Deficiency?

[danajs]

Could anyone tell me what deficiency my Amazon Sword (Reni) is experiencing?

I suspect iron, but am not 100% sure!

TIA

 

[Aqua67]

I used to keep a lot of amazon swords and they all did very well with root tabs. My light was nothing extra special, just a regular plant light and there was no CO2. The water was just conditioned regular city tap water.

I believe iron will help a plant maintain reddish leaves. Root tabs should provide your plant with what it needs though, especially if you are not using a nutrient rich substrate. The melting of leaves usually happens if your water parameters are not stable.

I would cut the damaged leaves off at the base of their stem and focus on keeping stable water parameters and using root tabs, and regular water changes.

 

[danajs]

I used to keep a lot of amazon swords and they all did very well with root tabs. My light was nothing extra special, just a regular plant light and there was no CO2. The water was just conditioned regular city tap water.

I believe iron will help a plant maintain reddish leaves. Root tabs should provide your plant with what it needs though, especially if you are not using a nutrient rich substrate. The melting of leaves usually happens if your water parameters are not stable.

I would cut the damaged leaves off at the base of their stem and focus on keeping stable water parameters and using root tabs, and regular water changes.

I have been using the Tetra Crypto(?) root tabs as I’ve had bad experiences with Tropica tabs in the past. I’m also dosing weekly with Easy Life Profito.

All my other plants (Crypts, Ludwigia, Rotala, Hygrophila, Anubias and Buce) are absolutely fine!

My parameters are also stable - I’m careful with them because I keep shrimp.

 

[Aqua67]

If your Amazon plant is relatively new to your aquarium, perhaps it was just the change in water coming from the seller to your aquarium that caused this initial melt. Crypts are known as plants that will melt also, but if they’re doing well they have probably been in your aquarium longer and are happy in your tank now.

I’m glad to know that you’re using fertilizers for your plants. The root tabs will benefit the amazon. Liquid fertilizers are generally good for your floating type of plants.

Yes, I see one of your shrimp in the picture, as well as your betta who may not be the best tankmate for your shrimp, especially if you hope to colonize the shrimp. Every time you do some tank maintenance for your shrimp take a look at your plant’s leaves and just trim off the ones that are not doing well. Cut them off as close to the main part of the plant and remove them. Trimming gets rid of the unsightly leaves and should help stimulate some new leaf growth, especially if you are feeding the roots.

 

[danajs]

If your Amazon plant is relatively new to your aquarium, perhaps it was just the change in water coming from the seller to your aquarium that caused this initial melt. Crypts are known as plants that will melt also, but if they’re doing well they have probably been in your aquarium longer and are happy in your tank now.

I’m glad to know that you’re using fertilizers for your plants. The root tabs will benefit the amazon. Liquid fertilizers are generally good for your floating type of plants.

Yes, I see one of your shrimp in the picture, as well as your betta who may not be the best tankmate for your shrimp, especially if you hope to colonize the shrimp. Every time you do some tank maintenance for your shrimp take a look at your plant’s leaves and just trim off the ones that are not doing well. Cut them off as close to the main part of the plant and remove them. Trimming gets rid of the unsightly leaves and should help stimulate some new leaf growth, especially if you are feeding the roots.

He’s absolutely fine with RCS, he showed some interest when they first got added 2 months ago but soon realised they’re too quick for him and isn’t bothered by them now. They happily come out and feed around him and he carries on doing whatever he’s doing. Red Rilis on the other hand.. he’s slaughtered all of them There’s Amano Shrimp in there too, but they’re huge. I’ve also got a Vampire Shrimp, which is obviously also far too big for him.

 

[Byron]

How long have you had the sword plant?

 

[connorlindeman]

I've been having a similar problem in my 20g. Still haven't identified the problem.

 

[danajs]

How long have you had the sword plant?

Nearly 3 weeks

 

[Byron]

Nearly 3 weeks

This could be largely due to anew environment, as another member noted. These sword plants are often cuotivated emersed not submersed by nutseries because it is less expensive and faster. The plants are marsh or bog plants, and the leaves when grown emersed are different in shape and texture than the submersed leaf form. I cannot see from the photo if there are new leaves emerging from the centre of the crown; if there are, and they appear healthy, this is likely the answer.

