[Jnad]

Hello!

I need some help.

I have a heavily planted tank with few fishes, the tank have dirt substrate.

After some reading on the internet i think my Cardamine Lyrata showing servere signs of potassium deficiency.

The tank have been running for a few weeks and the plant growth have been explosive. All the plants are fast growers and a couple of them take most of their nutrient from the water collum.

I have not been using any ferts beacuse this is a dirt tank, but I do have the Tropica Spesialised Fertilizer in hand.

My question is: Should i start using this fertilizer? And should i just use te recommended dosage? I dont want any algae outbreak, but i have also read that someone means that fers not causing algae.

I need some suggestions please.

Here is a link that showe 10 days of growth, the growth have now slowed down.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=598418&highlight=

 

[Zapins]

Can you take close up photos of the older leaves on the plants you think have potassium deficiency? I cannot see much from so far away in the photos you posted.

 

[Jnad]

On the previous pictures the plant is ok, here is some closeups from today
Thanks for helping

 

[JeffHerr]

Oh yeah. Looks like my plants when I'm not dosing enough K...

 

[micheljq]

You can dose K with K2SO4.

Michel.

 

[sleepswithdafishez]

I had this happen to my Cardamine ,too.I suspected melting or chlorosis ,but upped the K dosing ,just to make sure.Now it's growing fine.

"My question is: Should i start using this fertilizer? And should i just use te recommended dosage? I dont want any algae outbreak, but i have also read that someone means that fers not causing algae."



This can answer many of your questions http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=66863&

 

[Zapins]

1) Can you take a photo of the newest leaves of the Cardamine?

2) Do you keep plecos, or nerite snails?

3) Is this happening on any other plant in the tank (if so please post a photo).

4) How long did it take these holes to appear? Days? Weeks?

 

[Jnad]

Thanks for your answers.

I do have some "KALII NITRAS" Kalium Nitrat that i have bought from the drugstore, i was going to use it on my old reeftank. I never used it, but i think it is powder.

Can i use this ? How mutch? And how do i add this to the tank?

The tank is 10 gallon


Jnad

1) Can you take a photo of the newest leaves of the Cardamine?
I will try take some more pictures tomorrow
2) Do you keep plecos, or nerite snails?
No
3) Is this happening on any other plant in the tank (if so please post a photo).
Only the Cardamine Lyrata
4) How long did it take these holes to appear? Days? Weeks?

I would say days


At the same time the problems with the Cardamine Lyrata started, some algae started appearing on the glass and some of the plant leaves on other plants in the tank.

 

[Jnad]

Now the same symymptoms also started to show on the Hygrophila Difformis

Is the result of starting a tank with only easy very fast growing plants that the tank will run out of ferts?

Jnad

 

[Hoppy]

Kalium is another word for potassium, so Kalium nitrate is potassium nitrate. Yes, you can use it to dose potassium. The problem with commercial liquid fertilizers, like the Tropica one you mentioned, is that they are just water, with a tiny bit of fertilizer mixed in. So, you are buying water when you buy them. It is much more economical, and equally good for the plants to buy the cheap chemicals that are used to make the commercial liquid fertilizers. But, if you already have the Tropica fertilizer, you might as well use it.

 

[Zapins]

Can you post a photo of the Hygro? Those plants usually develop potassium deficiency first and are very easy to tell if it is potassium deficiency.

Why would KNO3 be used for a reef tank?

 

[Jnad]

Kalium is another word for potassium, so Kalium nitrate is potassium nitrate. Yes, you can use it to dose potassium. The problem with commercial liquid fertilizers, like the Tropica one you mentioned, is that they are just water, with a tiny bit of fertilizer mixed in. So, you are buying water when you buy them. It is much more economical, and equally good for the plants to buy the cheap chemicals that are used to make the commercial liquid fertilizers. But, if you already have the Tropica fertilizer, you might as well use it.

Thanks.

I will use the Tropica product until it is empty, i try to find out where to by those cheap powder chemicals. I live in Norway, not shure where to get those chemicals, maybe i ask at the drugstore.

Jnad

Can you post a photo of the Hygro? Those plants usually develop potassium deficiency first and are very easy to tell if it is potassium deficiency.

