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Date: 25 Feb 2005 17:58:42
From: Jan
Subject: Brown Spots on Plant
I recently set up a 20 gallon tank, and added some plants. One of them
developed brown spots on the leaves. You can see the photo at
http://ca.geocities.com/fastflight@rogers.com/plant.jpg

It's planted in the middle of the tank, where there is more light. Could
this plant be getting too much light? The other plants, bought at the same
time, look great.

The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
could do to save this plant?

The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25,
nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.






 
Date: 26 Feb 2005 00:08:18
From: Elaine T
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
wrote:
> I recently set up a 20 gallon tank, and added some plants. One of them
> developed brown spots on the leaves. You can see the photo at
> http://ca.geocities.com/fastflight@rogers.com/plant.jpg
>
> It's planted in the middle of the tank, where there is more light. Could
> this plant be getting too much light? The other plants, bought at the same
> time, look great.
>
> The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
> could do to save this plant?
>
> The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25,
> nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.
>
>
Another thought. Those swords are often grown emersed and the foliage
doesn't always adapt well to being submerged. If that is the case,
healthy new foliage will begin to grow from the middle of the plant.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><


  
Date: 26 Feb 2005 03:11:42
From: Richard Sexton
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
In article <S5PTd.9518$Pz7.3304@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com >,
Elaine T <eetmail-aquaria@yahoo.com > wrote:
> wrote:
>> I recently set up a 20 gallon tank, and added some plants. One of them
>> developed brown spots on the leaves. You can see the photo at
>> http://ca.geocities.com/fastflight@rogers.com/plant.jpg
>>
>> It's planted in the middle of the tank, where there is more light. Could
>> this plant be getting too much light? The other plants, bought at the same
>> time, look great.
>>
>> The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
>> could do to save this plant?
>>
>> The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25,
>> nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.
>>
>>
>Another thought. Those swords are often grown emersed and the foliage
>doesn't always adapt well to being submerged. If that is the case,
>healthy new foliage will begin to grow from the middle of the plant.

I think the brown holes are a red herring and that it's a Nitrogen
deficiency. The new leaves aren't green, and they should be.



--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org


   
Date: 26 Feb 2005 05:32:43
From: Elaine T
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
Richard Sexton wrote:
> In article <S5PTd.9518$Pz7.3304@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com>,
> Elaine T <eetmail-aquaria@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>I recently set up a 20 gallon tank, and added some plants. One of them
>>>developed brown spots on the leaves. You can see the photo at
>>>http://ca.geocities.com/fastflight@rogers.com/plant.jpg
>>>
>>>It's planted in the middle of the tank, where there is more light. Could
>>>this plant be getting too much light? The other plants, bought at the same
>>>time, look great.
>>>
>>>The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
>>>could do to save this plant?
>>>
>>>The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25,
>>>nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Another thought. Those swords are often grown emersed and the foliage
>>doesn't always adapt well to being submerged. If that is the case,
>>healthy new foliage will begin to grow from the middle of the plant.
>
>
> I think the brown holes are a red herring and that it's a Nitrogen
> deficiency. The new leaves aren't green, and they should be.
>
>
You know, that pattern of green veins and lighter mesophyl on the older
leaves looks EXACTLY like an Echinodorus leaf picture in the Optimum
Aquarium (p.117) labeled "Christmas Tree disease." Horst and Kipper say
that vein pattern is due to either manganese deficiency or iron overdosing.

I see what you mean about the new growth, though. Is that what low
nitrogen does? I'm always trying to lower it - not add more. ;-)

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><


    
Date: 26 Feb 2005 06:40:27
From: Richard Sexton
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
>You know, that pattern of green veins and lighter mesophyl on the older
>leaves looks EXACTLY like an Echinodorus leaf picture in the Optimum
>Aquarium (p.117) labeled "Christmas Tree disease." Horst and Kipper say
>that vein pattern is due to either manganese deficiency or iron overdosing.

Without doing any tests but in all probability I'd say it's an iron
deficiency. Tropica master Grow or SeaChem iron is indicated. Any
iron source will do more or less, but these two are IMO the best.

I have a slight preference for the Tropica stuff because the bottle
is so handy - although you can buy those bottles from GregWatson(.com).

>I see what you mean about the new growth, though. Is that what low
>nitrogen does? I'm always trying to lower it - not add more. ;-)

Well, there's no hard and fast rule. You have to add enough NO3
to bring you up to where you want to be based on where you are initially.

