# Nutrient Deficiency???



## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

The lower leaves on some of my plants are turning brown and dying...Im assuming this is due to nutrient deficiency...Im about to get an Iron test kit and have been mixing my own PMDD's Im assuming I have been improperly dosing from this point will continue to attempt to keep Iron around .1ppm...will this be sufficient to solve my nutrient problem or are there any other suggestions???


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

From your description it sounds to me like the lower half of the plants are not getting enough light... _Do you have the plants planted to close together or are they being shaded by other plants?_


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## yildirim (Nov 25, 2004)

To me also it definitely sounds as a lighting/shading problem.


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## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

I've got 65 watt PC on a 10 gallon tank...is tat really not enough?


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## magicmagni (Aug 19, 2004)

Possibly macrocutrient defieciency. Do you dose anything like Nitrate phosphate or potassium? Do you have any idea what these levels are at?


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## BJRuttenberg (Sep 25, 2005)

just started dosing dry ferts using Barr's EI and the plants have exploded to life...guess I just wasnt providing enough nutrients


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I assume by 65 watts of PC that this is something with good reflectors and appropriate Kelvin rating. If so, you've got quite a bit of light there, even for a 10 gallon. You are absolutely going to need high and consistent levels of CO2 for that kind of setup. You will also need to be absolutely religious about dosing ferts and keeping everything where it needs to be. Many plants will pull nutrients from older areas to keep up with new growth if something is in short supply. Iron could be a problem (you'll need some) but a macro deficiency is more likely.


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## magicmagni (Aug 19, 2004)

Good to see that you have it sorted out then.

Whenever you see a problem with your plant's growth always check the most important things first and work down to the less important things:

This is my check list:
Light (this is ususally a given, but you never know maybe a bulb burnt out?)

Co2- check for leaks. Make sure you have recommended levels

Macro nutrients (NPK) 10-2-20 is the generally accepted levels most keep

Micronutrients


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