# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Fert for red plants, What's going on?



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

So I've been researching Rotala Magenta a bit here and there. I have read stuff about plants giving off reds if certain nurtients are lacking. What is with this? I carry broad and narrow Ludwiga (sp)plus the Magenta and would love to know what this talk of nutrient with holding is all about. How does it effect most green plants, already I know that is a pointless question (about the greens that is). I also don't know where to get tests for alot of the elements you folks talk of.
I use Liquid gold(.5ml/day), and Kent Gro (.5ml/day), 6.8ph, 5 KH, DIY CO2 Nitate 5-10ppm, 20gal, w/2.75 watts per gallon on for 12 hours. That's what I got that's what I can test for. I raised the KH with Baking soda when I started co2 but for some reason I haven't needed to add any since the Kent Gro and Liquid Gold, which I started shortly thereafter. My KH tap is basically 1, could someone explain this? 
What kits do I need? Where to get them? And how to get those reds to show?

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

So I've been researching Rotala Magenta a bit here and there. I have read stuff about plants giving off reds if certain nurtients are lacking. What is with this? I carry broad and narrow Ludwiga (sp)plus the Magenta and would love to know what this talk of nutrient with holding is all about. How does it effect most green plants, already I know that is a pointless question (about the greens that is). I also don't know where to get tests for alot of the elements you folks talk of.
I use Liquid gold(.5ml/day), and Kent Gro (.5ml/day), 6.8ph, 5 KH, DIY CO2 Nitate 5-10ppm, 20gal, w/2.75 watts per gallon on for 12 hours. That's what I got that's what I can test for. I raised the KH with Baking soda when I started co2 but for some reason I haven't needed to add any since the Kent Gro and Liquid Gold, which I started shortly thereafter. My KH tap is basically 1, could someone explain this? 
What kits do I need? Where to get them? And how to get those reds to show?

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

So just for fun I just did some tap/aquarium GH & KH tests. Tap= GH 8 KH 4. Aquarium= GH 12 KH 5. So this helps me a little, my tap paramiters have changed since I started CO2 4 months ago. They used to be GH 17 KH 1. I see you folks talking about getting water readings from the city, how do I go about doing this? I'm in Baltimore. Thanks for your time.

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Took me less than a minute to find this with Google.

Moderator










American by birth, Marine by the grace of God! This post spell checked with IESpell available at http://www.iespell.com

See my Profile for tank details.


----------



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

I investigated the google for that info and only found dead-ends and frustration. Thanks for your help.

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

Waste

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

You want to limit your nitrate. Make sure its aroung 5 by reducing fish load.

*Tank Journals*


----------



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

Rex, I don't understand what this means to me. I feel that you have been rude in your posting of the time it took you to find information that means something to you, but nothing to me. I posted and asked for specific peramiters and recievied nothign aimed at my post. Hence my post with the quality "waste." 
To all, if you feel I am lazy and cannot find the information I have asked for, than say so. At least I'll know what to say to ya'll. To be honest, right now I'm confused; IUnknown, thanks for your help. But I can't believe there's not more on this topic to be shared. Thanks for the filter help mister canada, my worries were sedated and I LOVE MY EHIEM!!!
Humm... Just tring to get some feelings

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Homestar:
> So just for fun I just did some tap/aquarium GH & KH tests. Tap= GH 8 KH 4. Aquarium= GH 12 KH 5. So this helps me a little, my tap paramiters have changed since I started CO2 4 months ago. They used to be GH 17 KH 1. I see you folks talking about getting water readings from the city, how do I go about doing this? I'm in Baltimore. Thanks for your time.
> ...


Homestar,

I provided a direct link to the city of Baltimore water quality report. It gives you a general overview of what is in your water. If you feel that providing information that you seem to have requested is rude then so be it. I call it being helpful. I'm sorry I did not have the time and funds to fly to Baltimore and hold your hand and explain the water quality report to you.

Moderator










American by birth, Marine by the grace of God! This post spell checked with IESpell available at http://www.iespell.com

See my Profile for tank details.


----------



## Shane A smith (Jun 15, 2003)

Homestar, Nitrates are shown Liven up the red color in almost all plants that have a tendency to become red under the proper conditions. Terrestrial and aquatic. By lowering nitrates as low as u can (under 5ppm) then you can really get some awesome color on your reds/oranges in your tank. Nobody ment to be rude were all friendly.


