[sl3xx]

12 gallon long mr aqua
Co2: Atomic inline diffuser with paintball can regulator - Filter: Eheim 2213
Eco complete, EI dosing + DTPA iron + 8 hour photo period
36" Satellite Pro+ LED hung 14" from substrate on 80% intensity.

I can't figure out whats going on with my Rotala Mexicana Goias and HC. They are getting brown spots and necrosis on the leaves in certain spots while the rest of the other plants grow pretty healthy. I feel like back when I used to mistakenly dose 6+ mL of Flourish on Micros day this never happened to my HC. Could have been plenty of other factors though. Is this some kind of deficiency?

view larger

another shot of the HC dying patches



You can see my dosing here (Also, I no longer dose any excel at all. This chart is old):

 

[Solcielo lawrencia]

Plants show symptoms of micro-tox.

 

[sl3xx]

Plants show symptoms of micro-tox.

Would my current dosing cause that?

Up until around January 18th I was dosing a much higher Flourish amount on Micros day. (6.5mL) as well as Flourish Iron (1mL daily). But, the weird thing is that the Goias are only a few weeks old. I got them pretty much right after I changed my dosing to what it is now.

Would excess micros gather in the subtrate?

I've also been dosing ADA Green Gain after I trim plants. Maybe I should cut this out?

 

[Solcielo lawrencia]

The trace dosing is probably what's causing the issues. Stop dosing traces altogether, then observe the condition of plants. You wouldn't feed a baby if it doesn't want to eat, but when it's hungry, it will tell you be its screams.

 

[sl3xx]

The trace dosing is probably what's causing the issues. Stop dosing traces altogether, then observe the condition of plants. You wouldn't feed a baby if it doesn't want to eat, but when it's hungry, it will tell you be its screams.

Okay thank you, Solcielo. So no more flourish until further notice. How long do you estimate I would do this ? I'd run into more issues down the line if I permanently removed micros, right ?

Should I keep dosing iron on micro day though?

 

[Solcielo lawrencia]

I don't know how long you'd have to wait.
Iron is a trace nutrient and can also cause problems if there's excess.

 

[sl3xx]

Thanks. I'm reading up on this thread and hoping to get a bit more insight on the topic: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...ameters/853001-csm-b-toxicity-experiment.html

For now I'll stop dosing all Micros, along with 1/2 Iron and see where it takes me.

 

[HeavyUser]

Thanks. I'm reading up on this thread and hoping to get a bit more insight on the topic: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...ameters/853001-csm-b-toxicity-experiment.html

For now I'll stop dosing all Micros, along with 1/2 Iron and see where it takes me.

So how did that work out for you?

 

[sl3xx]

So how did that work out for you?

I took that with a grain of salt. Solcielo tells everyone they have a trace toxicity. I've made a lot of changes and things are looking great. Still the occasional issue but it's all good. More info:

I stopped dosing Flourish Iron and Flourish comp. I switched to CSM+B and made a DIY solution. I dose to hit .5ppm of iron on micro days. I also dose a smaller amount of DTPA iron separately on non micro days. At the same time I got rid of the Mexicana Goias as I couldn't grow it well. It was the only plant giving me real trouble. I removed my HC as well since it never fully recovered and rooted again in my eco-complete. The roots are so damn tiny. I added some toninas which are growing at an insane rate and some more rotala species.

I switched from an ADA ceramic diffuser to a GLA inline diffuser. Insanely large difference in CO2 dissolution(sp?) consistency. Goodbye bubbles, hello slight mist.

My GH was 0 and my KH was 0 on this original post. My tap/RO ratio was all out of whack. After this post I adjusted to GH 3 KH 3. I'm now experimenting with GH 5/6 KH 3.

I stopped dosing excel except for occasional spot treatments. I know tonina can be sensitive to it.

I lowered my light intensity by like 15% and reduced the photoperiod from 8 hours to 7 hours.

I've also added a second filter since this original post. I now have one on each side of my 12 gallon long.

I was still getting some issues with old growth looking ratty on two specific plants, so i've recently started to uproot and plant the tops, instead of cutting and letting the plant regrow over and over again. This helps but isn't an actual fix.
I wondered if the ratty leaves were from not adding calcium or magnesium to my RO/tap water changes. As an experiment, I've just started to add Seachem Equilibrium to my water changes to bring my GH from 2/3 to 4/5. I'll keep an eye on this, but i expect good results. It certainly won't hurt.
I'm also wondering if it's due to my flow, since it appears on the outer most edges of the tank. I have a new glass spraybar coming. I'll have to experiment with the flow.

All of my dosing is exactly at EI levels, other than dosing tiny amount more potassium than normal, since I know my bioload is adding more nitrates/phosphates than I'm dosing with EI.

This was last week: PHOTO
Things are looking even better and I've trimmed and rescaped slightly since then. Everything has been removed/cut/replanted besides the tonina. Hundreds of stems.

The tank is on an upswing and everyday is an improvement. My four dwarf puffers enjoy their little jungle.
While I may not be able to pinpoint the exact cause of this specific issue. Each adjustment I make along the way is leading to healthier plants, and teaching me a shltload in the process.