New buce leaves pale and weak?

[ForestDave]

Hi.
The new growth on my bucaphalandra plants is pale, thin and not healthy. I am EI dosing every other day, although I did stop adding Epsom salts to the mix after playing with the fert calc. That might have been a miscalculation on my part? Other than that nothing has changed from when it was growing healthily. I really struggle with alternanthera reinecki as well, with leaves going brown.
200l tank
CO2 into reactor. Lime green drop checker.
T5 39w lights for 6hrs per day.
Weekly water change
Temp 25.5
If anyone can help that would be amazing!!
Cheers

 

[X3NiTH]

The new leaf colouration is entirely healthy and normal, it takes a little while for them to darken up, you also have to consider that the legacy leaves on the plant were likely grown when the plant was emmersed and under strong light with unlimited access to co2, they are currently not under that condition in your tank so there will be slight differences in growth. You want to ensure you are nearing the top of your pH profile when the lights come on also never let the Iron content in the water bottom out, you want it to be always available, anytime I have a problem with my Buce other than co2 running out it’s because the Iron has depleted because there’s either a problem with the doser (blocked lines) or the fert has run out, I’m not discounting lacking Zn and Mn but I can’t currently test for those so Iron has to be my metric with the assumption that if Iron is available then both Zn and Mn should be also.

Makes sure that you at least have Magnesium present in the water as leaf colouration will reduce in the faster growing thinner tissues plants if it bottoms out, for Buce because they have very dark leaves it’s difficult to see this effect.

 

[glasscanvasart]

What’s the variety, I have some very similar, but I don’t have an ID. I can only echo that that is a very healthy plant and that new leaf colouration can vary dramatically.

 

[ForestDave]

The new leaf colouration is entirely healthy and normal, it takes a little while for them to darken up, you also have to consider that the legacy leaves on the plant were likely grown when the plant was emmersed and under strong light with unlimited access to co2, they are currently not under that condition in your tank so there will be slight differences in growth. You want to ensure you are nearing the top of your pH profile when the lights come on also never let the Iron content in the water bottom out, you want it to be always available, anytime I have a problem with my Buce other than co2 running out it’s because the Iron has depleted because there’s either a problem with the doser (blocked lines) or the fert has run out, I’m not discounting lacking Zn and Mn but I can’t currently test for those so Iron has to be my metric with the assumption that if Iron is available then both Zn and Mn should be also.

Makes sure that you at least have Magnesium present in the water as leaf colouration will reduce in the faster growing thinner tissues plants if it bottoms out, for Buce because they have very dark leaves it’s difficult to see this effect.

Thank you.
Sorry I phrased the title badly. The plants have been submersed since the end of February. Maybe I’m getting the CO2 level right and the new leaves are brighter than normal. Thanks for your reply.
I don’t suppose you have any tips about growing the alternanthera reinecki other than good CO2, flow and light? It has ludwigia repens and rotala hra next to it which grow really well if that is any indication of parameters?

 

[ForestDave]

What’s the variety, I have some very similar, but I don’t have an ID. I can only echo that that is a very healthy plant and that new leaf colouration can vary dramatically.

Not sure what type, I bought about 4 different types and mixed them all up in a planting frenzy! 🙄😂
Thanks for the reply.

 

[erwin123]

Thank you.
Sorry I phrased the title badly. The plants have been submersed since the end of February. Maybe I’m getting the CO2 level right and the new leaves are brighter than normal. Thanks for your reply.
I don’t suppose you have any tips about growing the alternanthera reinecki other than good CO2, flow and light? It has ludwigia repens and rotala hra next to it which grow really well if that is any indication of parameters?

I am resigned to the fact that AR is snack food for the Amanos (I followed some guides on internet that I can stock 1 Amano for every 10 litres, but the Amanos have more than doubled in size since I bought them and 10 double-sized Amanos are a lot hungrier than 10 small sized Amanos fresh from the shop). I plan to just plant the AR in an obscure corner so that the Amanos will eat the leaves and not bother the leaves of the other healthier plants