Plant Deficiency Help

[Pezzep]

My plants have new growth and everything but it seems after a while some leaves go bad. I'm trying to figure out what nutrients they are in need of. I'm thinking its nitrogen deficiency by looking online, but I have no clue. I have macro nutrients on the way so I'll be dosing all the good stuff soon. I just want to know what it is so in the future if things stay the same it would be nice to have the info on hand. Knowledge is power! Aha. Will post more photos in later posts, can't do a bunch of photos in one post on my iPad.

 

[Pezzep]

Picture #2

 

[Pezzep]

Picture #3

 

[Pezzep]

Picture #4

Not sure what the white dots are on this one.

 

[Rivercats]

Picture #2 with dark veins and light tissue is an indication of magnesium deficiency. Do you know what your Gh is?

Picture #3 show either a phosphate or nitrate deficiency. Those two deficiencies look very similar. Do you know your nitrate and phosphate levels? Nitrates in a planted tank should be 10-20ppm and phosphates should be anywhere from 1-10ppm.

Pictures #1 and 4 look to have a multiple issues with algae being one of them.

What ferts are you using and what ferts are you getting?

 

[Pezzep]

I'm going to be mixing my own macro solution with
Potassium Sulfate
Potassium Nitrate
Mono Potassium Phosphate
Magnesium Sulfate
Just tested GH from my tank, took 28 drops to change colours...so over 400ppm, I don't remember it being that high when I tested from my tap.

Nitrates are around 5-10 ppm
I don't know my phosphate levels, should i have a test kit for it? and if so is there other test kits I should get as well?

The photos of 1 and 4 are from my anubias they have been In the tank since the beginning, I never trim their leaves.

 

[Jkeating8]

So you definately don't have a magnesium deficiency. Maybe an iron deficiency?

 

[Rivercats]

With a Gh that high, which I would recheck it and you tap as that means you have a very high level of magnesium so you shouldn't have a magnesium deficiency. Also you are obviously mixing for dosing PPS-Pro and I suggest not using the MgSO4, magnesium sulfate in your macro mix AND suggest mixing the nitrates in one dosing bottle and then phosphate and potassium in another dosing bottle. That will allow you better custom dose to the levels of nutrients you want. If you test your nitrates and phosphate weekly right before a WC you can determine if you need to dose the same, more, or less. My tanks generally run about 10ppm weekly so I rarely ever dose nitrates. If all the macro's are mixed in one solution your stuck dosing everything even if the tank has high enough levels. I use the API Phosphate test kit.

 

[Rivercats]

Iron deficiency shows up as yellowing or all yellow leaves.

 

[Rivercats]

I'm not a chemist but sometimes weird things happen with out tanks chemistry. For example way over a year ago my Downoi was showing total yellowing of most new growth meaning an iron deficiency. Yet I was dosing micro's with added Chelated iron and it continued. Even AquaChem couldn't explain what was happening. Then I decided to increase my phosphates and suddenly the Downoi went back to normal, no more yellowing and has never returned. Aqua said some strange something (can't remember the technically terms he used) occurred and obviously the phosphate changed something in the water chemistry which allowed the iron to be utilized by the plants again. And this was only that plant species. So the long and short of it is, the OP could actually still be having a magnesium deficiency in his anubia if something in the water chemistry is keeping the plant from utilizing it.

 

[Pezzep]

I tested again right after and it was 28 drops again, I will test my tap now.

So if I'm mixing each thing separately in say a 1 litre bottle do I use the same gram amount that I would if I were mixing all of it in a 1 litre bottle?

When I wrote my nitrates earlier I was going off what I have seen in past tests but i must have tested those soon after water changes (I don't remember, bad memory) but testing now they are around 20ppm possibly a bit higher, I do WCs on Tuesdays. I'm going to get a phosphate test kit this week.

 

[Rivercats]

You use the same amounts as listed but your just using those amounts in different bottles. So you would use 65grams of nitrates in one bottle, then 6 grams of phosphates and 59 grams of potassium in the other bottle. The your micro's in the 3rd bottle.

 

[Pezzep]

I tested my tap and it was 25 drops so still over 400.
And yeah that makes sense, can I use any bottle for mixing like a 1 litre soda bottle?

 

[Jkeating8]

I'm not a chemist but sometimes weird things happen with out tanks chemistry. For example way over a year ago my Downoi was showing total yellowing of most new growth meaning an iron deficiency. Yet I was dosing micro's with added Chelated iron and it continued. Even AquaChem couldn't explain what was happening. Then I decided to increase my phosphates and suddenly the Downoi went back to normal, no more yellowing and has never returned. Aqua said some strange something (can't remember the technically terms he used) occurred and obviously the phosphate changed something in the water chemistry which allowed the iron to be utilized by the plants again. And this was only that plant species. So the long and short of it is, the OP could actually still be having a magnesium deficiency in his anubia if something in the water chemistry is keeping the plant from utilizing it.

Ahhhhh I see what you mean. Always learning something. So the phosphates were too low for the plant to utilize iron or something like that?

 

[Rivercats]

Ahhhhh I see what you mean. Always learning something. So the phosphates were too low for the plant to utilize iron or something like that?

Nope levels weren't too low I just wanted to start running a low nitrate, high phosphate tank, it was just something weird in the water chemistry and upping the phosphates did something to change whatever was causing iron not to be able to be utilized by that one plant. As I said even Aqua Chem couldn't really explain why so that says a lot.

 

[Rivercats]

I tested my tap and it was 25 drops so still over 400.
And yeah that makes sense, can I use any bottle for mixing like a 1 litre soda bottle?

Yep you can use any container. It just might be hard to get your dosing amount out of.

 

[Jkeating8]

Nope levels weren't too low I just wanted to start running a low nitrate, high phosphate tank, it was just something weird in the water chemistry and upping the phosphates did something to change whatever was causing iron not to be able to be utilized by that one plant. As I said even Aqua Chem couldn't really explain why so that says a lot.

Hm. That's strange. I wonder if Tom Barr would have any insight on that. Not that I could understand the terminology anyway. Haha.

 

[Pezzep]

Perfect. I'm going to us some of the glass containers that came with my test kits to make dosing the tanks easier since they have that 5ml line.

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated!

My ferts should be here around October 12th, hopefully I can get the chemistry right and have some beautiful looking plants.