Holes in Anubias despite EI dosing

[MirandaB]

Hi All,
I have a friend who is having a few problems with holes in the leaves of Anubias despite dosing EI.
It's a fairly low light tank,no liquid carbon currently being dosed and only appears to be affecting one particular plant.
Is it possible that it's just poor flow distribution of ferts?

 

[Jose]

What is he dosing? Micros? Magnesium? Anubias are sensitive to not having micro elements.

 

[ian_m]

no liquid carbon currently being dosed

Structural problems in plants are almost always due to lack of carbon (or fish eating). You have nailed it.

No point dosing EI if low light and no carbon, just wasting ferts and unless water is changed weekly will just build up in the tank and end up being severely detrimental to plants and fish.

EI dosing is designed to be done with CO2 (gas), high lights and weekly water changes.

Rolling your own version of EI will always result in issues as you have found out.

So solution is (assuming you really are low light), dose say 1/3 EI dose and dose liquid carbon. My mate doses his low light tank 1/4 EI dose weekly and liquid carbon weekly and plants are all fine & algae free, including Anubias. Careful liquid carbon will melt some plants.

 

[Jay1]

Hello Miranda I noticed some snails from the Azola and Anubis (Thanks again for those plants!)
Over the last month I had simlar holes on my Anubus and have killed off four snails two big ones and two babies.
I'm guessing you have the same problems?
I can tell those tiny holes have no colour or deficiency more likely created by tiny mouths.
I like to keep the tank clean and randomly pick out tiny duck weeds and sometimes find the snails on the glass and behind the air stone on the back.
Jay

 

[MirandaB]

She is dosing both micro and macro ferts with the usual weekly 50% water changes,it just seems odd that it's the one plant affected
I think she has some physa snails in the tank but I've never found any physa doing damage to plants in my tanks before

 

[Michael W]

Hi,

I agree with the observation that snails don't usually do damage to plants unless the plant was already suffering from deterioration. I like snails .I'll go along with the idea of poor flow.

Something I have noticed with Anubias and Java fern is that sometimes when certain parts of their leaves which has been exposed to dry air/poor humidity either through shipping or the water level going below the leaves from a water change, will deteriorate after being submerged for some time. I have no scientific insight to back this up but it maybe a cause?

 

[sciencefiction]

Can you take a picture of the entire plant? Are these older leaves or newer leaves?