Having said that, substrate fertilizer does benefit all sword plants a great deal. I've no info on the substrate tabs mentioned. But Seachem's Flourish Tabs are incredible for swords. The liquid fertilizer should be OK, though I have never used it. Someone mentioned iron...no, this is not the issue, and there is iron in the liquid being used.

 

[GaryE]

Plants are like fish - occasional bad things happen in the transition to your tanks. They could have been chilled, been let to dry too much etc. The damage can show later, but swords usually produce new growth.

 

[StevenF]

The brown in the leaf is narcosis (dead plant tissue). This is the primary symptom of nutrient deficiency. Plant nutrients come in two basic varieties, Mobile and immobile:

Mobile nutrients can be removed from old leaves and moved to support new growth. The old leave eventually die and fall off. Mobile nutrients are nitrogen, potassium, Magnesium, phosphate, chlorine, molybdenum, and nickel.

Immobile nutrients cannot be moved by the plant. So new growth is affected strongly and older growth is also affected. Immobile nutrients are Calcium, Sulfur, Iron manganese, boron, zinc and copper.

I cannot be sure based on your picture but the poblem is likely an immobile nutrient. So fertilizing with a good micro should help. I would not trim the leave until the nutrient deficiencies corrected. if the deficiency is not corrected and you trim the leaves the plant may never recover and may die.

Note many micro fertilizers use sulfate ingredients manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, and copper sulfate. These ingredients will react with carbonates in your water (KH) creating insoluble micro carbonates. Nutrients must be soluble for plants to use them. If you have KH in the water and are using sulfate micro fertilizer you need to dose about once every day or every other day. And for best results the water should be acidic about 6.5 with a zero KHfor best results. With acidic water and no KH one dose per week is fine.

I believe iron will help a plant maintain reddish leaves.

An Iron deficiency would cause the veins of the leaf to stay green while the rest of the leaf turns yellow. I don't see this in the picture. Not iron is particularly had to keep soluble in water. So most fertilizers use Iron gluconate or iron EDTA. Iron gluconate last one day in the water, Iron EDTA works best in with with a PH of less than 6.5. The insoluble byproduct of there decay can react iwht Phosphate resulting in insoluble Iron phosphate which plants cannot use. The bet iron ingredient is Iron DTPA it is stable up to a PH of 7.5 and may work up to a PH of 8. It is seldom used because it cost a bit more. But a single dose per week of Iron DTPA to a level 0.1ppm is sufficient in in most aqaureiums. So over the long term Iron DTPA will cost less of the user because a lower dose can be used.

Note phosphate and iron test kits cannot tell the difference between soluble and insoluble iron and phosphate. resulting in a phosphate and or a iron deficiency.

Also some plant are red naturally in the wild and in an aquarium. Others like red root floaters have green leaves in the wild but in many aquarium will have read leaves. I have determined that the primary cause of this is a soluble phosphate deficiency cause by iron gluconate or Iron EDTA. A soluble phosphate deficiency will prevent full development of chlorophyll allowing red pigments in the leaves to become visible.

 

[Aqua67]

Yes, three weeks is kind of new to the aquarium. I think it is just the environment change and not a deficiency since the rest of your plants do not appear to be having problems and you are using two types of fertilizers. Just don’t over-fertilize as that can cause problems too. I don’t have a chart to show you for nutrient excesses, but here are a couple slides to teach you a little about deficiencies. I hope this is helpful.

 

[danajs]

Morning all So upon testing my tap and tank water this morning I have discovered that my tap water is 2.5ppm for nitrates and my tank water is 2.5/5.0ppm. Neither my root tabs or liquid ferts contain nitrogen, so going to invest in the TNC Complete and gradually introduce that.

 

[FranciscoB]

"The brown in the leaf is narcosis (dead plant tissue)."
I am pretty sure NECROSIS was meant, not narcosis (a state of stupor), which does not happen to plants, so far as it is known. Otherwise, you are receiving excellent suggestions.
I agree that the issue may resolve itself with some time, as it may just be shock due to prior growing conditions. Of course it may not...

 

[Aqua67]

Morning all So upon testing my tap and tank water this morning I have discovered that my tap water is 2.5ppm for nitrates and my tank water is 2.5/5.0ppm. Neither my root tabs or liquid ferts contain nitrogen, so going to invest in the TNC Complete and gradually introduce that.

Focus on trace minerals if your tap water contains nitrates. With fish in the aquarium you likely won’t need to add nitrates.