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Holes on new leaves (anubias)

rodrigolivbr

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16 Oct 2022
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Hello everyone!

I've been dosing "everything" except calcium to my 25L for over a year. This is because my tap GH is 1 and in my tank it naturally raises to 7-10 (probably due to the hardscape which I'm assuming releases calcium into the water). Still, my anubias petit get holes in new leaves (see photos attached). I have this same plant in some of my "low tech tanks" which I don't even dose ferts or co2 and they grow nicely.
I thought it could be lack of P or K but I have doubled the dosis with no change. Then I thought of the Ca/Mg ratio, but I've been dosing Mg alone and nothing has changed either.
Now I'm wondering if it could be the high lights I have on this tank to grow the monte carlo carpet...
I run co2 to about 30ppm according to the drop checker, but even the leaves that are growing emersed have the same issue.

Any thoughts? TIA

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Looks like snail damage!!
 
Sort of looks like mechanical damage. What livestock, snails - in particular - do you have in the tank? Is it only the Anubias Petites that are affected?


Cheers,
Michael
Thanks Michael. I have neocaridinas and pond snails... Only anubias are affected (nana and petite). However, this livestock has been the same for at least one year and the problem with the anubias started 2-3 months ago... The only thing I changed in this time was the light, swapped from a 14w (sunsun ade 400c) to a 36 (zrdr full spectrum) which I keep further up and at 60%...
 
If it's snails fair enough but a deficiency looks like it could be on the pictures. I can't second guess which but someone might.
 
Thanks Michael. I have neocaridinas and pond snails... Only anubias are affected (nana and petite). However, this livestock has been the same for at least one year and the problem with the anubias started 2-3 months ago... The only thing I changed in this time was the light, swapped from a 14w (sunsun ade 400c) to a 36 (zrdr full spectrum) which I keep further up and at 60%...

Yes it’s likely the snails. However, the cherry shrimps might possibly be the culprit as well… speaking from personal experience here, I’ve seen my cherries working on my pennyworths (not Anubis though, but I don’t have any petites at the moment) and I suspect a couple of my crypts… if your not doing so already toss in some algae wafers like once a week. Invertebrates are finely tuned opportunists - they rather feed on wafers than plants because it’s so much easier! :lol:

Cheers,
Michael
 
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a deficiency looks like it could be on the pictures.
I second that - some leaves of the same plant have darker tissue and lighter veins while others are the other way round - darker veins and lighter tissue - snails can't cause that. But they very likely add to the damage of weaker leaves.
I'd look at the amounts of Mg (dark veins/light tissue) and rise it around 20% or so and observe ( @rodrigolivbr I see you add Mg but anubias are rather slow poke plants so it may take more time to see the changes).
Not sure about lighter veins but some sources say about lack of Manganese. For the holes it can be either K, P or snails.

I see that some young leaves are also yellowish - it can be lack of Fe and/or N.

If you don't want to fiddle with the ferts, you could also lower the amount of CO2 and/or light - this will lower the demand for other nutrients in general. But I see there is rather no option for this due to the carpeting monte carlo.
 
If it's snails fair enough but a deficiency looks like it could be on the pictures. I can't second guess which but someone might.
It might be Potassium....I see small marks on some leaves if this is leaf decay snails will consume the dying leaf matter and might not stop there!!
but even the leaves that are growing emersed have the same issue.
Bladder Snails are air breathing creatures so will go on a vacation if the moisture is high enough!
There is actually a BS above the water line in the emersed image, I think?

I googled up Anubias with holes all have one thing in common in their aquariums.....Bladder Snails!
 
From personal experience I have never had anything eat Anubias leaves. I think that you have a deficiency and have leaves that are not healthy, thus providing an inroad for your inverts ( who also may be hungry).
I would try a chelated iron micro fertilizer. There would appear to be a consensus on this forum of about 0.1 to 0.3 ppm of Fe as a target for plant health.
Anubias are typically classed as an easy plant but it may be that they just good at slowly dying. The increase in light may have just tipped them over the edge.
Anubias have a lot of plant matter in them and require feeding. Consider the dry mass of Anubias plants compared to stem or carpet plants.
 
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