fleshgear Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 i am using pps pro method on 10 planted tanks, varing sizes, lighting, c02. some tanks are heavily planted and some lightly. most of the tanks seem fine. but my one 45 gallon tank with 2-4 watts per gallon depending on how much i turn on, mostly 2 watts per gallon with a new coralife 6700k cfl. i have a 4 liter diy c02 being diffused into the canister filter. in this tank i have a very large echinodorus rose plant. i recently moved it within this tank. i also did a heavy trim of this plant, removing the dying leaves. this plant has always had holes in the leaves. since the move the plant has sent out a flower spike about 4 feet long and still growing. some of the new leaves are almost 3ft long. this is the biggest i have ever seen the leaves. some of the new leaves are twice the size of the older ones. i thought it was my bn pleco that was making the holes. but i removed him and the leaves are still there. i have read that clown loaches will eat holes in the leaves. i have 1 4" clown loach and 2 5" yoyo loaches. i was reading about nutrients deficiency and think the holes could be caused by a potassium and or nitrogen deficiency. i have also noticed very small holes in my crypt wendtii leaves. i also have some plant tabs under the E. rose i have large sword plants in other tanks, one of them being an E. diamond 2ft high. it seems fine. the older leaves do die off sooner than i think they should. but i dont know. can i just add some KN03 to this tank? i dont have test kits for potassium or nitrogen. this tank is medium planted, i dont have any fast growing stem plants in there, mostly cryptocorynes, anubias, crinum java ferns, the fastest growing plant is the E. rose. i should also mention that i almost never follow the recommended schedule for fertilizing, i regularly miss days. but i try not too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Are the holes in the older leaves, or in newer leaves? If it's older, likely you're looking at a K deficiency. Adding a little extra KNO3 is a good move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleshgear Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Are the holes in the older leaves, or in newer leaves? If it's older, likely you're looking at a K deficiency. Adding a little extra KNO3 is a good move. old and new, not the brand new ones. but once they get about 6" then i start to see holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Do you have any Potassium Sulphate (K2SO4)? Adding some (more) would help as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleshgear Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Why k2s04? I don't know the difference between the ferts? Isn't the k. The potassium? There is potassium in both? And it could also be a nitrogen diffeicancy? So that is why I thought kn03? Do you have any Potassium Sulphate (K2SO4)? Adding some (more) would help as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Often, plants don't get enough K from KNO3 and KH2PO4, so you have to add K2SO4. One thing about Potassium is that there don't seem to be adverse affects in overdosing - isn't dangerous to fish at high levels (NO3) or cause algae (PO4). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleshgear Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Often, plants don't get enough K from KNO3 and KH2PO4, so you have to add K2SO4. One thing about Potassium is that there don't seem to be adverse affects in overdosing - isn't dangerous to fish at high levels (NO3) or cause algae (PO4). So could I just start to add k2s04 to my pps pro? And how much would I add? Why wouldn't other tanks show this defficency? Some of the other tanks have better light and are heavily planted? Maybe some of them are showing it and I just didn't look closly. How long should the older leaves last on swords? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 This tank probably shows more deficiency b/c of your huge sword. It's a monster and needs to be fed. I never use PPS Pro, I use Estimative Index, and dosing instructions are posted in a pinned thread. If your sword is being fed, you really don't need to trim leaves - I had a monster Ozelot that only had dead/dying trimmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 That tank may just require more nutrients than others. You could increase the dose of the entire mixture if you don't feel like playing around with the individual components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleshgear Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 i went and got some k2s04. i added it dry to a few tanks. i added about 1/4 tsp i didnt really measure. i only trim the leaves that are dying or are dead. i use pps pro because i dont want to change water unless it needs it. some tanks i dont change water for 2 months only top it up. with the ei method i am pretty much stuck having to change the water every week. on the tank with the E. rose i change the water every 1 - 2 weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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