Holes in Hygrophila

[mzm]

Hi,

I wonder whether anyone can give me some advice on a problem I have with my Hygrophila.

Many a time I have tried to grow this plant without success (I know in most tanks this grows like a weed).... I am managing to hold on to this one specimen however It keeps loosing the bottom leaves and the top leaves are getting holes which I hope you are able to make out on the pics. It is only this plant which has these holes. Any ideas whether they are from snails or any fert deficiency?

Regards,
Michael

 

[Alastair]

I get the same problem with lower leaves dropping off but not the holes. Is your co2 flowing past that particular plant well enough? What ferts are you dosing?

 

[mzm]

Hi,

This plant is furthest away from the CO2 diffuser. EI are the ferts I am dosing with Nitrogen+

 

[ceg4048]

Holes in plants and falling leaves always means poor CO2.

Cheers,

 

[mzm]

Ok, so what would be the best course of action to try and save the plant? Obviously increase co2 or rather flow since co2 is already quite high but do i shorten the stem of the plant taking off the affected leaves and re plant? Or should i leave it as is?

 

[Alastair]

Id trim the plant, replant the tops and improve flow around that area. There's no need to turn up the co2 if it's already high

 

[ceg4048]

You can also reduce the light intensity .Distribution methods should be reviewed.

Cheers

 

[mzm]

Do u agree with cutting the stem and replanting without the leaves which have holes?

 

[ceg4048]

Nothing else matters if conditions for health do not exist. The sections that you replant will simply suffer the same fate. Fix your CO2/flow/distribution. If, as you say, the injection rate is maximized and is at the limit of the fishes endurance, then this means lighting is too high and/or distribution is inefficient. Reducing the lighting will give you time to think about how to fix the flow/distribution.

Cheers,

 

[Matt Warner]

Sometimes some of my hygrophilia leaves fall off and get holes in them, the only leaves which seem to do this are some of the leaves at the bottom of the plant where there is less light.

 

[mzm]

I would think the distribution is not right since this is the only plant suffering (besides the HC which is low). Question about replanting was only put since i have read that leaves with damage do not regenerate and only drain resources from the plant. On the other hand I have been unsuccesful with this plant and not sure i will be able to make it root again if I cut it down.....

 

[ceg4048]

Well, yes, it's true that leaves never get better, but I can assure you that if you solved your CO2 problem today, by tomorrow or the next day, you would start to see leaf formation at a node where a leaf had fallen. I really wouldn't worry too much though. I'd just concentrate on lowering the light and fixing the distribution.

Cheers

 

[Matt Warner]

I wouldn't worry too much either, this is a really fast growing plant so for every leaf you have fall off you should have a lot more new ones.

 

[mzm]

Re: Holes in Hygrophila new pics

This is a photo of one of the older leaves (apologies for crappy iphone photos):

However, these plants seem to have the tears / holes in them within 24 hrs! Could this be bristlenose / siamese algae eater damage?

I have moved the plant into a co2 stream, increased potassium dosing......

 

[Matt Warner]

It could be fish damage possibly. I kept having chunks eaten out of my hygrophilia and I found it was my gold barbs eating them. I fed algae wafers along with the flake food and the leaf munching stopped.
Cheers

 

[mzm]

will try algae wafers. thanks for the tip.

 

[mzm]

It must be some fish which is going for the leaves! This morning I left home with all leaves in great condition (i trimmed the torn ones last night). Just came home for my lunch break and found two leaves with loads of holes! It cannot be the water conditions...

 

[Matt Warner]

Have you got any snails in your tank, it could be snail damage. What fish do you have in the tank?

 

[SuperWen]

holes in leaf usually caused by potassium deficiency

 

[mzm]

Well, it coud be snails. I see the odd small snail in there although I have a couple of assins n there aswell!

Fish include Angels, lemon tetras, bosemani rainbows, neon rainbows, emperor tetras, cardinal tetras, four corys, four siamese algae eaters and two bristlenose.

Besides fertilising EI I have been adding Potassium Sulfate for the past ten days.... I dont think that lack of potassium would put holes in a plant in a three hours...... or would it?