Alternanthera Rosaefolia

[Bhu]

Hi

I have been growing the Alternanthera Rosaefolia for over 2 weeks now. It has grown well and the leaves turned a lovely rosy pink. Good roots coming from bottom and midway. The last 2 days I have noticed little holes appearing in one or 2 leaves. They looked like they had been eaten away and was worried that I had a hitch hicker snail. This morning I saw an amano shrimp nawing on one of these leaves with holes. So are the amano eating it? Or are they just cleaning around the damage? Was the said damage caused by a possible plant eating snail? Or is the plant just suffering and the leaves are damaging slightly?

The aquarium is heavily planted 150 ltr cube no other plants are effected including a similar Ludwigia Peruviana. Lots of co2 injection bubbles to fast to count per second but around 3 to 5 per second. Drop checker a lovely light green. PH is 6.4 in morning and 6 or less by evening. Lights on at 8 ramp up for 3 hours then full til 5 then ramp down for 3 hours. Using the TMC twin aquagrow 600's
I dose neutro+ and neutro carbon 3-4 ml a day.

I did think to reduce light but don't want to upset the other well growing plants. What to do? Any advice appreciated.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Hmmm...that actually does look like it's been eaten by something. But I suppose there is always the possibility it was originally due to some sort of mechanical damage or nutrient deficiency, in which case this may be of some help http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/deficiencies.htm.
IME amano don't usually tuck in to leaves otherwise they'd have all been evicted from our tanks by now, and despite suffering some tanks plagued with nuisance snails I've never known them to eat leaves either, unless they are damaged in some way. I'm sure Darrel or Clive will help you get to the bottom of it.

 

[Bhu]

It's just strange as its only one or two leaves from each plant stem not all of them. All at varying heights some top some mid some bottom. Mostly mid to top though. I'm counting 6 leaves at the most on what looks to be 3 very healthy plant stems. There are 25 armano and 20 cherry shrimp. Maybe food is too scarce? It could be that the leaves have had a nutrient issue and the amanos are just cleaning up. I have increased co2 to help the plant recover.

Should I remove the damaged leaves? Or leave them to run their coarse? With my land plants I have always allowed the leave to stay so that the plant can take back any nutrition before getting rid of the leaf. Once free floating I will remove them straight away. But maybe I should snip them off? Some of the leaves look just like land leaves look after a caterpillar has had a good munch on them! All the other plants look fantastic no holes or appearance of grazing anywhere. No algae anywhere either.

When I got this plant the tops of the leaves were green and the underside only slightly pink. Now the tops look almost orange and the underside a stunning pink.

What to do?

 

[Bhu]

I'm beginning to think that this is due to lack of nutrient. I also have an echinodorus belerhi that has a leaf that looks pinched also with some slight holes and slightly yellow looking. I have had a huge plant growth and cut back leaves already so maybe 3ml a day of neutro + just isn't enough! Oh no my bad! just read the bottle again then ring is so so small or my aging eyes are failing me! It says 10ml per 100 litres so I should be dosing 15ml per day! I'm starving my plants! Will increase then ferts and pray that things recover...

 

[Tim Harrison]

Mystery solved I'm sure they will recover...In the meantime I'd snip off the damaged leaves; they'd probably become covered in algae anyway.

 

[Bhu]

With the correct dose this plant has now grown huge again, leaves are no longer disintegrating and have grown really long and healthy.

It's nearly at the top of the aquarium so about 55cm in length. Time to trim it soon so it bushes out more and I get more stems