There's a nice graph in that book thatshows the rise in nitrate in
German tapwater over time; I have zero nitrate in my well water
and would have to add more than somebody who has some in theirs.

I aim for 20ppm NO3 and would rather see 30 than 10.

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org


     
Date: 26 Feb 2005 19:01:45
From: Jan
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
I just bought some fertilizer pellets, I'll also continue using the liquid
fertilizer. I just don't want to overdose - the label says iron "may be
toxic to some fish" - how much of a concern is it? I am new to keeping live
plants, and I've never used fertilizer before.




      
Date: 27 Feb 2005 01:35:11
From: Richard Sexton
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
In article <86CdnaIgv_lxkLzfRVn-1Q@rogers.com >, <ed493@hotmail.com> wrote:
>I just bought some fertilizer pellets, I'll also continue using the liquid
>fertilizer. I just don't want to overdose - the label says iron "may be
>toxic to some fish" - how much of a concern is it? I am new to keeping live
>plants, and I've never used fertilizer before.

Wellll, allegedly the most iron you want in a tank is 0.3ppm. Mine
comes out of the tap that way. I would't sweat it.


--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org


       
Date: 27 Feb 2005 03:53:58
From: Elaine T
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
Richard Sexton wrote:
> In article <86CdnaIgv_lxkLzfRVn-1Q@rogers.com>, <ed493@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I just bought some fertilizer pellets, I'll also continue using the liquid
>>fertilizer. I just don't want to overdose - the label says iron "may be
>>toxic to some fish" - how much of a concern is it? I am new to keeping live
>>plants, and I've never used fertilizer before.
>
>
> Wellll, allegedly the most iron you want in a tank is 0.3ppm. Mine
> comes out of the tap that way. I would't sweat it.
>
>
It should be chelated too, and that's way less toxic. I've never hurt
anything in a tank dosing commercial liquid iron fertilizer by the
suggested dosage on the label.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><


 
Date: 25 Feb 2005 23:27:49
From: Richard Sexton
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
>The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
>could do to save this plant?
>
>The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25,
>nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.

Too much light is not your problem. What's in the fertilizer you used?

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org


 
Date: 26 Feb 2005 10:10:46
From: Ozdude
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant

"" <ed493@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:G_ednc0p29A5MILfRVn-qw@rogers.com...
>I recently set up a 20 gallon tank, and added some plants. One of them
>developed brown spots on the leaves. You can see the photo at
>http://ca.geocities.com/fastflight@rogers.com/plant.jpg
>
> It's planted in the middle of the tank, where there is more light. Could
> this plant be getting too much light? The other plants, bought at the same
> time, look great.
>
> The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
> could do to save this plant?
>
> The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite
> 0.25, nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.

It looks like a substrate fertilizing deficiency.

I think if you trim the affected leaves (don't worry it will grow back
healthy) and place a fertilizer ball under the plant it may solve your
problem.

I am fairly new to aquatic plants, so I could be wide of the mark, but any
way that's what saved any of my plants that this happened to.

Oz

--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith




  
Date: 25 Feb 2005 23:29:55
From: Richard Sexton
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
In article <421fb077$0$6162$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au >,
Ozdude <ivsmith11@hote-mail.com > wrote:
>
>"" <ed493@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:G_ednc0p29A5MILfRVn-qw@rogers.com...
>>I recently set up a 20 gallon tank, and added some plants. One of them
>>developed brown spots on the leaves. You can see the photo at
>>http://ca.geocities.com/fastflight@rogers.com/plant.jpg
>>
>> It's planted in the middle of the tank, where there is more light. Could
>> this plant be getting too much light? The other plants, bought at the same
>> time, look great.
>>
>> The disease, whatever it is, seems to be progressing. Is there anything I
>> could do to save this plant?
>>
>> The tank has beed running for two weeks. pH is 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite
>> 0.25, nitrate 5 ppm. I alwo added some liquid fertilizer.
>
>It looks like a substrate fertilizing deficiency.

The plant is starving to death for sure, but substrate fertilizers,
especially one with ammonia are not a good idea. Ammonia = algae.


--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org


   
Date: 25 Feb 2005 19:11:05
From: Jan
Subject: Re: Brown Spots on Plant
I use Big Al's Multipurpose Plant Food Supplement.

Contents:
soluble potash, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenium, zinc, kelp extract,
vitamin B1.