Pink Vallis

[KPD]

Being new to plants I guess you are going to have to put up with a lot of dumb questions from me....todays possibly dumb question:

My vallis seems to be producing pink leaves. This is the same for my twisted, giant and small (don't know the proper name) vallis. It looks pretty to me, but I was wondering if it was a sign of things not being quite right? Other than the colour they seem to be growing fine.

Water is pH 7.5, 360ppm TDS, temp=27oC, Lighting is 0.5w/litre - but the tank is in a conservatory (so is getting a lot more light than I am putting in). There is currently no CO2 dosing or additives. I do 2x10% changes per week (more if I have time)

Picture attached

Thanks
Kev

 

[Dave Spencer]

You probably have Vallisneria caulescens.

Check here:

http/www.tropica.com/default.asp

Dave.

 

[KPD]

You probably have Vallisneria caulescens.

Check here:

[URL="http/www.tropica.com/default.asp"]http/www.tropica.com/default.asp[/URL]

Dave.

That may be one of them....but there are three different sorts (one definitely being giant vallis...the leaves are about an inch across and 4 ft long) and they are all producing bright pink leaves. I just wondered if it meant a shortage or an excess of a nutrient?
Kev

 

[Dave Spencer]

Whoops, I never read the whole thread, I just looked at the nice picture. The only thing I have heard of that could cause the reddening is a nitrogen deficiency.

Dave.

 

[Luketendo]

Lack of nitrogen causes pink tinting in hygrophilia polysperma so maybe it does with vallis.

Then again some of my hygro has a pink tint but my vallis doesn't.

 

[KPD]

Nitrogen deficiency could be the cause I guess...I've added quite a few plants, I don't fertilise (yet) and the local water authority parameters suggest that the water going in at water changes is fairly low in NO3....I'll get myself a NO3 test and do some searches on how to dose nitrates.
Thanks
Kev