What caused this plant damage?

[Blackwood]

I have some, uh, Amazon Swords (I think, Anubis something or other) that I put in my tank on Sunday. They were all very healthy upon entry into the tank. Today is Wednesday, and this is what I'm seeing.

I think this one is just damage and not nutrient related, but I'm not sure.

Also, in the one above you can see my C02 diffuser. Is that big enough for a 125 gallon tank that's not heavily planted?

I know my phosphates are pretty high, my Nitrogen is at zero, and everything else non nutrient related is good. I did an 80% water change on Sunday to replace missing trace as I had only been using untreated R/O previously.

Since Sunday I've been using 60 m/l per day of Kent Freshwater Plant food. I have KN03 and the CSM+B Plantex (both 1lb) ordered from GregWatson.com, but they won't ship until next Monday. In the mean time, what should I pick from my LFS to minimize the damage ocurring? I can't find a nitrogen/nitrate source anywhere locally. What's the next best thing for my tank?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

You need to get your nitrogen up to at least 10-15ppm, and add potassium. You may also need micros as well. You may also want to get Potassium sulfate from Greg Watsons, as you'll need to be dosing potassium at least once a week. Then nitrogen and phosphates depending on bioload. Sounds like you may not even need to dose phosphates. But definitely nitrogen and potassium.

Edit:
Might also want to get some root tabs, and put a tab under the sword, as they are heavy root feeders. That may also be your problem if you haven't put in any tabs. I generally put a tab under my swords once every 2 months or so, just 1 under each sword.

 

[malkore]

Def get the nitrogen up, 10ppm is a minimum level.
What are your CO2 levels at? that looks like a passive diffuser, and isn't going to do the best job.

1.5wpg may not be enough for sword plants.

Also, why does that top photo look like all the swords are leaning over 45 degrees? are they really planted like that or is the picture just deceiving my eyes?

 

[TwoHobbies]

I agree with Lonewolf, root tabs and potassium. In my tank the sword leaves always show problems first, and I have been at 1.5wpg for 8 mo with very good plant growth.

You are on the right track with what you have ordered from greg.

 

[hashbaz]

Green Light brand stump remover is "pure" KNO3 and works great for Nitrates. I did have to try several local nurseries/hardware-stores before I could find it.

 

[7Enigma]

Since you already have chemicals on order from Greg Watson either sit tight and hope for the best, or for the short term over-feed your tank. This will cause the fish to produce more waste, some of the food will rot and produce ammonia, and you might be better off with it. Frankly I'd just do an extra feeding per day (if you feed twice a day already), and wait it out.

Do you have phosphates in your tap water? If not you really want to get that number below 2ppm, especially since you have little to no nitrAte. Your just asking for an algae outbreak while deficient.

 

[Blackwood]

A major outbreak of BBA and Green Fuzz algae is what started me learning about that planted tank that I've had for well over a year. Scats took care of the BBA and a bit of the GFA. I'm hoping the two Siamese Algae Eaters I put in today will help more with the GFA. I noticed my five red Mollies and one Rosie barb were picking at the algae pretty consistently.

I put Root Tabs in today. One tab at the base of each of the swords. It's hard to worry too much about my levels until I have the proper chemicals to do something about it. I went by two different nurseries today and asked for 'potasium nitrate' and was told by both that they don't carry it. They both gave me odd looks, like they didn't want to deal with me at all. Showing up on a motorcycle in a biker jacket and helmet probably didn't help...

I'll try a couple different places this weekend for the KN03. I just need something to tide me over until I get the good stuff from GregWatson.com next week. It won't ship until Monday though.

It's just the angle of the picture making the swords look like they are leaning like that. They do lean slightly due to the current circulating from the powerhead and the outflow from the sump, but nowhere near 45 degrees. More like 5-10.

I only have a passive diffuser, and no way to measure the C02 levels. What tests do I need to buy to calculate this? Also, does anyone know of a good reactor setup that's inexpensive and will work well with my setup? I plan on putting it into the sump so that the outflow is injected directly into the tank through the sump pump. Anyone want to make a couple bucks making a reactor for me? Yes, I know they are very easy to make, but I don't have time to do it myself.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Because the swords are heavy root feeders, and you added root tabs, I think that may enough til the shipment comes in. If you have extra tabs, you could even put them under any other plant that doesn't look like it's doing too well, and it will draw nutrients from the tab if it has roots. My swords were starting to look like yours, but not near as bad, up until I added the tabs. Since then they won't stop growing, lol. Could even place a 2nd tab if the sword really looks bad, to give it a little extra.

