Question about Albino Glowlight Tetra

[Aiken Drum]

Yellow leafs are a sign of nitrogen or iron deficiency. What is the nitrate level in your tank?

 

[NStalgia]

It was 20 last time but the plants aren't in tanks. They're just in containers cause I'm trying to get them to grow longer 1st. Those are the two plants. The yellowish one is easy to fix and normally I can salvage them. The other drooping one is the problem. It's been like that for a month now. And I've had a couple before with the same problem.

 

[NStalgia]

Also something else. I'm guessing these holes on my plants were made by seed shrimp? I just noticed these earlier. A week ago they were fine. Any way to reduce their numbers other than removing them manually? There's a bunch of them sticking on the driftwoods.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Have you tested nitrate in the tank since you added the pothos? Pothos is very nutrient intensive and tends to suck all the nutrients out of the water and leave you with nitrogen deficiencies. Most aquarium plant fertiliser essentially contain zero nitrogen so if the fish arent producing enough ammonia/ nitrate then you need a fertiliser that contains a good amount of nitrogen.

The plant on the right looks like a phosphate deficiency to me which would have the same causes as nitrogen deficiency. Very few aquarium fertiliser contains phosphate.

What fertiliser are you using!

 

[NStalgia]

They're just in pots or cups cause I'm trying to get them to grow longer 1st. Had no problem with some of the pothos I did this with but a few did droop. I had one that drooped that was on the tank I tested with while the other pothos were perfectly fine and was continuing to grow. I'm have root tabs and macro liquid fertilizer but I've only used it on my main display tank so far.

I'll research the one with phosphate deficiency. Thanks cause that's the 1st possible answer I've gotten to this problem. Altho the other pothos that were beside him was fine.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If they are just in pots and cups with no nutrients they wont do very well. Generally aquarium plants get their nutrients from fish waste and any fertiliser you might use, a standard aquarium substrate might benefit from root tabs, and a soil based substrate will provide nutrients. If you are keeping nutrient intensive plants and seeing any nitrogen or phosphste deficiency you should consider a fertiliser that has some nitrogen and phosphate in there. Most essentially have zero in them because they are seen to cause algae and most tanks dont have any deficiency in these nutrients due to most people not keeping plants that just suck it all out.

A pot of water on its own wont provide much in the way of nutrients.