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Brown and transparent patches on Red Amazon leaves

ghostsword

Member
Joined
19 Nov 2009
Messages
3,423
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Hi,

I currently have CO2 being pumped to the tank and I am dosing with EI. All my other plants are doing great, MU, Indian Fern, Riccia and Hairgrass are growing exponentially, except the Amazon's.

The leaves are developing holes, becoming transparent and brown patched.

Do you have any idea of what it could be?

I got a 120L tank, with 70w of light, 10 hours a day.
 
Hi Luis, I would suggest it could be a lack of iron. A lot of the amazon swords both red and green varieties are quite greedy feeders, and seem to appreciate something to get their roots into. I would suggest either increasing your trace dosing or maybe spot application via tablet of high dose iron and see how they go. It is also worth double checking your CO2 level in the area of the swords too, I know what Indian fern gets like when it's happy, very good at obstructing flow!! Wonderful plant, but you do have to be brutal with it!! :lol:

Hope this helps

Andy
 
AndyOx said:
Hi Luis, I would suggest it could be a lack of iron. A lot of the amazon swords both red and green varieties are quite greedy feeders, and seem to appreciate something to get their roots into. I would suggest either increasing your trace dosing or maybe spot application via tablet of high dose iron and see how they go. It is also worth double checking your CO2 level in the area of the swords too, I know what Indian fern gets like when it's happy, very good at obstructing flow!! Wonderful plant, but you do have to be brutal with it!! :lol:

Hope this helps

Andy

Good tips... I will increase the trace and get some iron as well. They were growing perfectly up to a week or so ago.

I am getting rid of a large part of my Indian Fern, pretty plant, but it is trying to take over the tank. :)
 
You should have Iron within your Trace mixture, just double or triple dose it. I triple dose Traces in both my tanks without problems
 
Jase said:
You should have Iron within your Trace mixture, just double or triple dose it. I triple dose Traces in both my tanks without problems


Cheers Jase, I will increase Trace. With more plants on the tank probably what I am dosing is not enough. I am just afraid now to decrease the TPN+ solution, maybe I can put one in the evening and the other on the morning.
 
I am using on 500ml of tap water and mix the following:
# 10g Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) = 2 tsp
# 1.2g Potassium Phosphate (monobasic) (KH2PO4) = 1/4 tps
# 4.0g Potassium Sulphate (K2SO4) = +- 3/4 tsp
# 8.0g Magnesium Sulphate Heptahydrate (Epsom Salts) (MgSO4) = 2 tsp

Then I add for 4 days 10ml a day, on day rest and the other I add trace.

I give enough Potassium, it may be iron, may have to increase Trace or Iron directly on them.
 
Hi Luis,
I think that is the trick of keeping your tank looking it's best. I'm always forgetting to allow for the fact that certain plants are high maintenance and stuff grows I just keep my eye out for the algae and dose up accordingly!!

Andy
 
Cheers Andy,

it is a surprise indeed to have some plants doing so well and the red amazons struggling. :)

I got one plant that I got no idea what it is, it will throw a stem with a leaf up every second day, and it takes two days to grow 50cm. It has three stems now, with three leafs, and still I have no clue what plant it is. I bought it as a crypto, but I am not so sure anymore, never seen a crypto with 50cm stems with a leaf on the end.

I will do all is possible to get these 3 amazons sorted ou and looking its best.
 
Hi Luis,
There are some crypts that grow like that (crypt cordata var blassii) but being crypts they're not quite that speedy!! I've had Aponogetons grow that fast before though and tiger lotus too. I think amazon swords are quite heavy root feeders where as the indian fern is more of a leaf feeder so if you think about the surface area of each plant.... indian fern would probably beat the amazons to nutrients quite easily.

Andy
 
AndyOx said:
Hi Luis,
There are some crypts that grow like that (crypt cordata var blassii) but being crypts they're not quite that speedy!! I've had Aponogetons grow that fast before though and tiger lotus too. I think amazon swords are quite heavy root feeders where as the indian fern is more of a leaf feeder so if you think about the surface area of each plant.... indian fern would probably beat the amazons to nutrients quite easily.

Andy

Thanks Andy.

The plant that grows a stem with a leaf right to the top has a bulb, a small bulb. I will uproot it and take a pic, maybe someone can identify it.

The indian fern really took over the tank, got two small pots at a LFS, and now I got stems of over 50cm long and very bushy.

I like the look of the plant, but it just grows too fast for my tank.

I have now obtained a pendant that has 4x 39w of T5's and I am even afraid at the speed the fern will grow, leaving nothing for my lovely red amazons.

Gotta pay more attention to the plants I keep, with EI and CO2 it is just not a case of dropping plants in.

A learning process, but fun all the way.

I will cut some leafs from the Amazon to show the damage.
 
ghostsword said:
The plant that grows a stem with a leaf right to the top has a bulb, a small bulb. I will uproot it and take a pic, maybe someone can identify it.

I responded to your Plant ID post, but I see here you say it is a bulb? Sounds like a lily to me, Nymphea something or other :) Might need to wait and see if the leaves roll out/grow bigger to ID it.
 
It turns out that my Ancistrus are making a feast on the plants.. :( just caught one chomping on it.

Odd that they don't touch the other plants, but these they are really into it..

Anyone in London want some ancistrus? I will give you a fiver.. :D
 
How can you not like ancistrus? They are so ugly they're cute!

My four ancistrus don't touch my swords, but many moons ago I had a pleco who made a feast of them...

Do you feed them algae wafers? Maybe they just need more plant content in their diet and the swords are the easiest source for them at present?
 
Ok.. Now all my work is paying off.. My amazon sword that not long ago were being munched by the ancistrus with care, love, CO2 and iron have rewarded me a thousand fold, by giving a lovely white flower above water level.

My camera is bad, or I need to play with the settings, but you can see the flower below:
4555789827_ed249d6934_b.jpg

4556363390_323c6c4dbc_b.jpg
 
My Amazon Rubin Plantlet, in a week it more than doubled in size.

I placed a weight around it, so that the leaves are always underwater.

The stem is at least 80cm long. :)

Long live EI and CO2...
4584513384_d4a8a233cc_b.jpg
 
Cheers,

It is indeed an amazoning experience :D

I really adore my three amazons, but they are growing too big for my tank, I am giving one away to a mate, and will plant the plantlets soon on a pot to let them grow. They will be soon on UKAPS for a donation.. :)
 
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