# Name this deficiency - Rotala Macrandra



## crisp330 (Dec 1, 2011)

I'm seeing some signs of deficiency and less than optimal growth in my Rotala Macranda. I've done some research and looked at the awesome info in deficiency finder, but it doesn't appear to be any of those unless I'm just misdiagnosing. Notice the color/texture issues that appear on newer growth on my pictures, and one stem just isn't doing well overall.

20g Tank
Finnex Planted 24/7 LED Lighting
Inert sand substrate (water column dosing only)
Pressurized CO2 - Drop checker yellowish green
Standard EI Dosing 
- Macros are dosed 3x week 
--- 1/8 tsp KNO3
--- 1/32 tsp KH2PO4 
- Micros 2x week 
--- 1/32 tsp CSM+B 
--- 1/32 tsp cleated iron 

Current levels:
-- No3 - 30 ppm
-- Po4 - 8 ppm (mine is always high, I think my test kit may suck, need to calibrate. Should be non-limiting either way)
-- Gh - 2 dKH


Attached are my pictures, and links to known deficiencies and images below.

Nitrogen Deficiency: Nitrogen deficient pictures and symptoms in Rotala plants - Plant Deficiencies - Aquatic Plant Central
Symptoms: Stunting, holes in old growth. Mine may be stunting, but the older growth does not show signs of deficiency. 

Potassium Deficiency: Potassium Deficiency in Rotala macrandra ?red? « Deficiency Finder
Symptoms: Holes in old growth. Again my old growth looks OK - not showing signs of holes.

Iron Deficiency: Iron Deficiency In Rotala Macrandra « Deficiency Finder
Symptoms: Chlorosis, & Necrosis, Faded colors. Not what I'm seeing in my plant.

Images here (forum upload doesn't seem to work) Sorry they're not great quality photos, but I'm referring to the green/grayish areas on the tips of the leaves. Most noticable at the bottom of the first image: 

http://imgur.com/a/bNBuv


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi crisp330,

Your dGH gave me a clue....is you water always this soft? Do you use RO water? The reason I ask is our water is very soft where I live here in Seattle (<1.0 dKH; <2.0dGH) and I constantly fight calcium deficiency. Does this seem to describe your problems?



> I. Symptoms appearing first or most severely on new growth (root and shoot tips, new leaves)
> 2. Necrosis occurs at tip and margin of leaves causing a definite hook at leaf tip.
> Calcium is essential for the growth of shoot and root tips (meristems). Growing point dies. Margins of young leaves are scalloped and abnormally green and, due to inhibition of cell wall formation, the leaf tips may be "gelatinous" and stuck together inhibiting leaf unfolding. Stem structure is weak and peduncle collapse or shoot topple may occur. Roots are stunted. Downward curl of leaf tips (hooking) occurs near terminal bud. ammonium or magnesium excess may induce a calcium deficiency in plants... *calcium deficiency*


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## crisp330 (Dec 1, 2011)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi crisp330,
> 
> Your dGH gave me a clue....is you water always this soft? Do you use RO water? The reason I ask is our water is very soft where I live here in Seattle (<1.0 dKH; <2.0dGH) and I constantly fight calcium deficiency. Does this seem to describe your problems?


Yes, my tap water is naturally very soft. I add gH Booster after water changes but now I'm thinking I must have forgotten to last time... 

I was poking around a bit more after I posted that and saw this occurring in the very back of my Philippine Fern. :surprise: 


















Looks kinda cool, but I think that's a strong Magnesium deficiency, right? 

I think you're correct either way, I'm sure Im lacking calcium as well as magnesium. Adding more gh booster now...


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi crisp330,

Actually what you are seeing on the tips of your java fern is normal! The even on a healthy plant the tips look like that.



> By krombhol-at-felix.TECLink.Net (Paul Krombholz)
> Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996
> 
> I always see a clear area at the growing tip of a new leaf. That is natural and normal. It is caused by the absence of any air between the upper and lower epidermis of the leaf. I have not seen clear areas form in older leaves.


That said, Tom Barr visited Seattle and I asked him about our soft water (he has it too in the Bay Area) and he add GH Booster (like Seachem Equilibrium) to raise the dGH to about 4.0. Seachem has a handy calculator on their website that tells me how much to add - so many gallons needs so much Equilibrium to raise the dGH by 1.0


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## crisp330 (Dec 1, 2011)

Actually I was referring to the leaf itself, not the tip. The leaf looks extremely bright green/pale with dark veins (almost looks like a circuit board). Compare my pics to say this, which is a normal leaf (much darker leaf, veins are not visible)










From what I've read this is a typical magnesium deficiency ("All old and new leaves are thus pale, there is a strong chlorosis. In contrast to a potassium deficiency, veins of leaves remain the same. Chlorosis is only on the leaf tissue." -- Aquatic plant deficiency - Aquarium-fertilizer.com)

Since GH is determined by both calcium and magnesium levels, and my GH is very low, I think I'm suffering from calcium deficiency (most visible in the Rotala Macaranda) as well as magnesium deficiency (most visible in the Philippine fern).

I've added GH Booster which should take care of both. I'll follow up once I see how it does... not sure how long it will take to see changes but hopefully soon.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi crisp330,

Do not expect to see changes in the existing leaves; they may not show much if any change. Watch the new growth (leaves) and see if they show improvement....it may take a week or so before you start to recognize results.


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