Lime ?

1111 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Diana, Jul 14, 2012

ree123

Discussion Starter · Jul 13, 2012

Ok, I may be asking a question that has been covered many times before and thus redundent, but if one has a particular plant, in this case, broad leafed water sprite, or Pteratopteris cornuta, and the leaves yellow and melt with little to no new growth, and they are floating, thus receiving atmospheric Co2, and all my other plants submersed are doing fine, is it poss. that I could use some form or specific concentration of lime to spur the growth. Also worth mentioning is I have other floating plants multiplying just fine.
This is how I am thinking,..........if one has a yard of grass and it is yellowing, lime applied will green it up.
I just am not sure what this plant needs or doesn't need that I either do or do not have in the water for it. I am presuming it is the water. Not sure though. Just makes sense to me.
p.h. runs about 7.2, hardness around 17.
As I said all other plants doing fine.
Lights are compact Fl. daylights.
Fishroom has no natural sunlight.
Advice please !
Thanks so much !

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ree123

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jul 13, 2012

Sorry so wordy above.
Please ask me questions so I might figure this out, in the event one of you doesn't have the magic answer for me.

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Diana

· #3 · Jul 13, 2012

Which hardness is 17, and 17 of what units?

Liming your garden soil is not the same thing as fertilizing your aquarium. Some things happen differently enough between land garden chemistry and water garden chemistry that the ideas do not apply too well.

Are you adding any sort of fertilizer, or any other additive to the tank? CO2? Dechlor? Please list what you are adding.
What sort of soil or substrate is in the tank?

Do you have other test results for both tap and tank water?

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH: 7.2 (from your post)
GH
KH
any other tests

What size is the tank? Gallons or liters and dimensions (especially how deep is it?)
How many watts of light and for how many hours?

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PlantedRich

· #4 · Jul 13, 2012

I think you will find the difference being how the lime can work. In the yard there is often grass growing and using the nutrients like calcium. When the calcium is used up, adding lime can replace it. In the tank, assuming your water has been running through underground limestone, changing water replaces the calcium which the plants use. That it where the questions on GH/KH come about. A high KH normally indicates that your water has lots of calcium in it. Got limestone sticking out of the ground in your area? Likely to be lots more underground. Limestone caves around you ? You will likely have lots of calcium in the water you add.

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Diana

· #5 · Jul 14, 2012

You can have high KH (carbonates) with no calcium.
The GH test is a more accurate gauge of calcium. It tests calcium and magnesium.

Anyway, lets get more info to see what might really be going on here.

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PlantedRich

· #6 · Jul 14, 2012

My thinking was that in Tenn. the primary source will be limestone. Possible it is not but they do have lots of limestone.

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Diana

· #7 · Jul 14, 2012

True, and limestone can contribute plenty of carbonates, calcium and magnesium, and not always in the same ratio. Well water that tests high in any one is likely to test high in all of these.
But the way the water companies can alter the water, adding and subtracting this and that, it is best to make claims based on the actual chemical that is being tested, and not infer the presence or absence of something else.

Anyway, plants that are turning yellow and dying while other plants look fine may not even be nutrient related.

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