# Is it Mg or Ca deficiency?



## alper (Aug 17, 2005)

I'm using 1 to 1 RO/tap water and PPS for my 50g tank. I have had a deficiency problem for a while. Despite high lighting (3Wpg) New leafs of Hygrophila polysperma Rosanervig is whitened and deformed as shown. I have added enough amount of NPK, Fe and micro nutrients.


----------



## alper (Aug 17, 2005)

any comment?..


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

High light intensity means you need lots of CO2, NPK and traces. It's possible that you are short on one or more of those. Another possibility is that your GH is made up of calcium only, leaving you short of magnesium. The plant actually looks pretty good to me, but I see the slightly distorted new leaves.


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

I have both varieties of HP.

They both looked good with 6700K lighting, but I switched to GE 9325K lighting and the Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig' is very red on top and both varieties grow like "weeds."

I have pressurized CO2 with a 4.26 dKH drop checker that stays green.

I'm using this dosing regimen with just a few changes:
http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/2819-ei-light-those-less-techy-folks.html

I have very soft water with low GH, KH, NO3, PO4, K and Fe.

This is the dosing regimen for 40 gallons of water that I'm using:
*Equilibrium:* 1/2 tsp during water change
*CaCl2∙2H2O:* 1 tsp during water change
*MgSO4∙7H2O:* 1/4 tsp during water change

*K2SO4:* 1/8 tsp - dose 1X at midweek

*KNO3:* 49.3 grams mixed with 500 mL of distilled water - dose 40 mL 3X weekly - each dose = 16 ppm of NO3 and 10 ppm of K
*KH2PO4:* 4.3 grams mixed with 500 mL of distilled water - dose 40 mL 3X weekly - each dose = 1.6 ppm of PO4
*Flourish Iron:* - dose 5 mL 3X weekly -each dose is 0.33 ppm of Fe 
*TMG (Tropica Plant Nutrition liquid:* - dose 5 mL 3X weekly -each dose =
0.26 ppm of K
0.13 ppm of Mg
0.33 ppm of S
0.001 ppm of B
0.002 ppm of Cu
0.023 ppm of Fe
0.013 ppm of Mn
0.0006 ppm of Mo
0.0006 ppm of Zn


----------



## gibbus (Sep 16, 2006)

i have a similar problem with my stem plants. my tank is 4wpg, pressurized CO2 and tropica liquid nutrition+ . I'm perplexed because the blyxa and downoi are ok but the other stem plants show deformities.


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

looking forward to seeing the answer to this, my sunset also has new leaves coming out all twisted even though it's doing well enough to colour up for me while most other plants are doing well...


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

I wonder if these sites might help?
http://www.finostrom.com.gr/images/aqua/fertilizers/map.htm
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page&id=8&chapter=0


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

Left C said:


> I wonder if these sites might help?
> http://www.finostrom.com.gr/images/aqua/fertilizers/map.htm


This one has me confused. 

I also have signs of a Potassium deficiency - this page suggests that the two are closely linked ("High K may produce a Ca deficiency... Excess Ca causes K deficiency problems") - which one should I try to fix? (sorry if I'm hijacking this thread)


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

andrew__ said:


> This one has me confused.
> 
> I also have signs of a Potassium deficiency - this page suggests that the two are closely linked ("High K may produce a Ca deficiency... Excess Ca causes K deficiency problems") - which one should I try to fix? (sorry if I'm hijacking this thread)


I'm just guessing, but it sounds like you need to add both K and Ca.

Steve Hampton basically says the same thing as what the finostrom.com site says: http://www.aquariaplants.com/plantdeficiencies.htm

Potassium deficiencies usually show up in old leaves
_Deficiency_ - Yellow areas, then withering of leaf edges and tips. In early stages, yellowing and curling of older leaves. Newer leaves will begin to droop. Older leaves then become blotchy and scorched. Flowers are lackluster, and stems are soft. The plants will be more susceptible to diseases. Pinpoint holes in leaves.

_Toxicity_ - saline conditions, marginal leaf burn, wilting. May cause calcium deficiency in soft water conditions with excess potassium.

Calcium deficiencies usually show up in new leaves
_Deficiency_ -Damage and die off of growing points Yellowish leaf edges. Underdeveloped roots are the first to be affected. Younger leaves will be immobile and their edges will curl. Plants will be stunted and have dark, crinkled leaves.

_Toxicity_ - iron and potassium lockup.

Chuck's site says this: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm
When it comes to analyzing nutrient deficiencies, one of the first clues to look at is to determine if the deficiency shows up mainly in old growth, or new growth. This helps to narrow down the nutrient involved. Some nutrients are considered "mobile", which means the plant can re-claim the nutrient from old leaves, and move them to produce new leaves. Deficiency of mobile nutrients will show mainly in old leaves. Other nutrients are immobile, which means the plant can not move them from older leaves. This results in a deficiency which shows up on new leaves. Nutrients which are mobile include: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Nutrients which are immobile include : boron, calcium, copper, iron, manganese and sulfur.

Analyzing nutrient deficiencies is never an exact science. Some signs can point to several different nutrients. And in some cases, deficiencies of one nutrient can prevent the plant from properly using ANOTHER nutrient. In addition, the visible signs in cases of extreme nutrient deficiency can be completely different than the clues of a slight nutrient deficiency.

The Fertilator lists these parameters, but testing your water for these parameters may be a problem: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/fertilator.php
Ca - 10 to 30 ppm
K - 10 to 20 ppm


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

I'll pick up some potassium tomorrow but I can't imagine having to dose Ca... my water's hard enough that all but the most sensitive tangs would love it out of the tap  If the problem continues or gets worse I'll pick up a test for Ca and see how much there really is. thanks a lot


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

You're welcome and I hope that I helped you. I add Equilibrium because my water is soft.

Greg Watson suggests adding a little extra GH Booster, Equilibrium, etc. "GH range 1-2 degrees "extra" 17-40 ppm or higher"
http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/2819-ei-light-those-less-techy-folks.html


----------



## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

Measure your N. I get funky leaves when my N is high for a sustained period... (>5ppm)


----------

