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Help me determine my deficiency

966 Views 6 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  FishFinatic
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My anubias are starting to look clear and eventually holes form. Also, not sure but my tiger Lotus has stayed pretty short and the color seems to be off. The Tiger Lotus growth is about 2 months from a bulb. Plant Terrestrial plant Leaf vegetable Grass Groundcover
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Are those anubias leaves with the holes new or old leaves? It is hard to tell.

They look like new leaves. If they are, then I do not believe the anubias is suffering from a deficiency. If they are old leaves then it is possibly a deficiency. What are you dosing for fertilizers? Nitrates/phosphates/etc and how often per week?

How old is the anubias and how long since it started showing deteriorating signs? Are any other plants showing similar deterioration?

What is the lighting and tank size/depth?

Did you recently do any kind of algae treatment? Peroxide/bleach/excel dips? Did you use any algaecide product?
Are those anubias leaves with the holes new or old leaves? It is hard to tell.

They look like new leaves. If they are, then I do not believe the anubias is suffering from a deficiency. If they are old leaves then it is possibly a deficiency. What are you dosing for fertilizers? Nitrates/phosphates/etc and how often per week?

How old is the anubias and how long since it started showing deteriorating signs? Are any other plants showing similar deterioration?

What is the lighting and tank size/depth?

Did you recently do any kind of algae treatment? Peroxide/bleach/excel dips? Did you use any algaecide product?
New leaves. All of the plants have been in the tank about 2 months maybe alittle more. The only other plants that possibly could have an issue is the tiger lotus. The swords, hygrophilia, and dwarg sag are doing great.

I do a 50-60% water change once a week and add 2 tablespoons of K2SO4 and 1/4 tablespoon plantex after the water change. I also dose 5-10 ml of excel every day. I don't dose Nitrate b/c the fish produce enough and I have been leaving out the phosphate to try to help with the BBA outbreak (I've read phosphates can contribute to BBA issues)

Lighting is 2 brand new T5HO 54 watt 6700k bulbs placed about 24-26" off the substrate and the tank is 120 gallon 4'x2'x2'. Lights are on 8 hours a day.

I often spray peroxide during my water changes to keep the algae down. I have a bad BBA outbreak that I just cant seem to get a handle on.
Hmm new growth. Here is the thing. While the damage does look like phosphorous deficiency, the placement of the damage on the anubias (new leaves) does not make sense for phosphorous, and in fact does not match any new growth nutrient deficiencies.

This chart shows nutrients that are mobile/immobile/variably mobile and is extremely useful for diagnosing plant issues. Immobile nutrients are stuck in place wherever the plant used them. So when a deficiency in the water occurs the plant cannot salvage these nutrients and bring them to new growth. This means all the symptoms of the deficiency show up in new growth only.

Immobile nutrients are: Ca, Fe, B, Ni and Mn

Mobile nutrients are: N, P, K, and Mg.

Variably mobile nutrients: Cu, Zn, S, and Mo.
As you can see Immobile nutrients are: Ca, Fe, B, Ni and Mn affect new growth. We can quickly eliminate Ni, Mn, and probably B since they don't show up very frequently (and in nickel's case never). As long as you are dosing plantex's CSM+B you are adding enough boron.

This leaves only iron and calcium, it isn't iron because you'd see new leaves begin to turn white, and you'd see this in other plants first. Anubias react slowly to nutrient damage. So it isn't iron. Calcium causes new leaves to grow in deformed, so it isn't this either.

After looking through the new growth nutrients we can see that it isn't any of them. Which makes a strong case for another problem being the cause of the damaged leaves.

I think this problem is likely damage from something. Without knowing more information, I'd guess it is probably from the excel or peroxide. If you frequently spot treat the anubias for algae then that is likely the reason.

Also, don't withhold phosphates, BBA will grow in your tank whatever the nutrients are in the water it isn't triggered by one specific mineral nutrient. There is some discussion/experimentation going on in an APC thread where we are investigating if BBA is related to high dissolved organics in the water. Basically the thinking goes - this is the reason you see it in petstores that have no nutrient addition and not very good lighting - because the water is full of dissolved organic wastes from 1000's of fish which promote its growth.

Can you post other photos of your other plants? There are no damaged leaves on any of them except the anubias?
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Yep, no signs of deficiency on the other plants. The anubias problem is not nutrient related. Something else is causing the problem with the leaves.
Ok thank you so much for your help
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