# S. repens leaves with brown edges



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

I've got S. repens in my low-tech 10 gallon with a Finnex 24/7 SE on 24/7 mode as the lighting and PPS-Pro for ferts. It's been in the tank for ~1 month and seems to be doing OK for the most part with most of the plants showing growth and leaf development (even the stems that were planted after cutting off of larger plants).

However, some of the older leaves on the plants have brown edges on the leaves. They've been like that for awhile (at least two weeks) so I'm wondering if this is a fert deficiency or maybe those plants aren't getting enough light?


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## frenziedpace (Dec 17, 2016)

Have you tested phosphate?


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

frenziedpace said:


> Have you tested phosphate?


I haven't. I guess I assumed that if I was dosing PPS I didn't need to as it should be providing the correct level of nutrients.

Although I do have a lot of water wisteria in the tank; possible it's hogging the phosphate?


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## frenziedpace (Dec 17, 2016)

It's worth a shot. It's easy to test.
One of my tanks is constantly low on PO4 even with dosing using EI.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Didn't test PO4, but did up my PPS macro dosing by 50% to see if that helps. The browning/yellowing around the edges has gotten worse and now older leaves are developing bigger holes and falling apart.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi aubie98,

I downloaded one of your pictures, enlarged it, and this is what I saw:
1) Problems seem to happen to the older leaves
2) Chlorosis (yellowing) at leaf margins turning into 'burning'
3) Chlorosis occurring between leaf veins turning into necrosis (dead) spots



> Necrotic spots develop on older leaves
> 
> a. Margins of older leaves become chlorotic and then burn, or small chlorotic spots progressing to necrosis appear scattered on old leaf blades. Calcium excess impedes uptake of potassium cations.... *potassium deficiency*
> 
> Potassium deficiency symptoms first appear on the recently matured leaves of the plant (not on the young, immature leaves at the growing point). In some plants, the first sign of potassium deficiency is a white specking or freckling of the leaf blades. With time, the symptoms become more pronounced on the older leaves , and they become mottled or yellowish between the veins and scorched at the margins. These progress inward until the entire leaf blade is scorched. If sodium cations are present and taken up in place of K+1, leaf flecking (necrotic spots scattered on leaf surface) and reduced growth occur. Potassium is phloem retranslocated from old leaves to new growth.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi aubie98,
> 
> I downloaded one of your pictures, enlarged it, and this is what I saw:
> 1) Problems seem to happen to the older leaves
> ...


So, yep, that's exactly what seems to be happening. Like I said above, I upped my daily PPS dosage by 50% (so 1.5 mls for a 10 gallon aquarium). Hopefully that will work, but I'd appreciate any advice you might have beyond that.

I'm guessing it might because I have a ton of Hygrophilia in the tank, I've read they are nutrient hogs.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi aubie98,

A Finnex 24/7 over a 10 gallon is a lot of light, that means the plants will need a lot of nutrients and available carbon molecules. If it were me I would cut the light intensity down to 75% and double the PPS dosing level. If you are not doing CO2 (DIY or pressurized) I would use a liquid carbon supplement like Seachem Excel or API CO2 Booster - dose per the instructions on the bottle.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi aubie98,
> 
> A Finnex 24/7 over a 10 gallon is a lot of light, that means the plants will need a lot of nutrients and available carbon molecules. If it were me I would cut the light intensity down to 75% and double the PPS dosing level. If you are not doing CO2 (DIY or pressurized) I would use a liquid carbon supplement like Seachem Excel or API CO2 Booster - dose per the instructions on the bottle.


Thanks Seattle! I do dose Excel but will bump the PPS dosing up.


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## Astronicc (Jul 28, 2017)

http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/BillyC099/media/IMG_1070.jpg.html?filters[user]=121014960&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1

Can anyone tell me if this is the same thing? I'm new to planted tank •&• here thank you


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Astronicc,

Welcome to TPT!

Unfortunately your picture is not accessible.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

And since we're on the subject, is the API test kit for phosphates good or is there something better?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Kubla said:


> And since we're on the subject, is the API test kit for phosphates good or is there something better?


The API phosphate kit works well, for its price.

If price is not an issue and you want a better test kit, LaMotte makes excellent test kits


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## Astronicc (Jul 28, 2017)

http://rs1212.pbsrc.com/albums/cc455/BillyC099/IMG_1070.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Astronicc said:


> http://rs1212.pbsrc.com/albums/cc455/BillyC099/IMG_1070.jpg?w=480&h=480&fit=clip


Not S. Repens.

Also, for the thread, I noticed that as I extended water changes out to two weeks, my S. Repens started doing the same thing. Only time I add extra K wad during water changes via GH booster. I've found S. Repens to be quite K demanding, so now I just add a little extra each week.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

@Seattle_Aquarist. Since I started 2x PPS dosing, my S. repens has stopped developing the brown edges and seems to be doing great. Thanks for the advice!


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi aubie98,

Thank you for the feedback; I'm glad the suggestion helped resolve the plant issue!


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## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

Pretty much my experience where pps pro gets you...especially since you have sand
deficient plants that'll continually get more deficient as the need for more food arises.
only way i'd ever go pps pro is using amazonia, notice specific aqua soil mentioned


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