Plants Deficient. Is my solution correct?

[Joetee]

I think I have the answer but I would like to here from some of you if I am right or if you may have a better idea.

New leaves on one of my swords grow in pale and a bit yellow though still green but not white.

Another stunted sword have twisted and curling leaves. Been this way for a long time.

My large water sprite is bright greenish yellow. Growing well but I'm not sure if it should be a bright greenish yellow or more on the green side. The old growth turns a darker green and then almost a brownish color. It kind of looks like its dying or maybe melting. It isn't just in darker less lighted area's but all old growth.

My thoughts are because Magnesium prevents the proper use of Iron leading to pale leaves and possibly low Calcium leading to twisted and curling leaves that I have a Magnesium and Calcium shortage. What do you all think? If I am right please advise me on what product to buy.

29 gallon tank (maybe 24 gallons of water) heavily planted and over populated tank.
Because one of my ballast went bad just recently I now have 65 instead of 130 watts of CF.
I dose E.I.
KNO3 1/4 tsp
K2S04 1/8 tsp
KH2P04 1/16 tsp
on off days:
CSM+B 1/4 tsp
Iron 1/16 tsp (just recently started adding).
100% Flourite
at least 50% water changes weekly
PH 6.4 to 6.8 (tap water PH is 8.0)
KH 5.5 to 6.0
GH 8
C02 is high. Just below where the fish don't gasp at the surface.
I had is set to about 41ppm to the chart and upped it up a bit until the fish started gasping and then down just a bit so they stop.
Temp is 76 degrees.
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate I try to keep it near 20 but it has been higher because of replanting I think and it slowed plant growth temporarily.

Thanks

Joe

 

[BHornsey]

Hi,
Dosing seems fine though you could maybe dose a touch more KNO3.
You're dosing K2SO4; There's also normally enough K in your N&P dosing to cover it, if you increase N a bit.
If you're using the KH/pH/CO2 table to judge CO2 level then you will probably find CO2 is low. This method depends on kH/CO2 being the only acid forming compounds present; this never holds true in an aquarium.
Try to get yourself a drop checker to more accurately gauge your CO2 level. You may be surprised.

 

[Tom Barr]

Increase the surface movement also. You lose a little CO2, but it allows you to add more with fish as they do not gasp as you increase CO2 ppm.
It's easy to add more CO2, hard to reanimate dead fish.

No need for K2SO4.

Not sure what your GH is.
You can do this a few ways:
Add 1/2 teaspoon of GH booster a week
Add Seachem;s Eq 1/2 tsp once a week
Add MgSO4 1/4 tsp 1-2x a week

Most tap has a decent Ca++ level.

BTW, Mg deficency looks a lot like Fe deficicency and there's not evidence of blocking I've seen in any cases of any aquatic plants from different ions. Some have speculated, and that's all they have done.

I've actually tested using a standard reference tank as a control with suspected plants, never found any interactions for Ca/Mg/K.

I think it's just a bunch of baloney and poor test methods and lack of standard reference tank to test the hypothesis out to begin with.

There are many examples of low Mg/Ca and high K+ or Fe or vice versa and no evidence of an issue.

Correlation does not imply cause.

Funny how these same folks that speculate also use an ADA tank as a reference to support their case on other issues

I hardly add much Ca/Mg and have super soft water. I add no KH.
I add loads of Fe, K+ etc, never had an issue, neither did I when I had moderately hard water either(GH = 9/KH= 6) nor hard water (GH=24/KH=11).

You can add the Mg and see, or add the GH booster to rule out all things GH.
From there you might try TMG instead of CMS, particularly if you have harder tap KH.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Joetee]

Thanks Tom & Brian

But I still have a couple questions.
With my GH at 8 and my KH at 5.5, would I still want to add a GH booster?
You said that there is no need for K2S04 which is Potassium right? If I stop adding this, where does the potassium come from?

My reasoning of Iron/Magnesium/Calcium (from the top post here) came from Chucks site and another one somewhere.

Joe

 

[Tom Barr]

Chuck's site is like 10 years old.
He had some speculation, however, he nor others bothered to test it. I did, folks since added it and found little issue as claimed on the site.

There are plenty of things written on the web that are outdated
Looking back, I am surprised that I got as much as I did right.

Adding more GH booster will not hinder anything and plays no negative role I am aware of or could ever show. Other's report the same that have nice reference tanks doing well.

You can analyze and isolate the Ca and Mg, but it's not likely you are short on Ca, so adding some Mg is about you'd like need to do. If the Gh was like 3 or less, then perhaps.

More trouble than it's worth for most folks.

K+ will come from the KNO3, you have plenty relative to N with KNO3, about a 4:1 ratio of K to N as far as plant demand.

So adding more is not going to hurt nor help.
GH booster is about 40% K2SO4 anyway.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Joetee]

Adding more GH booster will not hinder anything and plays no negative role I am aware of or could ever show. Other's report the same that have nice reference tanks doing well.

You can analyze and isolate the Ca and Mg, but it's not likely you are short on Ca, so adding some Mg is about you'd like need to do. If the Gh was like 3 or less, then perhaps.

More trouble than it's worth for most folks.

K+ will come from the KNO3, you have plenty relative to N with KNO3, about a 4:1 ratio of K to N as far as plant demand.

So adding more is not going to hurt nor help.
GH booster is about 40% K2SO4 anyway.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Tom,

OK I have quit using k2S04, and increased KN03 from 1/4 to 3/8 tsp. I'm still dosing KH2P04 at 1/16 tsp. And of course dosing 1/4 tsp CSM+B and 1/16 tsp Chelated Iron on off days. I haven't got and Grumpies GH booster or any Chechums yet. Is this ok, or can you predict a problem.

Thanks
Joe

 

[Joetee]

Well I started adding Grumpy's GH Booster about a month ago. And now all of my plants have started growing well and strait. No more curling leaves. So I guess this is all I needed.

Thanks again to all

Joe