yellow pogostemon helferi

[yme]

hi!

just a quick question.

Since the discussion: low light is better!! started, I joined the crowd and lowered my lights as well to 100 umol directly at the surface (and 50 umol at the substrate)
However, the plants became very green. therefore I included twice a day a light peak of one hour (250 umol at the surface). plants have now a very nice colour. (happy)

The problem is that I also cut back on the traces both iron and TMG, which resulted in yellow new growth of blyxa japonica and pogostemon helferi when dosed 5 ml TMG per day in my 90 gallon tank (which was very lean, I know)
the addition of 7.5 ml flourish iron (0.2 mg Fe/l/day) fixed the blyxa within a week. however, the helferi remained yellow (both the leave and the veins).
Then I increased 3 days ago the TMG dosis to 7.5 ml per day. no result yet...

So: it must be an iron or trace deficiency. but which? what would be your thoughts?
and if I don't see improvement the next couple of days, what would you do?

greets,

yme

 

[Gilles]

Pogostemon helferi is prown to color white(ish) when there is an iron deficiency.. Maybe you can try to dose your iron directly on the pogostemon (using a seringe) to see if that is the case?

p.s. So lowering the lights + 1 hour peak worked for you in regards of plant colors (e.g. reddishness or what?)

 

[ibanezfrelon]

Why don't just double the traces and Fe so you can rule them out?
How much macros do you dose?

 

[yme]

. So lowering the lights + 1 hour peak worked for you in regards of plant colors (e.g. reddishness or what?)

2x 1 hour peak
yup, just the colour of the plants. instead of plain green, they now have a nice orange colour etc.

Pogostemon helferi is prown to color white(ish)

I know . but they are not whitish. just yellow/very light green. and in contrast to what you see on the www: the veins are also yellow/light green.

Why don't just double the traces and Fe so you can rule them out?

I am a bit scared for OD-ing traces. but I could give it a try... (low light, not much traces necessary)

How much macros do you dose?

NO3: 30 mg/l (1 mg/l/day)
PO4: 1 mg/l (0,3 mg/l/day)
K: 20-30 mg/l (measured)
Ca: 30 mg/l (calculated)
Mg: 6 mg/l (calculated)

thanks!

yme

 

[Tug]

Hi yme,
I'm confused. Does this mean you are only dosing 1/16 tsp KNO3/day?

NO3: 30 mg/l (1 mg/l/day)
PO4: 1 mg/l (0,3 mg/l/day)

FWIW, even though EI doses were determined using high light with good CO2, I do not understand why the drop off in plant growth requirements would be that great as long as you are adding CO2.


I have always admired your "smarts" when it comes to this hobby. I have to wonder if you are over thinking this. I add 5ppm NO3 and 1ppm PO4 daily and have not had any problems to speak of. i am not familiar with their product but TMG doses of 7.5 ml per day also seams low. Please feel free to straiten me out.

I am a bit scared for OD-ing traces.

 

[yme]

I'm confused. Does this mean you are only dosing 1/16 tsp KNO3/day?

the concentration of NO3 in the tank is around 30 mg/l. (using a reference solution)
calculating teaspoons to mg/l... (ah... Wet's EI calculator is great!!!)
according to the calculator I add a little bit less than 2/16 tsp per 90 gallon per day in order to increase the NO3 level by 1 ppm.

And since I don't have many fish (just a 5 flagfish that I don't feed, a SAE and some oto's) the NO3 consumption is rather low. which was also more or less the reason why I used less traces in the first place.

greets,

yme

 

[Tug]

I wonder were the extra nitrate is coming from then?

You can always try dosing something closer to the recommended EI. If that helps after a few weeks, slowly reduce the levels until you see a change in the plants.

Short film about a man with an irrational fear.
[video=youtube;VM2fpyiwKKA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM2fpyiwKKA[/video]

 

[yme]

I wonder were the extra nitrate is coming from then?

owh sorry.... I now see the problem!

after the weekly 50% water change, I add all the macro's back to the desired level.

greets,

yme