# Buce turning pink & melting. Do I need fert?



## usgetata (Dec 29, 2012)

*Buce turning pink & melting. Do I need fert?*

Hi,
My Buces started turning pink and then melt away. Other plants seem fine and is pearling. Is it lacking some form of fert?

I have a mid-high tech tank with:
ADA 60H tank
ADA duel LED light
Eheim 2265? Filter
Co2 running 1 bps
Substrates: coral slap with osmocote tab
I feed my Betta fish with bloodworm & brineshrimp so the left over can be fert too?

Any advise is welcome!

















Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


----------



## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

Your other plants don't actually look fine. You have micro and macro deficiencies. Esp N. K, What looks like Mg, Fe to me. I reserve the right to be wrong, though. 

If you don't get more fish to feed more, at least get some flourish. 

Adding carbon source is good. A little CO2 or Glut never hurt anyone.


----------



## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

What is going on is your stem plants have access to nutrients from their root systems. The buce plants do not have access and so have become deficient.

I cannot see the stem plants well enough to tell what is going on with them. Better photos are needed.

I can tell you that the buce plants have a macro deficiency not a micro deficiency. This is because the old leaves are affected not the newest ones (micros like iron are white new leaves, never white old leaves). This is consistent with a mobile nutrient like nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium or magnesium. Of these four only nitrogen and phosphorous are possibilities because of the damage type. I am leaning towards a nitrogen deficiency because the damage starts at the tip of the leaf and spreads back towards the base which is what I have seen most often with nitrogen deficient plants.

You will need to dose nitrogen regularly as nitrates. About 10 to 25 ppm per week is a good starting point. Old damaged leaves won't heal themselves but no further damage will happen.

Www.deficiencyfinder.com has photos of nitrogen deficient buce plants. Just scroll down until you reach the nitrogen deficiency photos and have a look.


----------



## usgetata (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks for the response JustLikeAPill!

I do have flourish excel at home. I will start doing one cap a day for now.
I am doing 1 bps CO2 right now and the st. Repens is already pearling. Should I add more CO2?

With Betta fish, Pea puffer and cherry shrimps in the tank, what kind of fert should I consider?

Edit: Just saw Zapins' post. Thanks and I'll check out deficiencyfinder.com!


----------



## usgetata (Dec 29, 2012)

Actually after more browsing I decided to starting dosing EI method.
Bought a EI dosing starter set and I'll report back in 2 weeks...


----------



## usgetata (Dec 29, 2012)

Update after almost a month of dosing EI. Everything looks much better. 
The Buce is growing new leaves, and the Madagascar Lace plant is glowing crazy!
Also, the green thread algae in the tank are all gone now.


----------



## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Great news I'm glad things have perked up! 

Thank for updating us on how it turned out.


----------



## Muntaseer (Dec 19, 2015)

I think the buce plants are suffering from macro deficiency. you should use ferts. you can check out this site to have a good look at different kind of ferts and choose the one that best fits you.


----------

