# Deficiency?



## bpb (Mar 23, 2011)

Any ideas on these deficiencies? Hygrophilia thai is developing holes in the leaves. The Nesaea Golden is having some really spiraled and twisted new growth. Same with the Alternanthera Reineckii. Really wrinkly slow producing new growth. Thoughts? I know the second two are some of the more intermediate/challenging stem plants to make happy. But the hygro Thai is a nuisance and tough to make unhappy. Everything else is full and thick. Just these three species are struggling. Osmocote tabs under the AR and NG, as well as pressurized co2 and EI dosing

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mattinmd (Aug 23, 2015)

Twisted growth sounds like calcium deficiency... What's your GH like? Soft water?

As for the hygro... those large holes with raggedy edges look a lot like mechanical damage to me.. I'm more experienced as a land gardener than a planted one, but if I saw that in a land garden I'd immediately go looking for caterpillars or large slugs.

That's not to say the mechanical is causal.. you could have some deficiency that is softening the leaves up enough for something in the tank to eat them that would otherwise leave them alone. The yellowed leaf ends suggest this may be the case. Possibly phosphate deficiency? or potassium being severely enlarged by inhabitants (normally just forms small holes)?


----------



## bpb (Mar 23, 2011)

The yellow ends in the second pic are actually the ideal color. That's Nesaea Golden which should have bright yellow leaves when happy, not green. At any rate. My water is extremely soft, as in less than 5 ppm calcium and no traces of magnesium. Soft as can be. I add 4 tablespoons of GLA GH booster with my weekly 50% water changes. I don't have a GH test kit to confirm my calcium however I do have reef test kits for calcium and magnesium. I wonder if those will read accurately with freshwater? Either way...again, I'm not out of the woods, but things have improved tremendously by reducing my photoperiod and intensity and turning up the co2 a tad


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mattinmd (Aug 23, 2015)

I meant the first picture, the one where the hygro leaves have holes in them... 

If you look at the leaf in the background, to the right side, it has a pair of small holes forming, but the surrounding tissue at the tip of the leaf looks yellow.


----------



## bpb (Mar 23, 2011)

Ah gotcha. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Hey bpb. 

I think the most likely issue with the hygro is probably from fish damage, plecos tend to munch on broad leafed planted like hygros, anubias and swords and leave large holes in the center of the leaf just like your photo. Do you have plecos? What type? 

As for the other 2 plants, it is really difficult to say. Nesaea (now ammannia) is a notoriously difficult plant to grow and will often grow twisted new leaves like that, stunt, grow very slowly even in good conditions. I do not know what specifically causes this to happen but it is fairly common even under seemingly ideal conditions.

As for the Alternanthera reineckii that twisted appearance is also fairly common, also cause unknown. 

Judging by the position of damage on the reineckii & ammannia the deficiency might be an immobile nutrient deficiency like calcium or boron which can both cause twisting issues, but it is more likely to be due to an unknown cause.

Especially if your other plants are doing very well.

Can you post photos of your other plants that are doing well? Photos of the new and old parts of the plant will help narrow down what might be wrong.

Also, are you just using root tabs, or do you dose other fertilizers? If so, which ones and how much / how often do you dose them? What lighting conditions are you using?


----------



## bpb (Mar 23, 2011)

Thanks for the detailed response. I have heard that both AR and the Ammannia are difficult plants. I'm always up for a good challenge.

Tank info: 
Floramax midnight 
Miracle gro organic potting mix under
Pressurized co2
T5ho lighting
EI dosing + a handful of osmocote+ tabs 
50% weekly water changes with RODI water + GH booster

I just did a massive trim so it's hard to post healthy pics since everything is mowed down

Here's an updated pic of the Nesaea golden 









And more

















































Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bpb (Mar 23, 2011)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bpb (Mar 23, 2011)

More on lights. 4x54 watt t5ho, 2-giesemann 6000k midday, 2-giesemann aqua flora. It's two separate fixtures though and I run an 8 hour photoperiod total, but only 2 bulbs at a time. So the front fixture is on for 4 hours, then the rear fixture for 4 hours with no overlap. I used to run them both together but was getting tremendous amounts of algae and leggy growth. Cutting them down to only 2 bulbs at a time has helped tremendously and really made the growth more compact and manageable and all but eliminated the algae. 

I also have a baby bristlenose pleco but I only ever see him on the glass. Never on any leaves. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

