# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Plants not looking the way they should.



## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Well hello to all that read and replie to this post.

I seem to have encountered a problem, that I can not rectify. Here are my tank specs.

90 Gallons
Lighting: 230 (mix beetween Pc and NO Florescents)
Ph:6.8
Kh: 130 ppm
Gh: Unsure but I know it`s hard water.
Co2: 34 ppm run 24/7
Plants are: Giant Hygrophilia
Hygrophilia Polysperma
Hygrophilia Rosen(something)?
Hygrophilia Difformis
Altherata Recikki
Java windelov
Ludwiga repens Rubin

Here is my routine. 
Saturday: 50% water change
30 ml TMG
3/4 teaspoon of KNO3
10 drops of Fleet enema(for phos)
Monday: 30 ml TMG
3/4 teaspoon of KNO3
10 drops of Fleet enema(for phos)
Wednesday:30 ml TMG
3/4 teaspoon of KNO3
10 drops of Fleet enema(for phos)

I`m just wondering why some of the leaves on the Hygro Rosen? curl onto themselves.(pic will follow).

My giant Hygros, have new leaves, that appear a red and yellowish color.

As for the Althernate Recikki, it just shut right donw and the leaves seem to be transparent, it`s not doing well per say.

The Hygro difformis and Polysperma are doing relatively well, there is a trace of hair algea on them, on the bottom leaves not at the top.

What I`m wondering, is if I`m not dosing enough, or too much, if the water hardness might have something to do with the problem. Or the lights maybe.

If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it. `

Thanks Tankedfish


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Well hello to all that read and replie to this post.

I seem to have encountered a problem, that I can not rectify. Here are my tank specs.

90 Gallons
Lighting: 230 (mix beetween Pc and NO Florescents)
Ph:6.8
Kh: 130 ppm
Gh: Unsure but I know it`s hard water.
Co2: 34 ppm run 24/7
Plants are: Giant Hygrophilia
Hygrophilia Polysperma
Hygrophilia Rosen(something)?
Hygrophilia Difformis
Altherata Recikki
Java windelov
Ludwiga repens Rubin

Here is my routine. 
Saturday: 50% water change
30 ml TMG
3/4 teaspoon of KNO3
10 drops of Fleet enema(for phos)
Monday: 30 ml TMG
3/4 teaspoon of KNO3
10 drops of Fleet enema(for phos)
Wednesday:30 ml TMG
3/4 teaspoon of KNO3
10 drops of Fleet enema(for phos)

I`m just wondering why some of the leaves on the Hygro Rosen? curl onto themselves.(pic will follow).

My giant Hygros, have new leaves, that appear a red and yellowish color.

As for the Althernate Recikki, it just shut right donw and the leaves seem to be transparent, it`s not doing well per say.

The Hygro difformis and Polysperma are doing relatively well, there is a trace of hair algea on them, on the bottom leaves not at the top.

What I`m wondering, is if I`m not dosing enough, or too much, if the water hardness might have something to do with the problem. Or the lights maybe.

If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it. `

Thanks Tankedfish


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Here are the other pic`s I to offer. If anyone can help with this it would be great


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

And the last one, I cant seem to be able to add more then one Pic per post. But here goes for the last pic!


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## Tonka (Mar 20, 2004)

Please convert your fleet enema and KNO3 additions to ppm using Chuck Gadd's calculator (downloadable from the link elsewhere in this site). I think you making us do too much work to convert from teaspoons and drops.

Fleet enema conversiions are available at:

http://users.ev1.net/~spituch/Chemicals/chemicals.html#Phosphate


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Thanks Tonka, I`m really glad to showed me this link, it`s shedding some light on my plant groth problem.

As of now I would have been dosing
7.55 ppm of Kno3 (Calculated from Chadd`s Calc)
and only .38 ppm of Po4. On the 3 times that I have mentionned earlier.

Am I wrong to believe that my plants consume the KNO3 and the PO4 before I get to the next dosing day? I just seems like after the water change that plants look like there picking up and turning a nicer green, but when the rest of the week unfolds they just start to slow down. 

Well if you have any other suggestions please let me know. I think we are on to something.

Thanks 
Tankedfish.


