Plant Issues Questions

[knives00005]

Hi all -

I.. need help.

My tank has a few red plants (alternanthera reineckii, alternanthera reineckii mini, ludwigia red rubin, ludwigia glandulosa and incoming ludwigia pantanal).
I noticed that some of my stem plants are "shedding" leaves, some of them even turn transparent. Some of those leaves even have holes on them.

I also noticed a slow growth on my Ludwigia Glandulosa, it's a bit fast when I first got it.
My Althernantheras have a bit of an orange hue on top - with a few leaves turning a bit green.
A few of my S.Repens shed some leaves too - but others look ok.
My Monte Carlo is growing slow.
Rotala Vietnam has brown tips

Cabomba, Rotala Sunset, Rotala Colorata and Tripartita are growing fast.

Here's my setup:
-LED lights, 40w
-22g aquarium
-Seachem Tidal 55 HOB (it produces a strong current, is it gassing off co2?)
-Pressurized co2 w/ drop checker that turns dark green.
-NilocG Thrive liquid fertilizer (2 pumps, 3x a week)
-DIY Osmocote Root tabs
-ADA Amazonia aquasoil

-Fish: Harlequin Rasboras, a few Guppies and a few Corys.

-50% water change on the weekends.
-Heater was broken but the temps averages 29c (84.2f). I live in the tropics, so yeah.

I'm planning to replace the HOB with a Canister in the near future.

 

[Dustin Feagley]

I believe with a drop checker, you should be aiming for a lighter green, so not enough CO2 could definitely be your issue. If it is a nutrient issue, I would say it's your macros. Macros are mobile, so if there is not enough, the plant will take from the older leaves for new growth. This could cause the old leaves to die and fall off. I would start by increasing CO2. This is what I have been told by the gurus, so maybe they can come in with some more advice. Also, I think the pH KH calculator on rotala butterfly is more accurate than the drop checker. Good luck!

 

[knives00005]

Thank you!!!
I increased the co2 and the drop checker now shows light green. It's been shedding a lot less leaves now.
I've also added an extra LED light, I came home last night with almost all plants have bubbles due to pearling.

I hope it's a good sign.

Any tips to prevent algae? I think with new light comes new adjustment.

 

[Dustin Feagley]

Yes. Dose N to P at about a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio. I started doing this after reading tomm barr's posts, greggz 120 gallon journal, and burr740's journal. It has helped rid my tank of GSA. Phishless is also very knowledgable. I start my co2 4 hours before lights on, so I can lower the input rate a little, but there is a still the right amount of co2 in the tank. This way my fish aren't dying from co2 poisoning at the end of the day. That's not a must, but having the correct amount of co2 spread as evenly as possible throughout the tank is. This will help eliminate all algae. I hope that helps

 

[Phishless]

At least keep 1ppm of PO4 @ all times.
At least 10ppm of NO3 @ all times.
Test degassed water for high pH and water in tank 3 hours into photo period.
Look for a drop in pH of 1.0, this should be close to 30ppm of CO2.

 

[Dustin Feagley]

Thank you phishless. I was hoping one of you gurus would chime in

 

[Phishless]

No "Guru" here.
Just call me grower of large messy tank!