[jerryuk]

Hello all. Wondering if someone could help identify the issue with my Tropica Echinodorus 'Rubin' (rather poor photo below). As you can see the leaves have light patches on them, particularly along the outside edges. Growth is quite fast given I don't really have enough light for it. This is a child plant from the original which grew huge before dying off some time ago. Crypts and vallis are growing like mad, as is Hygro and my lilies. I've noticed that new leaves on my 'normal' swords tend to be red veined and sometimes look slightly twisted.

Tank is 180L Juwel Rio with 2x30w with reflectors (1.5wpg) and DIY CO2. Have been dosing lowish levels of Kent Freshwater + Pro but also have dry ferts available. Water is RO reconstituted with CaSO4, MgSO4, NaHCO3 and KHCO3 to GH/KH 5. NO3 20ppm, PO4 2ppm, Ca 40ppm, Fe 0.05ppm. Moderately high livestock levels including Amano shrimp.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Jerry

 

[HeyPK]

I don't think that is a deficiency. Some of these new Echinodorus varieties look a little abnormal. There is one where the new growth is almost white, and it isn't iron deficiency, as you might think from the way it looks; it is just the result of one or more mutations.

 

[Cavan Allen]

Tank is 180L Juwel Rio with 2x30w with reflectors (1.5wpg) and DIY CO2. Have been dosing lowish levels of Kent Freshwater + Pro

I don't think that's normal. Some of the new Echinodorus hybrids are weird, but not like that. It just looks really underfertilized. A good trace element mix and/or soem root tabs should fix it.

 

[jerryuk]

I've had this plant for about 4 or 5 years and I don't recall new growth looking like this in the past other than on the odd few occasions. The substrate is plain gravel but I've been using JBL balls for several years and that plant is always targetted. I've started adding daily TE mix to see if that has any effect but don't want to overdo it and end up with a tank of algae!

 

[Cavan Allen]

If the macros and everything else are in line that won't happen. But just go slowly.

 

[Newt]

Here is a link to a nice guide on plant deficiencies:
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

 

[jerryuk]

Hi Newt,

Yeah checked Chucks page and various others already. Couldn't find anything that sounded like my issue, hence the post here.

I've been adding daily trace since the original posting and all 3 of these plants are sprouting new leaves so it'll be interesting to see what they look like. My giant vallis babies are still growing 3" daily anyway!

Jerry

 

[HeyPK]

Since the symptoms appear to be different from a normal plant of that variety and, since they appear in the new growth, the first thing I would try is increasing the iron dosing. Push the iron!

 

[jerryuk]

After a couple of weeks daily dosing traces the new leaves appear to be coming out pure red, which is good. I'm a little surprised to find that a trace deficiency should affect this particular plant most severely given that it's about the slowest growing plant in the tank (except anubis) but there you go!

Jerry

 

[wet]

Just curious: did you specifically dose Fe daily or all (some mix of) traces daily?

 

[HeyPK]

Fe twice or three times a week. Other traces as per instructions. Other traces stay in solution.

 

[algaehater]

More iron wouldnt hurt.

 

[Newt]

It doesnt look like iron deficiency at all. Iron is way over dosed by most hobbists anyway.

Looks more like a Potassium deficiency:
Pinholes appear in older leaves, and slowly enlarge
Yellow areas
Withering of leaf edges and tips
+
Along with Nitrogen deficiency:
Leaves turn yellowish
Older leaves die off quickly in extreme deficiencies.

 

[algaehater]

What about excess k bein dosed on the same day as iron causing precipitation of iron causing iron deficiency?
Is that possible?

 

[HeyPK]

Iron can precipitate out when there is excess phosphate or calcium, but not with excess potassium as far as I know.

 

[Newt]

Poster: JerryUK says he has 20ppm NO3. ???

Still think the potassium deficiency fits with the holes but not the dying leaves.

 

[algaehater]

Iron can precipitate out when there is excess phosphate or calcium, but not with excess potassium as far as I know.

This chart tells me excess potassium causes precipitation of iron, it also states excess phosphate causes fe or zn deficiency

http://www.finostrom.com.gr/images/aqua/fertilizers/map.htm

 

[algaehater]

I could be reading it wrong.

 

[HeyPK]

The chart is in error. Notice that it says "reaction with Fe production of iron phosphate, precipitation of iron causing iron deficiency" You can't get iron phosphate by reacting potassium with iron! That little part I quoted should be under phosphorus, not potassium.

 

[marvik11]

Hi,
if you have iron problem like i had better to remove the carbon i had to do it then was plain sailing from there on for me
Regards
MaRvIk