Plants Issues out of the Blue

[prossmango]

I added attachments of the plants in my established tank that were doing well, then something started to happen and I have no explanation. The look like something attacked them and /or they are being eaten. I added the attachments .The top picture shows some of the plants that I am having trouble with, they are the bushy plants on the left side of the tank. Actually I not even sure of the name of the plant but I have 6 of them . Now my Ludwiga Repens in the back seem to be getting attacked also (no Photos). I believe the plants I am having the most trouble with are the Hygrophila Corymbosa, I have about six of them. I would appreciate all help.

 

[ZxC]

Looks like a Phosphorous deficiency. What is your fertilizer dosing regime?

 

[prossmango]

Thanks for your Reply

i WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUICK RESPONSE. As for my dosing schedule, I use Seachem products and their dosing schedule. Everything was going well for a few years as you can see from my photo of my tank. Very little algae and full plants which I had to constantly cut and replant. I do weekly water changes about 40 to 50 percent. Recently I added additional power heads to create more circulation. My schedule is below.

 

[Caliban07]

What fish you got?

 

[ZxC]

Looks like you are dosing half the recommended rate of phosphorous stated by Seachem. They say 1/2 cap per 20 gallons once or twice a week. I would top the plants that are showing those signs, remove the bottoms + replant the tops, double up on the P dosing and watch. Remember, old growth will not recover from a P deficiency.

 

[prossmango]

It is 100 gallon tank and this is what I have now.. I have 6 Roseline Barbs, 4 Angel Fish, 8 head and tails Tetra's , 2 Gold Rams, 2 Gouramis one a Honey Gourami and the Other a Neon Blue, 3 Clown Loaches, 2 Zera Loaches, 2 Yoyo Loaches, 2Hillstream Loaches , Royal Pleco and 2 other small Plecos, A Dwarf Loaches and several catfish, 1 SAE, and 3 Flying Foxes.About 40 fish.

 

[prossmango]

The chart states a 1/2 cap per 40 gal twice a week so I dose about 1cap plus some. . So state that I I should change to 5 Caps or 25ML twice a week instead, is that correct.

 

[prossmango]

fish video

Caliban07..Video shows most of the fish

 

[prossmango]

Video of Fish

Caliban07 . Videos displays most of the fish in the tank

 

[prossmango]

Video does not show up. Must be doing something wrong.

 

[prossmango]

I just found a new dosing chart on there site (seachem) and it shows what you said so I will change. My phospate test is always very low about .5 PPM.

 

[ZxC]

I just found a new dosing chart on there site (seachem) and it shows what you said so I will change. My phospate test is always very low about .5 PPM.

I would start there and see how things go. Maybe look into picking up some KNO3, KH2PO4 and some CSM + B for the future, and use the Seachem lineup for a supplementary source.

Check out rotalabutterfly nutrient calculator and play around with it:
https://rotalabutterfly.com/nutrient-calculator.php

 

[Caliban07]

I don’t think phosphorus is an issue with that many fish. Looking at the list it looks to me as if they are being eaten. Try adding some veggies for the plecos to discourage them from rasping the leaves for algae. They are notorious for damaging plants.

 

[ZxC]

I don’t think phosphorus is an issue with that many fish. Looking at the list it looks to me as if they are being eaten. Try adding some veggies for the plecos to discourage them from rasping the leaves for algae. They are notorious for damaging plants.

If pross's phosphate level is 0.5 ppm, that is fairly low. Just because there is PO4 present at the end of the day does not mean it can keep up with plant needs. They will grow much better and show less deficiencies when PO4 levels are >1.0ppm if compared to 0.5ppm. Heck I dose 1.3 ppm 4 x weekly plus a decent fish load.

Looks like pross's tank is fairly well lit and the plant look great, so a PO4 level of 0.5ppm is not enough to keep up with the demand. How often are you trimming and what is the light/CO2 situation like pross?

Certainly pross could throw in some veg for the plec's and see what happens too, but small black specs on old leaves = classic PO4 deficiency.

Check this webpage out pross:

https://rotalabutterfly.com/aquarium-plant-deficiencies.php

 

[Caliban07]

If pross's phosphate level is 0.5 ppm, that is fairly low. Just because there is PO4 present at the end of the day does not mean it can keep up with plant needs. They will grow much better and show less deficiencies when PO4 levels are >1.0ppm if compared to 0.5ppm. Heck I dose 1.3 ppm 4 x weekly plus a decent fish load.



Looks like pross's tank is fairly well lit and the plant look great, so a PO4 level of 0.5ppm is not enough to keep up with the demand. How often are you trimming and what is the light/CO2 situation like pross?



Certainly pross could throw in some veg for the plec's and see what happens too, but small black specs on old leaves = classic PO4 deficiency.



Check this webpage out pross:



https://rotalabutterfly.com/aquarium-plant-deficiencies.php

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of ‘classic’ Po4 deficiency. Most plant issues are difficult to pinpoint exactly and these charts are often extrapolated from terrestrial descriptions.

Po4 is a tricky one. It is present in very very low amounts in natural waters and is mostly bound to other ions and unavailable to plants. Adding 5.2ppm Po4 weekly is probably precipitating iron and other metals out of solution rendering both plant unavailable. This means you need to add more and more CSM+B or similar micro mix to see results and then more po4 etc etc drastically increasing your baseline TDS. I understand this is normal practice for most EI users but it is by no means necessary. Most of your dosed ions are probably going down the drain and in to the water ways along with a large amount of EDTA chelate.

However, If you don’t use a strong chelate (like those found in seachem). Adding more Po4 could cause issues with iron uptake.

Phosphorus deficiency is probably the least likely deficiency you would see in a planted aquarium. It is produced constantly in fish waste along with nitrogen. As mentioned Po4 levels in unpolluted water ways are often unmeasurable and plants grow fine despite higher PAR and lower co2 levels.

Everything the op mentions points towards the fish. A quick google search of ‘pleco eating my plants’ will return a large number of threads.