# [Wet Thumb Forum]-what deficiency is this ?



## Madpiano (Feb 4, 2003)

Hello

I seem to have had some deficiencies in my tank. They have gone away for now, but I want to avoid problems in the future.

I had some new growth on Cabomba and Baby Tears which was essentially white and some of the older leaves on Baby Tears got perforated.

The other thing is, that the tips of my Java Fern Leaves turn dark green and see-through.

It all went away after a water change and adding some AP Leaf Zone.

I don't normally add fertilizer regulary. Only when the plants don't look right, or don't grow as fast as normal.

Here is some pics:


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## Madpiano (Feb 4, 2003)

Hello

I seem to have had some deficiencies in my tank. They have gone away for now, but I want to avoid problems in the future.

I had some new growth on Cabomba and Baby Tears which was essentially white and some of the older leaves on Baby Tears got perforated.

The other thing is, that the tips of my Java Fern Leaves turn dark green and see-through.

It all went away after a water change and adding some AP Leaf Zone.

I don't normally add fertilizer regulary. Only when the plants don't look right, or don't grow as fast as normal.

Here is some pics:


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

The java fern is normal. Something about it grows so fast that the pigment can't keep up (don't remember exactly what I read). The other deficiencies look like snails or something eating your plants.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Madpiano:
> I had some new growth on Cabomba and Baby Tears which was essentially white and some of the older leaves on Baby Tears got perforated.


These are two different problems.

The light color in new growth could caused by a deficiency in many different trace metals. Iron may be the most likely, but it isn't the only one.

The performated older leaves may be snail damage. I notice what look like small pin-prick sized necrotic spots on the same leaves. In at least some plants that is a symptom of potassium deficiency. If you have snails, then the snails may be eating dead or dying leaf tissue that has been effected by a deficiency.



> quote:
> 
> The other thing is, that the tips of my Java Fern Leaves turn dark green and see-through.


This is actually a normal characteristic of a growing leaf. Paul Krombolz has said that the new leaf tissue at the tip of the leaf is transparent because it hasn't developed the gas-filled spaces that make older leaf tissue opaque. As the tissue develops the spaces form and become larger and the leaf becomes opaque.

Roger Miller


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## Madpiano (Feb 4, 2003)

ok, thanks. Phew.That doesn't sound too bad then. 

The white growth has stopped for now, so I am ok, the snail damage is ok by me. I have about a zillion red ramshorns in there. They normally eat algae, if they want the occasional nibble on my Baby Tears then that's ok. It is only a couple of leaves anyway, and they are old leaves. 

I know Red Ramshorn snails eat Baby Tears (well I know now) and Foxtail if they can't find any algae. Does anyone know, which plants are on the favourite list for MTS ? I have an inkling it may be Baby Tears as well, as I never seemed to be able to keep it alive before, when I had MTS. I don't have any at the moment, but want to get some, to keep my sand from compacting.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

IME, MTS don't eat any live plants.

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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I'll second Rex on that. Malaysian trumpet snails don't eat plants. I have seen ramshorn's eat leaves, but only when the leaf tissure was dead, damaged or dying first.

Roger Miller


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## Tony B (May 13, 2003)

OK, I have something similar in my Hygrophilas. I add liquid fertilizer every week and would like to try to add some potassium. My question is, how can I prepare the solution and how much should I dose? I have KCl (reactive grade) and access to distilled water. My tank is a 10 gal. lightly planted. 

Any comments would be really appreciated.

Regards,

Tony B.


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## Guest (May 14, 2003)

Those pics with that species of looks like NO3 deficiency to me. 
I've run NO3 level all over the place and that plant does exactly that when the NO3 is low.My K is pretty high all the time (certainly in excess). 
Try adding KNO3 3x a week to around 10ppm or so. Bump up the CO2 some also. You should get nice new growth in a couple of days and be able to trim off the yucky and replant the tops.

If you get into a routine where you add the nutrtients every 3 days or so, then you don't run into deficiencies. 50% weekly water changes takes care of build upand excesses.

This is one reason I don't much like telling folks deficiencies of plants, by the time the plant is showing signs of a missing nutrient(s), it's too late. And there are many variations, plant species and multiple nutrient deficiencies possible from CO2 on down. Lots of testing and guessing. 

It's like waiting to have the cavitities appear rather than brushing your teeth daily.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Tony,

Just add the KCL dry. Or be prepared to add around 10-15 ml of solution to get desired K levels. To figure out a solution go to http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

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## Tony B (May 13, 2003)

Thank you for your comments. I will prepare a solution of KCl according to the link you posted and will let you know the result in a few days.

Regards,


Tony B.


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