Holey plants!

[Buckfins]

Hi y'all....quick question about some of my plants. I have noticed that a few have some serious holes in their leaves. I have read that this is a deficiency so what do I do to help with the plants. Any good fert ideas to help them look better? The fish are eating them and I don't have a snail issue.

[Caliban07]

You may find it’s the fish that are the problem in the first place. Plecos are notorious for sucking on plants and causing damage.
What fish do you have?

[Buckfins]

Originally Posted by Caliban07

You may find it’s the fish that are the problem in the first place. Plecos are notorious for sucking on plants and causing damage.
What fish do you have?

Pretty sure it's not the fish. I have 6 angels, 2 bristlenos plecs. and 4 small yo yo loaches. This happened before to another tank and someone said I had a nutrient deficiency for the plants. Potassium I think?? Not sure.

[Caliban07]

How big are the holes? Pics?

[Buckfins]

Originally Posted by Caliban07

How big are the holes? Pics?

Just real small...definitely not caused by fish. I think its a nutrient deficiency and hoping to figure out of I need to add certain ferts

[flitabout]

Before I could recommend anything I would need to know the stats of the tank. Like lighting, photo period, current dosing, and yes a picture would be very helpful.

[Buckfins]

Originally Posted by flitabout

Before I could recommend anything I would need to know the stats of the tank. Like lighting, photo period, current dosing, and yes a picture would be very helpful.

I switched from my T5 and went back to LED lights. Water quality is spot on. Bout 6 hours of light a day. Was battling a SEVERE algae problem WITH a huge MTS blowout. Both are now under control and almost eradicated. I don't use any ferts currently. Sorry...at work and don't have a pic yet. They are just tiny little holes that spread out all over the leaf that eventually kill it and the stem it is on. Got a few plants that aren't affected....yet...lol. ANY good advice would be much appreciated. I had a really heavy planted and beautiful tank at one time....

[ZxC]

What kind of lights? (Make, model, colour spectrum) usually pin holes are not light related.

Have you ever fertilized? Used a nutrient dense substrate etc... if you used to have a flourishing tank, there may be nothing left for the plants.

[Buckfins]

Originally Posted by ZxC

What kind of lights? (Make, model, colour spectrum) usually pin holes are not light related.

Have you ever fertilized? Used a nutrient dense substrate etc... if you used to have a flourishing tank, there may be nothing left for the plants.

I have used flourish excel which performed beautifully. Most of the tank is flora free now except the plants that are still with me. I have a Marineland Double bright. I'm at work so I cant say what the spectrum is right at this moment.

[ZxC]

Well that’s the issue right there, your plants are starved. Excel is a plant available source of carbon, and that’s it, no nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium. You’re going to want to start dosing fertilizer to keep those plants alive. Check out various root tabs, pps-pro, EI, and then over the counter products like thrive, or tropica. (I’m not familiar with the newer over the counter fertilizers)

[Buckfins]

Originally Posted by ZxC

Well that’s the issue right there, your plants are starved. Excel is a plant available source of carbon, and that’s it, no nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium. You’re going to want to start dosing fertilizer to keep those plants alive. Check out various root tabs, pps-pro, EI, and then over the counter products like thrive, or tropica. (I’m not familiar with the newer over the counter fertilizers)

Well then I need to start with excel again....correct? and would you recommend a specific root tab that is your favorite?

[ZxC]

Originally Posted by Buckfins

Well then I need to start with excel again....correct? and would you recommend a specific root tab that is your favorite?

It depends on your goals of the tank, and the species you would like to keep.

Lower lights plants (your light will be around low/medium light levels)

Fine with root tabs:
Swords, Crypts, Apongeton, Crinum, Helanthium, Saggiteria, Vallisnaria, Dward tiger lotus.

May need some liquid fertilizer:
Rotala, lloydellia, ludqigia, java fern, Anubis, java moss, cabomba, hornwort, regular baby tears.

I would look into pps-pro dosing. Fairly simple, doesn’t require large water changes, I’m using it now on a low tech 90 gallon with good results.

Now, I make my own tabs with my own ingredients, but a good tried and true cheap method is some osmocote plus granular fertilizer thrown in some size 00 gel capsules. Flourish tabs, API tabs etc are way too expensive in my opinion. Thrive (as far as I know) is a good liquid product. But in the long run dry fertilizer is a cheaper method of dossing the water column.

[Buckfins]

Originally Posted by ZxC

It depends on your goals of the tank, and the species you would like to keep.

Lower lights plants (your light will be around low/medium light levels)

Fine with root tabs:
Swords, Crypts, Apongeton, Crinum, Helanthium, Saggiteria, Vallisnaria, Dward tiger lotus.

May need some liquid fertilizer:
Rotala, lloydellia, ludqigia, java fern, Anubis, java moss, cabomba, hornwort, regular baby tears.

I would look into pps-pro dosing. Fairly simple, doesn’t require large water changes, I’m using it now on a low tech 90 gallon with good results.

Now, I make my own tabs with my own ingredients, but a good tried and true cheap method is some osmocote plus granular fertilizer thrown in some size 00 gel capsules. Flourish tabs, API tabs etc are way too expensive in my opinion. Thrive (as far as I know) is a good liquid product. But in the long run dry fertilizer is a cheaper method of dossing the water column.

That is AWESOME info....thank you SO much!!

[eAts]

Originally Posted by Buckfins

Well then I need to start with excel again....correct? and would you recommend a specific root tab that is your favorite?

I’m not an expert, but I made my own root tabs. Got the gel caps on amazon and picked up a bottle of dynamite flower and vegetables 13-13-13 fertilizer.