Red Leaves Turning Green

[Buck]

Shalu thats interesting info on the anubia's and PO4 since I backed off on it and now enjoy a bit of algae on my nubia's...
I'll have to up the dosing a bit again as a test.

[Betowess]

This is very helpful shalu. My ludwigia p. is turning from red to quite yellow. Growing nicely but I was thinking it was a iron deficiency. Light is 4x 54 T5 on a 90 gallon. I have been dosing only 1/2 teaspoon of KNO3 and 14 mls of PO4 solution and on odd days 1 to 2 mls of Flourish Iron and around 10 to 12 mls of CSM+B+FE. 12 hour photoperiod (around 11 hrs. with both banks on.)Water parms of 6.6 pH, KH 4.5, CO2 + 30ppm, target of GH 6, but thats another issue . I don't test iron, but other plants look plenty green, although corkscrew val isn't growing very tall, its definately getting thicker.

My NO3 was around 10ppm 48 hours after dosing and PO4 abit over 1ppm. I am going to try upping the phosphates to a little over 2ppm and see if that gets rid of green spot on an anubias and helps the red to return in the ludwigia. Any idea how much time one should expect it to take to see a color change in the red ludwigia? How long for green spot to be eliminated on the Anubias? Any other suggestions?? Didn't mean to high jack this thread, but the problems sound very similar. Tank's almost a month old. Thanks alot! bob

[shalu]

I have not done a controlled study to say that high PO4 definately gives you more red in plants, but the association of high PO4 and disappearance of green spot have been reported by many people and recommended by Tom Barr. The newer leaves will not grow green spots. The green spots on older leaves will eventually go away as well, but it takes time, maybe weeks or longer. Anyway, it is refreshing to see all my anubias are free of any algae for a change, it has been that away for a few months now. Before I dosed higher PO4, I can only keep 2-3 good leaves on any anubias at any time.

About red Ludwigia(L repens) in particular, it is not a "true" red plant if I remember correctly, in the sense that it might be red only when nutrient stressed(low NO3 and PO4). I just put some in my nutrient rich tank, will see if it can keep the red color. If it turns green, I am not going to sweat it, I have plenty of "true" red plants, that is, red in nutrient rich water(for example, rotala macrandra, rotala wallichii, ludwigia ovalis, ludwigia glandulosa, ... ). R. indica/rotundifolia only gets pink when it gets close to light, redder with lean nutrients.