Red horemanii browning

[Matan Golan]

Hi everyone,

My red Echinodorus horemanii plants have a problem in which the leaves are becoming brown and dying. It is more apparent in the outer, older leaves but new leaves are also beginning to develop round brown patches (photo attached).
Other plants in the tank (java ferns, bolbitis, mosses, blyxa, nana val, crypts, etc.) are doing fine.
Anyone familiar with the condition and its causes?

Tank specifications:
240 liters
Florabase substrate
108 watts of T5 flourecsents (app. 2 watts per gallon).
EI dosing at about half the recomended dose (KNO3 1/3 tsp 3 times per week, KH2PO4 1/8 tsp 3 times per week, Plantex CSM + B 1/8 tsp 3 times per week).
My water is hard.
Pressurised CO2 misting through an inline diffuser.
50% weekly WC.

Thanks a lot,

Matan.

 

[Tom Barr]

Has your Tap water changed?
GH and KH?

If you use KH/pH for CO2, then that can cause all sorts of things.
Generally, a few extra good water changes remove any issue.

As swords grow, they get huge. So make sure you did not harm the roots, etc, when uprooting etc other plants.

Generally, they are tough as nails.
You might look at GH, Mg more likely.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Matan Golan]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your reply.

Is it possible that my plants are lacking nutrients with my dosing regime?

I might have uprooted a bit around them lately so this might be the problem.

The tank is relatively new (1.5 months) and my tap water has not changed since I started it.
What do you mean when you say

If you use KH/pH for CO2?

I'm not altering the chemistry of the water other than the dosing I mentioned and CO2 injection.

What do you mean by

You might look at GH, Mg more likely?

As you said, I'm very surprised to have issues with my swords of all plants since I have seen them thrive in all other conditions including low techs.
If anything, they seem to take over tanks rather than have growth problems!

Thanks again,

Matan.

 

[Tom Barr]

Yes, if the tank is that new, 6 weeks, the plant really has not had time to settle in.
Once they do, it should grow very well.

It's still making roots right now, so some leaf die off is normal.

They will grow nice new deep red leaves later.
Be patient, you will have a weed very likely from the sounds of it.

I do not think you are lacking nutrients etc really, it seemed weird, but now I know it's only 6 weeks, then there's the issue more than likely.

The new leaves will brown and melt after awhile.
I just trim them off as the new submersed leaves fill in.

Some plants allocate their old emergent leaves to the roots/rhizomes upon flooding.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Matan Golan]

Thanks a lot.

Matan.