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## Tonka (Mar 20, 2004)

You need to test for PO4 and NO3. It seems like you know how much you add, but you don't say how much you start with after your water change and how much you end up with. Dosing should be such to maintain something like 0.5 to 1.0 ppm PO4 and 5.0 to 10.0 ppm NO3 and you should try to start with and end with these same values.

I was shocked to find that I have to add 9ppm of PO4 and 11 ppm of NO3 during a week's time in order to maintain these ranges. This was based on the actual consumption of these components.

You might want to rethink your dosing. Your KNO3 may be too high and your PO4 may be too low. If you test what you start with and adjust to desired levels and then test what you end up with, the differences (as long as the ending values are not zero) are what you have to add. If either ending value is zero, you will need to bring your levels back up to the desired ranges and then test again, but this time earlier than before, so you get a non-zero reading.

Also, you probably are aware of this, but it is important to mention that when you figure the ppm, you need to use the actual amount of water you have in your tank in the denominator. If you use your nominal tank volume, you are counting the volume of the glass/acrylic and the volume of anything else you have in your tank - like driftwood and substrate.

BTW, I have no experience with TMG, but I think that 90ml per week of such an expensive (US$19/500ml) product has got to be excessive. Doesn't the label recommend 10ml/100 liters per week?

It will likely take you several cycles to get dosages right. It took me eight weeks! But the end result was a virtually algae-free tank.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I don't see anything wrong with the plants you photographed and all of your descriptions except the Alternanthera seem normal.

It's hard to say what happened to the Alternanthera. I'm not sure where it is in your photos, but if that's it in the center mid ground then chances are good that it is just too shaded.


Roger Miller


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Hey thanks alot guy`s!

I have one more question for you. Say I dose 1tsp or 5.4g of KNO3 to my tank (gives me 10ppm of nitrate), and add 2ml of Fleet(enema)Gives me 1ppm of phosphate. Given that those are the right amount on initial dosing. Where do I get the pottasium level, I mean KNO3 only gives me 6.6 ppm of K. I`m left in a little confusion as to where I could achieve 20 ppm of K. Is there any other product I should add?
My water out of the tap has no Nitrate or Phophate. So My test kit`s tell me.

I do thank you for taking the time to give me a helping hand.

Tankedfish


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## Tonka (Mar 20, 2004)

There is no simple way to test for K and there is thhinking that an excess of K inhibits Ca uptake.

Get a water analysis from your water company. If your water is light on K and is still light on K after adding your KNO3, you can add K2SO4 or KCl as per Chuck Gadd's Calculator to get to 20 ppm. My water is 4 ppm K so I add 16 ppm of K with K2SO4.

As for dosing K, several who post here do not add any K other than what is added with KNO3. I stopped dosing K only one week ago and, so far, I see no difference. Time will tell, however.

TankedFish, did you refigure the actual volume of your tank?


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## tankedfish (Apr 9, 2005)

Tonka, thanks again for your valuable information.

Yes I did figure out that my tank`s water volume is 76.5 gallons. That is what I base my dosing on. I will try not to add anymore K as well and see if my plants show sings of deficiency`s. I still consider myself a beginner so noticing certain deficiency`s is pretty hard. 

I`m really glad I got some of the little bugs that I had about dosing out of the way you have been a great help. I`m doing a 50% water change today being (saturday) and I`m going to dose what I assume is the correct amounts. 
Saturday
5.6g of Kno3 = Nitrate 11ppm
Potassium 7ppm
2ml of fleet = 1ppm of P
25 ml of TMG

wednesday
same as saturday

This will be my dosing regime for now. 

Please feel free to add your input, as well as who ever wish`s too.

Thanks 
Tankedfish


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

isn't 50% water change a little much? i always do 25% water change. you may be sucking out valuable nutrients with the large changes.


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## imported_BSS (Apr 14, 2004)

I'm sure there is lots of healthy debate floating around about the change percentage. From how I think about it, a 50% water change actually adds back in some of those "other" nutrients that are naturally in our water supply that I don't add back in myself. So, to me, a 50% water change is actually somewhat healthier than a 25% change. Then again, you need to dose *more* ferts, some you could argue it costs more, etc. etc.

Brian.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

true, i definately see your point on trace elements.


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