Why would KNO3 be used for a reef tank?

At a time my corals seemed to suffer and i couldn`t find out why, i got some idea that my tank did not have enough nitrate but i never got to use it. I am not into reefing anymore, i swapped in to the planted tank hobby with a thought of it beeing easyer than reefkeeping. But i got suprised this seem to me at least as complicated

I am posting those pictures in a minute

jnad

 

[Saltydog33]

Your plants look just like what mine are doing i am not dosing potassium either going to start dosing it this week. Also i have hygro growing and it definitely was the first to show these symptoms mine start with little black dots hope it works out for you.

 

[Jnad]

First picture is the top of the Hygro with fresh ok leaves.
Second picture is bottom of Hygro with damage leaves.
Third picture is middle of Hygro with damaged leaves in front of shrimp.
Last picture is my damaged Cardamine today, i would say that 90% of the plant is lost. I might cut away those 90% today

 

[Zapins]

Do not trim the cardamine just yet.

Try dosing with potassium. You can use K2SO4 or another source of potassium. Wait for the plant to grow out a bit more with healthy growth before you trim it back. I'd add at least 20-30 ppm of potassium in order to be sure there is enough in the tank, then later on you can add 10 ppm potassium 3x a week to ensure it is present. If it is potassium deficiency then the plant should put out a decent bit of new growth and no more holes will appear within about a week. You need the old growth in place to be able to compare where the deficiency stopped.

The damaged tissue is not useless to the plant, it has a lot of nutrients that the new leaves can still use and it will provide the new growth with sugars which will help it recover faster.

 

[Jnad]

Do not trim the cardamine just yet.

Try dosing with potassium. You can use K2SO4 or another source of potassium. Wait for the plant to grow out a bit more with healthy growth before you trim it back. I'd add at least 20-30 ppm of potassium in order to be sure there is enough in the tank, then later on you can add 10 ppm potassium 3x a week to ensure it is present. If it is potassium deficiency then the plant should put out a decent bit of new growth and no more holes will appear within about a week. You need the old growth in place to be able to compare where the deficiency stopped.

The damaged tissue is not useless to the plant, it has a lot of nutrients that the new leaves can still use and it will provide the new growth with sugars which will help it recover faster.

Hmmm, i was a little bit fast, i have already cut down the Cardamine to only fresh leaves left

I do have this box with potassium nitrate and a measuringspoon (1/4 tsp)

Is it possible to use this measuringspoon to add 10ppm? I dont know how mutch 10, 20 or 30 ppm is?

Thanks for helping

Jnad

 

[Zapins]

Yes you can use teaspoons to measure out KNO3 though it isn't the most accurate way. Also be sure the spoons are leveled off or you will add more than you think. Use http://calc.petalphile.com/ to calculate the amount for your tank.

 

[PlantedRich]

If you find trouble getting small amounts of dry ferts, there may be ways around the problem.
I live in an area where there are lots of farm supply stores. These stores often have broken bags of various ferts. If I approach the right person, I often find they will give me a handfull of a broken bag which might be plenty for my use. The whole bag might be way, way too much and too expensive but the handful they give me might just be spilled and swept out otherwise.
Any farm supply near you?

 

[Jnad]

Yes you can use teaspoons to measure out KNO3 though it isn't the most accurate way. Also be sure the spoons are leveled off or you will add more than you think. Use http://calc.petalphile.com/ to calculate the amount for your tank.

Thanks for the fert calculator. I tried punch in my tank and dosage of 1/8 tsp once a week, Even this small dosage would give me high values. My tank is 30 liter, but only containing 20 liters of water. I guess i should use 20 liters in the calculator?

And i must get a smaller measuring spoon, Even a 1/4 tsp is way to big

Thanks for helping me out

Jnad

 

[Jnad]

If you find trouble getting small amounts of dry ferts, there may be ways around the problem.
I live in an area where there are lots of farm supply stores. These stores often have broken bags of various ferts. If I approach the right person, I often find they will give me a handfull of a broken bag which might be plenty for my use. The whole bag might be way, way too much and too expensive but the handful they give me might just be spilled and swept out otherwise.
Any farm supply near you?

Yes there is a farm supply near by, thanks for your tip, i certenly check that out.

Jnad