[fish dork]

I'm thinking that this is from a lack of iron? I've recently started adding iron chelate to my fert regiment to bring the levels to .4 ppm a day to try and solve it. Wondering if anyone can confirm that this is indeed from low iron.

 

[fish dork]

Maybe it is potassium then... I've switched to PPS-Pro about 2 weeks ago and the plants are getting ferts on a more regular basis now as well. I think I'll wait a couple of weeks and see if there are any changes. I was using the EI method before, but I was not as consistent as I should have been with it.

 

[fish dork]

I thought that potassium def. was holes that are brown or yellow though. These ones are almost black and eventually the entire leaf turns brown and falls off.

 

[fish dork]

Ok. One more question (for now). I've pulled this plant apart and done some cleanup in and around it. I'm also wondering if it could be suffering from excess phosphates. The tank water itself is not... but there was quite a bit of dead matter at the base of the rhizomes of this plant.

 

[fish dork]

I read somewhere that high phosphates can lead to black and brown leaves that then die. High debris can lead to high phosphates. Thanks for the link! I've done quite a bit of chasing through the web looking at pictures and haven't seen this exactly. I am leaning on what advice I've been given and acting accordingly. I'm just trying to explore all avenues in case the problem turns out to be something else.

 

[fish dork]

Not knowing exactly what this is, I've taken steps to ensure that the nutrients added are at optimal levels and I've tried to make sure that there isn't excessive amounts of debris around the base of this plant. Before switching to the PPS - pro method I was fertilizing with the EI method. I switched due to not always being able to do 50% water changes. Sometimes I do 25% water changes 2 times a week instead... which still doesn't add up to a full 50% change meaning it was hard to 'reset' the fert. amounts in the tank. All other plants currently look good... just with the exception of the java, which will probably turn around in a matter of time. All parameters should be ideal now.

 

[fish dork]

In my tank the java's are not shaded at all.

 

[fish dork]

Looking back at old threads! Thanks Newt for that link, I've used it since then more than once. This tank was rebuilt in January of 09, since then there are no more problems with the Java fern. I now add magnesium and calcium to the tank on a regular basis and I think the problem with this java was a lack of magnesium for what it's worth. The water I use out here is very soft, almost no minerals in it. (It's snow melt). Thanks for the input from everyone!