# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Have you ever encountered with a nutrient toxicity?



## MarcinB (Apr 16, 2004)

Is nutrient toxicity in a planted tank only a myth? Any experiences with it? Should it be considered as a potential cause of a poor plant growth or not?

150L (40G) planted tank
click here for photo
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## MarcinB (Apr 16, 2004)

Is nutrient toxicity in a planted tank only a myth? Any experiences with it? Should it be considered as a potential cause of a poor plant growth or not?

150L (40G) planted tank
click here for photo
Rate my tank!


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

When my no3 test kit went bad and I had around 30-40 ppm no3, my A. reineckii absolutely would not grow.

George

4 tanks: 5.5, 12, 29, and 45 gallons.

More complete tank specs in profile.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Marcin,

Most often an excess in one nutrient has the same symptom as a deficiency in another nutrient. The often-reported case when high potassium levels cause calcium deficiency symptoms is considered to be a nutrient toxicity. I think there are other similar relationships.

The symptoms of excess in nitrogen and iron are overly green growth. When normally red plants turn green that is sometimes a symptom of nitrogen excess. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a toxicity.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## MarcinB (Apr 16, 2004)

I'm asking because I experiment a lot with micronutrients. Currently I'm adding 0,4ppm of Fe, 0,24ppm of Mn and 0,013ppm of Zn per week. That's 5x more than the recommended TMG dose provides. Those modifications greatly imporved the condition of my plants and helped to get rid of algae, but I still see some deficiences. Some plants look good one day and pale on another. So I wonder whether it is still a deficiency or already a toxicity? Do you have any informations on the toxic levels of individual micronutrients? In hydroponic cultures recommended concentration range for many micronutrients covers one order of magnitude (I hope you'll manage to understand what I mean) so maybe it's not so easy to develop a nutrient toxicity?

150L (40G) planted tank
click here for photo
Rate my tank!


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## tsunami06 (Feb 6, 2003)

I have noticed that Rotala macrandra and
Rotala wallichii show toxicity symptoms to
excess nirogen. They stunt.

Erythromycin causes Hemianthus micranthoides to stunt and grow more slowly for up to a month after treatment. Nylon also has a similar
effect. IME.

Carlos

-------------------------
"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -- Van Gogh


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## MarcinB (Apr 16, 2004)

Tsunami, what level of nitrates you found to be an excess? Hmm, I've never heard about nylon toxicity. Isn't fishing line made of nylon?

150L (40G) planted tank
click here for photo
Rate my tank!


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

re: the nylon problem... Paul Krombholz came across a similar problem years ago. It's talked about on APD, on the krib and in TAG. He was using some kind of screen material in his tank (can't remember why) and found that it caused his plants to have symptoms similar to calcium deficiency.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I should add, the best article I've read on the role of nutrients in plant growth and the symptoms of toxicity and deficiency is by Ames and Johnson . The article is written for hydroponics, so we can't make much use of their nutrient concentrations, but the functions and symptoms are very useful.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

MarcinB, I think it's harder to overdose micronutrients than it is certain macros. I say this because very recently I forgot to place the cap back on my automatic doser which dumped a two week supply of traces in the tank all at once. Besides some slight hints of green water and dust algae I didn't notice any negative effects on the plants, just the anubias seem to have been effected slightly as the edges of their leaves got a little burned. I obviously didn't leave all these nutrients in there for more than 24 hours but I didn't go crazy with water changes either, I was kind of curious as to what effects it would have. I'm sure the levels were at least x5 for about a week with no big problems. Macros on the other hand seem to be easier to overdose.

You also have to consider that you may still have a deficiency of something regardless of how much TMG you place in the tank, after all, it doesn't contain "everything" the plants require. Many other trace elements come from your tap water for example. In my case if I don't use calcium tabs, or root tabs high in calcium contents I end up with a deficiency as my tap water has little calcium in it. I now use Flourish as it seems more complete for my needs, it may be worth trying a product with different contents or ratios. Mixing TMG and Flourish actually worked well for me too.

You can take a glace of the contents here:
http://www.gpodio.com/fert_table.htm

I'm going to have to look up the problem regarding nylon seeing I use a nylon net to hold down my riccia... I never heard this before, very interesting, would be funny if my long battles with Gracilis were due to the riccia net!

Giancarlo Podio


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## MarcinB (Apr 16, 2004)

Thanks for your answers guys!

Giancarlo, I add all nutrients needed by plants except of Ca and Cl. My tap water contains enough of both (100ppm of Ca and 10ppm of Cl, tank GH=12).

150L (40G) planted tank
click here for photo
Rate my tank!


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## Antonio Trías (Feb 4, 2004)

Giancarlo, if your micros are chelated, only when the light will broke the chelator the metals are disposed for the toxicity, and that depends, of course on your traces concentración, but on your ligth level (more ligth if you overdose, more toxicity)

I do not belive to overdose traces it will be safe on the long way


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