Red Temple problem

Re: Red Temple problem

You have the same size tank and lights that I have. I dose 1/4 tsp KNO3 and almost 1/8 tsp of KH2PO4 every other day, and 1/16 tsp CSM+B+iron on the alternate days. My "red temple" plant still grows pretty slowly, but I don't remember seeing any pinholes in the leaves. I also use CO2 with a CO2 mist system, at about 3-4 bubbles per second.

 

Re: Red Temple problem

My substrate is Soilmaster Pro Select Charcoal, with a dusting of ground peat at the bottom. My water is a bit soft, low KH, but I haven't checked it for several months, so I don't know the numbers. Nor do I know the pH, since I quit checking that a few months ago too. It isn't real low, as I recall, so it must be around 6.4 or so. I don't see the benefit of adding clay to the substrate - I think both of our substrates are just fracted clay, so they provide the benefits of clay, as far as binding cations (?) goes. My red temple (Alternathera Reinickii v. Roseafolia) reacted very positively to the light increase when I went to 110 watts and began to grow redder and faster. My leaves may have some of that cracking on them too, but I'm not sure - not on the newer leaves for sure.

 

Re: Red Temple problem

This just supports my thought that CO2 mist may not raise the overall level of dissolved CO2 in the water enough to avoid problems like BBA. Unless the mist is really, really fine, and the water current is all inclusive in the tank, you might see signs of a shortage of CO2, in spite of the massive dose of mist. I still get some BBA starting, and that with about 4X the bubble rate that I ran before I had the mist system and few BBA problems. That has persuaded me that I want a reactor either instead of or in addition to CO2 mist.

 

Re: Red Temple problem

No, I'm not nearly ready to say that CO2 mist alone isn't good enough. I want to experiment with my newly made Barr internal venturi reactor for a few months first. If we just had a simple little gage that accurately told us how much CO2 was in the water it would be much simpler. But, I don't.

I rarely dose any magnesium, once I read my water company report, but, again I want to take the time to experiment with it before I decide if I need it. I also don't dose potassium except with KNO3, one more thing I may want to play around with later. So, I don't have any more ideas for you to try right now.