If you have the kh and ph, you can calculate the CO2 level. There's a calculator online for calculating it.
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm

And here's the calculator for dosing Greg Watsons...
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

As for the reactor, here's a couple to look at.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CO2-REACTOR-500...oryZ3212QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Or if you want the powered version like I have, which works very well:
http://cgi.ebay.com/CO2-REACTOR-M-C...oryZ3212QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Purrbox]

Here's a few more options for CO2 Reactors.

The Aquamedic CO2 Reactor 1000
DIY Inline version
DIY Inline version2
DIY Intank version
I even have a post in the classifieds offering to build one similar to the two DIY Inline versions.

 

[Blackwood]

Hmmm, the only stump remover I could find was Grant's Stump Remover from Home Depot. It states that it has Potassium Nitrate in it, but doesn't have an ingredients list. I'm not going to put this in my tank until I know what exactly else is in it. I can't find the exact ingredients online anywhere.

I also picked up Flourish Potassium to use until I get my supplies in from GregWatson.com. The directions say to use 5ml per 50 gallons to raise the potassium by 1mg/L. Given that I have a 125 gallon tank that I know is very low in potassium (but don't know exact measurement), how much should I add, and how fast, to bring it up to a 'normal' level?

I also picked up a $25 C02 reactor and a $13 powerhead at my LFS. I'm a bit iffy on the reactor. It feels very cheap and the diffusion method doesn't seem all that great to me. I'll try it, but I'm not holding my breath.

This is what it looks like;

Would it be best to put the powerhead and reactor in the sump, or in the tank directly? I'd prefer in in the sump, but I'm afraid that much of the C02 will out gas though the output roiling the surface. I use that instead of an airstone. I have no major objection to putting it in the tank other than aesthetics.

I'm rapidly losing faith in my LFS based on some statements and suggestions made by the owner. He recommends a minimum of 3-4 WPG for any planted tank, says R/O is the only water to use, etc. I don't think he'd intentionally mislead someone just for a sale, but it's either that or he's not real up on planted tanks. They only have one small 50 gallon planted show tank in the store, so I'm figuring he just doesn't know.

Where's a good place online for supplies and test kits? I need to get a potassium test kit, as well as the ones to calculate C02. My LFS guy says there is a direct test kit for C02, but I've never heard of one.

Again, I appreciate all the help and suggestions given by the members of this board.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

With CO2 added, you can do well with lighting between 2-3w/g. Going above that is a whole nother story. I only use tap water in my planted tanks. It replentishes all the micro nutrients as well, and balances them out. As for the Potassium, figure about 10-15ppm, once a week at minimum, and of the plants still show signs of deficiency, twice a week.

I get most of my supplies and test kits either on Ebay or here:
http://www.bigalsonline.com

As for calculating CO2, test kit's are not very accurate. the best way to get the closest to the actual is by having a ph test kit and a kh test kit, and use the calculator in the link I provided earlier in this thread.

 

[Purrbox]

Don't bother with test kits for Iron or Potassium. There isn't a hobbiest grade test kit available for either of these that is accurate enough for our use. All you really need specifically for a planted tank are NO3, PO4, KH, and pH.

You should be able to put the CO2 reactor in either location. If the return is roiling the suface enough to gas off CO2, it won't matter which part of the tank the reactor is in it will gas off the CO2 at the same rate. You may want to consider adjusting the return so it doesn't agitate the water suface quite as much.

 

[Blackwood]

Ok, I dosed Grant's Stump Remover to 14ppm of Nitrate last night (2 teaspoons diffused into 1 liter of water, poured into the sump). This should bring up my Nitrate and Potassium to acceptable levels. I'll be measuring the Nitrate a couple times a week and dosing accordingly.

How long will it take the plants to heal/recover? As soon as I get my shipment from GregWatson.com, I'll be dosing MicroNutrients from them as well as KN03.

Realistically, with the tank specs below, how often and how much should I do water changes? It's not overly difficult (with the Python), but it's just a matter of finding time.