Potassium Deficiency?

[Zimmanski]

Should be an easy one to figure out for the experts out there, is this the sign of a K deficiency? There's browning and some curling of those leaves too, and its only on the H. Corymbosa. Its not an algae of any kind, its the actual plant. Tank has a coralife dual t5ho, a finnex ray 2, pressurized co2 at 4ish bps, PPS pro ferts and parameters are 0-0-15ish po4 is 2. I started putting in a little seachem K just in case it is that, but I'm really just taking a shot in the dark. Any ideas?

 

[Rivercats]

Here's a great chart to use... Google Image Result for http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3591814040_bc03c264a5_o.jpg. Is that under the Java ferns? Your plant growth is so thick and lush it's hard to tell... lol!

If it were potassium deficiency you'd be getting pin holes that would eventually grow and spread. When I see dead/dying brown patches in the leaves phosphate deficiency comes to mind first, although sometimes nitrate deficiencies can look real similar. Do you know your nitrate and phosphate readings?

 

[aqua_chem]

His nitrate and phosphate are in his post (15ish and 2 respectively).

Browning of leaves is usually a macronutrient issue (Nitrogen and/or phosphate), while the curling is either a carbon issue or micronutrients. Since you're running PPS, I would probably just increase your dosing and see if that solves the issue.

Are you using a drop checker?

 

[Zimmanski]

Haha yea the corymbosa has really taken off and i love the plant for it, just a beautiful simple plant. I just want to keep it that way!
No java ferns in this tank, just a huge one in my 36g

That's a great chart and thank you for sharing! I saved it for reference later.

Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it. I have been adding the mgso4 so that may be the reason for the slight curling, I'll cut back on that. So now looking at the browning, if my nitrates and phosphates are good what could be causing it? My phosphates were actually closer to 4 before my last water change so since then I've been dosing at the normal amount.

I don't have a drop checker, I know I should have one and have been meaning to get one, but it'll have to wait another week or two

 

[Rivercats]

I totally read over you levels... guess that happens when you have a monster headache! So what is your GH level? Mine stays right around 5 and I never dose MgSO4. I do watch my Gh and Kh weekly. Some plants just need more nutrients than they are getting. So as Aqua said try upping your levels. I don't dose any nitrates in my tanks but I run phosphates now at 5-10ppm and always add extra micros. I'm actually switching over to dosing micros El in the 220g.

 

[aqua_chem]

Hmmm. Quick question. Do ALL of your H. corymbosa have the same thing going on? Maybe it's only a certain area of the tank?

 

[Zimmanski]

Sorry to hear that J! I've had a couple of those recently too. So if the nitrate and phosphate are good, in theory anyway, what do I increase? When I started my gh was 4, and I shouldn't have had to dose mg, but I had a few leaves with pin holes a couple weeks ago so I started dosing. The pinholes seem to be gone, but now the browning is here. There's a good amount of conflicting info out there which is really confusing me tbh, when I researched for the pinholes I found numerous places that said it was a mg deficiency.
Its not ALL of the corymbosa, but its definitely not in one spot either. It is only those plants though for sure.

Oh yeah, probably a vital piece of info I left out(forgot), I switched from the Tahitian moon sand to Eco complete regular, fine, and floramax. Under all this I added all of the ADA substrate additives as well. Funny, I thought making the substrate switch would take care most of the standard plant issues haha

 

[Rivercats]

I had to get my 5 year Pneumococcal vaccine and it triggers my Mollaret's meningitis again which makes my head have a lot of pressure, not a traditional headache but a PITA just the same. Headaches in general suck!

Wow that is a lot of stuff you did and added. If you want to increase nitrates and phosphates and are dosing PPS and you have your nitrates in one bottle and phosphates in another you can start increasing by double dosing each 1 or 2x's a week and monitor your levels to see where they are. You may need to increase or decrease. If your nitrates are at 15 then try upping to 20ppm and up phosphates to 3-4ppm. Micro's you could double dose 1x week and see if all this helps any. Also I would cut off the bad leaves if possible and see if it continues or if new levels help. Sometimes, at least for me, when I'm not sure about something I have to try different things before I figure out an odd problem.

Personally I've never had any issues keeping my Gh at 4. And I've always considered pin holes to be a potassium problem.