drop with a Lily Pipe skimmer in operation 24/7.

Surface agitation & gaseous exchange in CO2 injected tanks

Surface agitation in a planted aquarium - yes or not ? This page explores why having some surface agitation and turnover is actually useful in planted tanks and actually makes tuning CO2 to optimal levels more easy.

www.2hraquarist.com

Consider getting a circulation pump to increase the flow, especially closer to the substrate, and stop using the skimmer for that purpose. Your aquarium has barely any hardscape, so a small circulation pump will be able to create a good flow.

This is a great idea, one which I only recently discovered... I placed a small usb pump at the back of the tank, at the substrate level, hidden by the plants.

 

[arcturus]

Surface agitation will lead to increased gassing off and thus require you to inject CO2 at a higher rate. But a higher rate of injection promotes CO2 consistency because CO2 injection at a higher rate means that consumption of CO2 by plants has a smaller/negligible effect (this is covered in the link below).

As a beginner, I followed this guide in 2hr aquarist and found it easy/easier to reach a stable pH drop with a Lily Pipe skimmer in operation 24/7.

Surface agitation & gaseous exchange in CO2 injected tanks

Surface agitation in a planted aquarium - yes or not ? This page explores why having some surface agitation and turnover is actually useful in planted tanks and actually makes tuning CO2 to optimal levels more easy.

www.2hraquarist.com

Completely agree. But skimmers can generate too much turbulence and "break" the water surface layer. Ideally, all the water surface should be moving with gentle ripples but without breaking and splashing. The flow of the filter outlet and/or circulation pump should be sufficient to achieve this. But if you already managed to balance CO2 injection with the skimmer on then do not change the setup until you find what is causing your problems.

This is a great idea, one which I only recently discovered... I placed a small usb pump at the back of the tank, at the substrate level, hidden by the plants.

Yes, a small pump can make a lot of a difference at the substrate level!

Now, let's hope your plants start recovering soon with less light.

 

[aquagenetics]

yea i am currently looking for a good circulation pump will add that instead of the skimmer on the right front side, also i got the new co2 liquid 30mg/l and it appears i injected never enough co2
so currently puzzling to get it lime green at lights on. light is still every color at 60% will post updates soon. thanks everyone 😍