phosphate exhaustion

[Davejt]

Do plants 'Bank' Phosphates?

For example if a planted tank has 0 phosphates for some time, and deficiencies showing in the plants. When phosphate is added, is it rapidly absorbed by the plants (more rapidly then normal) until some minimum threshold is reached?

I've been adding flourish phosphate to my tank started at a does to add .3 mg/l and have increased that to two times a day dosing phosphates are still at or near zero.

Yes tested my test kit on several known dilutions of the Flourish phosphate and kit reacts predictably.

Just wonder if the plants are so hungry they need to catch up.

TIA.

 

[Biollante]

Bunch of PO4

Hi TIA,

Sounds as though you starved the plants and assuming the test results are correct I would suggest increasing the Phosphorus. I have not seen this in PO4, but I have seen other nutrients just sucked up when plants are starved or just plain getting in gear.

You did not share any other information so it is hard to say.

Off-hand with the given information I would use Fleet Enema, say one milliliter per 100 liters every other day. If you prefer Flourish Phosphate 26 milliliters per 100 liters every other day.

The best piece on Phosphorus and aquatic plants I have seen is http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/1606-Barr-Report-Newsletter-Phosphorus.


Biollante

 

[Davejt]

Thank you.

I will post more details in a 'problems' thread later.

Just curious where all the phosphorus was going.

In some supplemental reading earlier I read that high Iron levels can precipitate out with the phosphate? Any truth to that? What levels are considered 'high' for Iron... at least in relation to removing phosphates.


Off to read the link you posted.

 

[Biollante]

Yes

Thank you.

In some supplemental reading earlier I read that high Iron levels can precipitate out with the phosphate? Any truth to that? What levels are considered 'high' for Iron... at least in relation to removing phosphates.

Off to read the link you posted.

Hi,

Yes, phosphates can percipitate iron.

Most of us dose phosphate on a different day from iron, a couple of hours apart should be sufficient though.

I doubt you could hit iron levels great enough to be a concern.

Biollante