Petex;82011 said:
No, all pics were taken from the same tank.
There are also some German threads for example about Rotala Macrandra´s species and their visuell appearence (
http://www.flowgrow.de/artenbestimmung/rotala-macrandra-sp-t19509-15.html )
Those pics all show the same Rotala Macrandra Green (same tank/same T4 lightning):
http://www.flowgrow.de/download/file.php?id=30787&mode=view/m3aa.jpg
I've have this same plant and depending on where in the group you remove and tank a picture, even with the same group regardless of the dosing, I can easily find 2 stems that look like the examples.
Plants will self shade, so called intraspecific competition.
It seems you are looking for pre drawn conclusions rather than addressing the issue step wise. I've had a lot more experience with Ca and Mg than most of these folks and I can adjust and play around with photoshop just fine.
There are quite a few things that it could be.............but simply adjusting the Ca and Mg does not imply anything other than correlation, all it takes is for one person to to do a different ratio and it falsifies their claim.
I've adjusted Ca and Mg quite a bit and had tap water with very very different Ca and Mg ppm's. I've also pointed out that if folks do not dose Mg and are not addign enough to start with, and assume their GH had/has a nice ideal Ca and Mg ppm...then they will think this.
This is what folks are seeing, the absolute ppm of the individual nutrients are causign effect, it has nothing to do with the ratios.
Liebig's law predicts and states this.
This a fundamental and basic law on plant fertilization.
Ratios have little support in research for plant agriculture.
In each picture, a mere change of the light bulb color temperature can actually make the appearance more pronounced than what you have shown.
Or a change in CO2, position, age of the stem as it grows closer to the surface, pruning of other plants within the tank........they cleaned the filter recently on and on...........
Rather than playing with a ratio, try this: simply increase the levels up individually. Just like Liebig suggest.
You should see more growth if you get any effects with Ca/Mg prior.
Mg limitation will also produce a stronger red, but slowed/reduced/limited growth. Chlorophyll a and b require Mg and N in significant amounts..........., these pigments mask the red and yellow pigments.
That's likely what may be going on perhaps.
In well fertilized tanks that do not apply ratios and instead apply Liebig law, we still see nice colors............but we have higher rates of growth, so the tissue tends to have a higher % of newer tip growth, leading to more red color. with good CO2 also, the ability to make ample red and yellow pigments is much easier, thus more is made without having to allocate carbon to other more important demands.
I know Toby likes to suggest this Ca/Mg thing and how it's some sort of mircle and he cannot explain why it is..........but simply adding GH booster like we do in the USA has similar effects.
This suggest it's just a mild limitation of Mg.
Not anything to do with the ratios.
Anything above non limiting is non limiting and
thus a ratio will only matter if the range is limiting............
If it is limiting, then the system is no longer independent. It is dependent on the most limiting factor. Adding more will cause the system to shift and perhaps more from a Mg limited system, to a CO2 limited system........which we'd have more issues with growth, algae etc than a mild limitation of Mg.
None of these issues seemed to be brought up in these discussions, there is very little critical skepticism.
It would help most newer hobbyist to learn more about basic plant physiology. Basic laws and concepts that are the foundation are often overlooked.