----------



## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Sometimes I don't get my questions answered either, sometimes the people reading the post just don't have the answer. Sometimes people reply with a "anyone?" and an answer usually comes up. From what I remember, up the light and lower the nitrate. For more in depth, I remember some good post on this board before, try searching for it, or fins.actwin.com for some good info.

*Tank Journals*


----------



## Bill D (Feb 7, 2003)

Homestar,

Sometimes people who have a lot of specialized technical knowledge tend to be impatient with those who do not have it. I've seen this professionally with some engineers and a lot of computer folk. Some of those people are more oriented to the technical than to the interpersonal. Not all, of course.

Do not take the apparent rudeness personally. You aren't the first, and I'm sure it wasn't so intended. Take from the responses what you can and move on. After all, you are not looking for a personal relationship with him.

Good luck!

Bill


----------



## Jon Mulzer (Mar 9, 2003)

I personally have wondered whether some of Rex's comments should be taken rudely. But then I realized he is just very "to the point". He doesn't include a lot of the meaningless banted that a lot of the rest of us put in our posts so sometimes it makes him seem like he is being short with the person.

The way I see it, he has like a million posts on this board , at some point you get tired of the chit chat and only post the facts, lol. Don't take it as being rude, just straight forward and to the point.

Also he never uses emoticons. Had he added a "" to the end of it it would have changed the whole mood of it, ya know?

----------------------------

15XH, 36W PC, XP-1, Onyx Sand, DIY CO2

Crypts spiralis, ciliata, balansae and wendtii bronze and red, pennywort, wisteria and java fern and moss.


----------



## Homestar (Apr 16, 2003)

Thanks Jon, et all. BTW, I have been accused of being direct and to the point. I wander several web forums and the role of moderator changes between them. On some they are fact checkers, on others they play a more political role. I am used to the political types and have come expect this of "moderators" on the web. This makes sense to me but I think on this forum moderators are chosen for their technical prowess. Humm positives and negatives.
Rex, have you considered taking up business in traveling to setup and maintain tanks. Would you have even been allowed to hold another man's hand?

Chris from Baltimore


----------



## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Rex, have you considered taking up business in traveling to setup and maintain tanks. Would you have even been allowed to hold another man's hand?


Now there's an unusual question.

For what it's worth, our Moderators' main duty is to make sure that everyone's questions get answered. We are the source of last resort, so technical know-how does factor in. Aside from that, we need to have time to be here quite a bit and we need to be willing to help people. Despite being a little short sometimes, Rex is one of the more helpful people here.

Roger Miller


----------



## KETan (Jul 2, 2003)

Hi, all!

Couldn't agree more with Jon & Roger on Rex! He is definitely one hell of a busy guy, & definitely one of the best moderator in the forum. A mighty all-rounder. (But I like Roger best ......







)

You should followup with Rex's daily posts to this forum & know what I mean, all that helpful & to the point, though I was quite angry with him too once when he did not reply at all my PM to him on a little silly question .... I later deduced that he might flush out the PM thinking I'm a spammer .... WHERE IS MALAYSIA???









Rex, may I PM you again with the same silly Q??









Am learning everyday.
And the more I know, the lesser I know I knew!


----------



## tsunami06 (Feb 6, 2003)

Back to the topic at hand...

I have been trying the low nitrate and high
light regime for a while now... and I did not
have the resulted I hoped for. After increasing
iron/traces and K, I got much healthier growth
and vibrant green color.

The last ingredient to intense red coloration
seems to be phosphate... increase it to 1.5
or even 2 ppm if you are feeling brave. Now,
all the plants I wanted to turn red turned deep
red. The wallichii is a deep pinkish red,
the arcuata is red... the cuba looks like a
rainbow. The green plants still seem as
healthy as ever... the tank has a certain
sparkle now that it did not have before. Finally, success.









Carlos

-------------------------
"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -- Van Gogh


----------



## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

I have been having a similar problem redding my plants. I have kept the NO3 near 10 and near 5 with no visible difference. I haven't really played with the phosphate. Tsunami, how do you provide this nutrient?

-Scott
tank specs and bad pictures


----------



## tsunami06 (Feb 6, 2003)

I add it through KH2PO4. www.litemanu.com
sells it. You can also try fleet enema from
your local pharmacy as your source of phosphate.
You won't get good results with nitrate at 10
but you should see it at 5 if you have 
good phosphate levels.

Carlos

-------------------------
"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -- Van Gogh


----------

