Hairgrass deficiency? new photo added

[jon32]

Hi,

I have a bit of a curious problem with my hair grass, it's growing quite well and sending out runners but some leaves looks crimped not straight like normal.

The hg is Tropica Eleocharis sp. 'mini' 1-2-GROW! and Eleocharis acicularis. The tank was dry started for 8 weeks. Journal here - Aquanano 40 DSM (flooded) | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Tank is 55 litres - 40cm cube

Substrate is new ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia normal + powder also some Power Sand special was used. I did add a small amount of new AS powder to the scape (about a cup) just before flooding with water but the rest is cycled.

The filter is built into the rear of the tank and wasn't seeded.

I'm injecting CO2 for 8 hrs, drop checker currently shows yellow (no fauna).


Dosing about 6ml of Neutro+ and 1ml Neutro CO2.

Light is a TMC Aquaray 400 mini led. 8 hr photo period. (2hrs ramping up/down. 4hrs @ 80%)

Here's a pic... you can see some leaves on the left side near the glass, but it's not just confined to that area, some leaves have it in high flow area.

The hairgrass is growing but I'm curious as to what the cause of this deformed growth is. The growth was normal during DSM. I have no problems with my Tropica Hemianthus 'Cuba' 1-2-GROW! in the same tank.

I have been told that this maybe a Ca deficiency or Too much potassium which affect Ca uptake from the plants. I'm using tap water 3 gh and 0 kh. Tank measures 4.5 gh and 2 kh after 4 days which is when I'm currently changing 50% water. I have some Seryiu stone in the tank.

Cheers

 

[ceg4048]

Hi mate,
Whenever you observe deformities in plant structure, you should always have poor CO2 at the very top of your suspect list. Increase the flow or CO2 to that area and remove the deformed leaves. Ca deficiency due to whatever other factor should be at the very bottom of the list.

You can trim the surrounding area to improve flow through. The plants look otherwise very healthy to me in that last photo. The leaves are not brown or translucent, which would be an indication of acute CO2 shortage, so this is just a mild case. When you've done the best you can with CO2 then you should proceed to check the other possibilities.

Temporarily reducing the light intensity can also be used as a test for the possibility of CO2 deficiency. 80% sounds fairly high based on what I have seen reported so far.

Cheers,

 

[DrRob]

Yup, I get lots of leaves like this in my non-CO2 tanks if I put hairgrass in them, they're definitely not calcium deficient.

 

[jon32]

Thanks Ceg and Rob. Going by your suggestions I'm looking at light intensity now as a possible cause, I'll reduce it to 60%. I will also trim the leaves. Unfortunately the leaf deformities aren't just confined to that place behind the rock next to the glass, I'm also seeing it in open areas where the flow doesn't appear reduced. I do find it strange (but thankful) that HC is thriving when I thought I'd have more problems with it than the HG. Maybe it's out competing the HG for Co2.

Co2 distribution and flow looks to me like it couldn't be much improved in this tank. Because of the built in filtration system I can't run an in-line diffuser, instead I have a fluval ceramic disc in the pump section going straight into the intake (very few bubbles aren't taken in) and through the spray bar - the result is the tank is full of tiny co2 bubbles that hit the side of the tank and swril back across the carpet of plants and back up to the spray bar again. Bubble rate via Fluval bc is bang on 1 a sec, which I think is what George Farmer has his on in a bigger tank albeit by a more effecient delivery system. I've moved my drop checkers all around the tank and tried to place them where the mist can't interfere with the results, at the moment I'm getting lime green by the end of the day, it was in the yellow but over the course of the last week I,ve been reducing it because I really want to get some shrimp in the tank Another thing is liquid carbon which I also dose, these plants are greedy lol

 

[ceg4048]

Hi mate,
Well, if you don't have plants that respond poorly to liquid carbon then you can supplement, but really, it's the lighting which is at the very heart of these problems. It's very difficult to predict exactly which plant will have a better time of it because we cannot see the flow and gas diffusion/movement at the microscopic level.

Cheers,

 

[jon32]

Thanks again Ceg. Yeah I will try and fine tune the light to co2 injection rate. Last night I checked the level the light was on and discovered it was already down to 60%, I think this happened last week when I was playing around with the level for photo's. Seems there's plenty of light at 60% for HC, it's grown loads over the week - pushing up against the glass now, will have to trim soon