Plant Damage - Causes?

[AndyTaylor]

One of my favorite plants, which i cannot id (it's front and centre of my tank in the photos in my journal thread).
It looks a little like a palm tree, leaves arrayed in 5's around a central stem, bright green and delicate looking.
It's growing well, it's put on about 3 inches this week alone.
Today, all the leaves except for the topmost are peppered with little holes. No sign of them dying off.
Is this snail damage or what? Ottos and glassfish in the tank, none of which have eaten this plant before in my 70L.
I do have loads of snails at the moment, soon to be sorted with the addition of 3 clown loaches, which my LFS has agreed to exchange for Juveniles when they outgrow my 170L 40" tank. (before anyone says anything!)

Any ideas?

 

[iggy01]

Hard to tell just from a description.

Potassium deficiency can sometimes show itself as pinholes in older leaves.

Good luck.

 

[AndyTaylor]

I hadn't thought of a mineral deficiency. I haven't started EI as yet so that could be it. I dose phosphate and trace (liquid fert) but that may not be enough at the moment.

 

[iggy01]

Sorry Andy......not been around much lately, so I'm not familiar with your set up.

However, if your planning on starting EI, there's no time like the present!

Good luck!

 

[AndyTaylor]

iggy01...quick synopsis... 3rd tank in 3 months (MFS or what?) 170L fully planted, nutrafin co2, eheim filtration.
Just cycled so very few fish. 3 ottos and 5 glassfish.
waiting on my chems to start EI. Pics in my tank journal thread.
Thanks for your interest.
I'll figure out the plant damage. I've put in a snail trap to reduce numbers.

 

[Discomafia]

Snail trap? What does that look like?

 

[AndyTaylor]

Imagine a saucer with 2 algae wafers on it.....it looks like that. In fact, that's what it is!
Apparently, it'll be full of snails in the morning! I'll believe it when i see it!

 

[jimbooo]

hi mate

is it this one

link to pic

i think it's the same as this one (centre of pic)

if so it's Eusteralis stellata.

kent botanic do a specific potassium liquid fert (K) pin holes could be due to that.

you did just worry me though. are you adding phosphate but not nitrate? if so stop NOW. only add phosphate if the nitrate is correct or it will kick start major algae.

ratio of phosphate to nitrate is 1: 10/20

ie if you have 10/20 ppm nitrate you should have 1 ppm phosphate for ideal conditions.

if you have 5ppm nitrate and add phosphate to say 2ppm the balance is way off and algae will flourish.

nitrate is more important then phosphate, if your waiting on the nitrate ferts leave the phosphate out for now.