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S. Repens problem!

4K views 25 replies 6 participants last post by  Willcooper 
#1 ·
Hi! Im new to this forum and i hope that this thread is ok. I have started a new tank a few weeks ago and recently my s. repens was having holes in the leaves and is now, what it looks like, dying.
And thoughts of what it could be? At first i thought it might be snails because my other plants are growing pretty good.
100l with led lights and a Co2 system with 2bps and a drop checker.
I have dosed extra potassium since i heard it might be the case but no results so far.
Thankful for all help!
 

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#6 ·
Still having the same problems with all the plants in my tank, holes and leaves falling off eventually. I dose PMDD which is KNO3 KH2PO4 and a bottle with micromix that contains K2SO4 and iron and stuff. The dosage says 10ml per 100l and i dose 15ml. So i dont understand why the plants arent doing well really...
 
#10 ·
Well if you use your PMDD to reach EI PPMs of K, it will probably bring PO4 and NO3 also within the EI target range.
EI is a dosing regime that a lot of hobbyists use because it is easy to implement and gets pretty good results.
Here's a brilliant write up about it: http://www.ukaps.org/index.php?page=dosing-with-dry-salts
Use a calculator like Rotala Butterfly to figure out how to reach EI levels using your fertilisers. You can use the ones you already have you won't need to buy new ones.


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#11 ·
Really helpful, thanks! I have just one question about the calculation. To reach the EI target range of 30ppm i need to dose about 40ml of KNO3, but it says "Dose these levels 2-4 times a week for EI. " 40ml is 4 times higher than the "recomended dose" and to do that 2-4 times a week sounds a bit heavy. Isnt it enough with once a week when i do the 20-50% water change?
Thanks.
 
#12 ·
Ei nitrate dosing should be a target of 7.5ppm (rotalabutterfly ei calculator) dosed 3x a week with good co2 and flow. Which would be a 22.5 ppm dose over the week.

I guarantee this is a transitioning look. Look at the new growth coming out of the tops, it looks good. the old growth will start to look really shabby as the new growth comes in. Below is a pic of mine about 3 weeks after planting. Notice the nice new growth and the old is turning blackish and some are forming holes. As the new grows in trim off the old leaves.
 

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#13 ·
You're right, i read wrong. So i should dose about 3 times a week then. Its not just the repens its all the plants plus a while after new growth appears it starts melting also....
 

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#14 ·
Potassium deficiency. I forgot how you said you were dosing but if you are using co2 well, I would target ei levels across the board. Just eliminate ferts as a possible problem. I also see two bubbles per second on a 100L. How are you diffusing? I run a good 3-4 bps on my 20 gallon long and the fish show no signs of ill effect. I run 2-3 bps on my 10 gallon shrimp tank. Both with a ceramic diffuser. My ph drop when using co2 is about 1.2-1.4. What's yours?
 
#16 ·
Sorry for my ignorace but this is the first time i have tested the EI method and english isnt my first language so i just need help clearing a few things out. I have an inbuild bubble counter in my ceramic diffuser and i have one external bubble counter since the inbuilt one isnt very reliable. The outside one is about 2 BPS and the inbuild is change between 3-5. I bought my dropchecker and fluid at Co2market and it says it contains 4dKH water. The fluid is almost yellow and the fish are pretty pale actually, so i think i will need to change it a bit. I have a fluval 406 cannister filter which is pretty over powered for 100l so i dont think flow is the problem either.
Now to the EI. My bottles with PMDD are all 500ml. One with 50g KNO3, one with 8g KH2PO4 and one with 7 gr "Micromix" mixed with 5 gr K2SO4. I have a bit of a problem calculating how much ml i need to dose 2-4 times a week with each bottle since it says teaspoons even when i check the "solution" box at rotalabutterfly and i already have mixed the bottles. With the KN03 i have figured out that i need about 15ml 3-4 times a week to reach EI, but the other bottles i havent managed to figure out yet. When you say macros i guess it is the KNO3 and KH2PO4 and the micro is the trace elements/micro mix, am i right?
Thanks for all the help guys, really appreciate it.
 
#19 ·
Those are pretty big approximations (7.0/7.5). A decent ph test should be able to get you more precise than that. Imagine if you are actually 7.0 and are only dropping to 6.5, that would mean maybe only 15ppm of co2 which is likely a problem for s repens. Aim for a full ph point drop and that should help eliminate co2 as a problem.
 
#20 ·
I find the ph test kits with the drops that changes colors pretty hard to read and the digital ones are expensive if you want a decent one. Any tips on a good ph checker? Doesnt a drop checker work? Because mine is always blueish on the morning and after a while when the co2 kicks in it changes to a bright green/yellowish color. Also, this shouldnt be a light problem, right? Because my plants are growing fine at gravel level and isnt really stretching towards the light.

Thanks.
 
#23 ·
If you're using the Api ph test, hold the vile to a white background. You should be able to tell within .2 ph. You'll also want to have the drop checker green when the lights come on. If you're using a timer with your solenoid then turn it down a little bit and have it come on earlier before the lights come on. This will need tweaking. You want the checker to be green when the lights come on but not have the co2 so high that it turns yellow before the end of the photo period.
 
#25 ·
About 2 weeks now with EI dosing and it hasnt been much difference really. Small improvements in the leaves but the growth rate is kinda small. Starting to think that maybe its a problem with the lights since i only have one strip of LEDs very close to the surface, so maybe the light doesnt reach all the plants equaly?
Thanks.
 

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#26 ·
Remember that light drives how quickly things grow as long as carbon/macro and micros are non limiting. If your hitting yellow on the checker and dosing ei then I would say that insufficient growth is due to insufficient lighting as long as the plants have been in there long enough to adapt (varies from 1-4 weeks). My s repens took about 10 days to start really sending up new leaves.

Have you looked up par data for the light you are using?
 
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