Plants Have Almost Stopped Growing

[Mikaila31]

I had a brown alge attack a little while ago, i'm not sure what caused it. Since then my plants have been growing very slow . I put a exta light on the tank giving me almost 3wpg and my h. polysperma is still growing slow. I have DIY CO2 and i dose flourish excel and flourish iron, i also have flourite for substrate. I can't figure out what is wrong . Some of the h. ploysperma's leaves still die. It starts from the leaf tip or the sides and they turn whitish and disinagrate. Dose this mean there is a deficency?

 

[iggy01]

Is there any chance you could post your water parameters please?

pH, KH, GH, PO4(phosphate), NO3(Nitrate) etc .....if you have them. Also are you adding any other fertilizers other than Flourish Iron?

 

[Mikaila31]

water status:
ph-7.4
kh-7.5
Nitrate-25
nitrite-0
ammonia-0

I don't have GH and PO4 test kits . The only ferts i add are flourish excel and flourish iron.

 

[iggy01]

Ok. You need to start adding a trace fertilizer such as Flourish . This will add the vital micro nutrients that your plants need.

I would also advise you to get a GH test kit. You can then assess if you're tank's deficient in magnesium or calcium. A PO4 kit will also give you an idea of the phosphate level.

You could also have a read of Zigs pinned Estimative Index article at the top of this forum. This will give you info on which nutrients are required in a planted tank.

Good luck!

 

[Mikaila31]

I was finally able to get test kits for GH and PO4 . GH=8 and PO4=1 from what i've read these are fine. So i'm stuck again . I've downgraded the lights to 1.8wpg, normally is 2wpg.

Iggy01 i made a mistake i do use flourish not flouish excel . I got a new fertalizer, now i use flouish, flourish iron, and kent botanica micro. The only plants i'm having problems with now are h. polysperma and my lilys. I also took some pictures of how the tank looks.

This is the good side of the tank the hygro is happy and growing(it's still slow only 2 new leaves every few days).

The bad side the hygro is all weird and it's leaves slowly die, even newly sprouted leaves will just die .

The lily always gets holes in it's leaves and they also slowly die. The lily behind it keeps sprouting tiny leaves that are all deformed.

help please, Any ideas?

 

[ChrisP]

If your pH and KH readings are correct you have sweet fa in the way of Co2 in there.

In your position I would start adding more trace and see how that goes.

 

[Mikaila31]

If your pH and KH readings are correct you have sweet fa in the way of Co2 in there.

sorry chrisP i'm not sure what fa is.

 

[Discomafia]

let's just say you have very little CO2 in your water...

 

[kjb66]

I use the EI method and i have exactly the same problem with plants in one of my tanks,my co2 is fine so i have upped the trace and started adding potassiun sulphate hoping this solves the problem

 

[iggy01]

As kjb has suggested, adding some potassium may help.

It is often difficult to diagnose a particular deficiency, as too much or too little of one nutrient can inhibit the uptake of another. The hygro certainly looks like it is having problems uptaking one of the mobile nutrients though. Here is a page detailing deficiencies and may help.

How do you trim the hygo? Do you cut off the tops and replant them, or do you just cut off the top and leave the base rooted? IME the former works better for hygro.

Good luck!

 

[ChrisP]

Sorry, bad choice of words on my part there! I just mean you have very little Co2 in there, if you are injecting I would check it is diffusing properly.

If your pH and KH readings are correct you have sweet fa in the way of Co2 in there.

sorry chrisP i'm not sure what fa is.