# Light Deficiency?



## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

So I've been battling some deficiency issues for quite some time now.

Back story even though it's littered all over the site. 

60 gallon 48x12x24 with light 24 inches above the substrate.
It's a dirted tank.

I thought I was dealing with a nutrient deficiency (Phosphate particularly), but I switched to dry ferts and the EI method.

Since then I've been having consistent 2-5 PPM phosphate and 10-20 PPM Nitrate.

Anyway to get to the lighting point, when I use the deficiency finder I tend to think I'm having some lighting problems. I've having stem plants which are dead in the middle and only growing at the very tops. Some of the stems are also growing horizontal along the substrate, and overall the stems are growing very poorly.

My dwarf sag is spreading rapidly but it has browning and decay along the edges of the leaves.

I felt like I was having better growth prior to when I switched bulbs even though I don't think that makes sense, but that's where you all come in.

Previously I was running:

2 - 54W (48") ATI Aquablue Special which seem to be about 12,000K temperature and in the blue spectrum. I was running those bulbs at 7 hours per day.

I then switched to:

2 - 54W (48") bulbs
1 - TrueLumen 12,000K Powerwhite 
1 - TrueLumen Freshwater Flora 

I am currently running those bulbs 7 hours per day.

After switching I initially broke with a cloudy water problem, finally got that issue cleared up but after that I had major problems growing, especially the stems (The Giant Amazon Swords did ok, growing almost to the surface).

I also added a powerhead to the top to move water a bit more. 

Most of the problem plants however are in good flow areas (Around the filter output and away from the powerhead. The swords are near the power head.)

I have minimal algae problems (Mostly green spot - suspect from the previous phosphate issues).

So my question is this. If I wanted to test the lighting would the recommendation be to go from 2 bulbs to 4 (which many have said will put me in the high light level and I do not have injected Co2, I do use excel daily.) or should I just increase photoperiod from 7 hours to 8 or 9?

Or should I change back bulbs or try some different, including getting bulbs in the 6500-6700 K (I do think that is what the Freshwater Flora bulbs are) temperature spectrum?

Thanks in advance.


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## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

Can you post a few photos of the plants? I'd like to see the damage on them.


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## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

Will do. I need some better and more recently updated images, so I will get them tomorrow. I'll see if I can find the previous image that was before as some are close to that still.

Here is the thread in the plant section where I was discussing some things, again I'll do my best to get better images tomorrow, including a full tank shot to show the setup.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=801018


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## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

How did you get rid of the green water issue?


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## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

Zapins said:


> How did you get rid of the green water issue?


I'm not fully convinced it was green water. However, the way was water changes exclusively.

I basically did 50% water changes a few times a week. Ultimately it resolved itself after about 3 weeks.


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## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

Here are some more recent images.

I honestly wish I could do better here, I will keep working just wanted to get some out here.


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## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

Hmm.

How old is the soil? What type of soil did you use for the tank?


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## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

Soil was brand new in July 2014, it was MGOPM.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Gavin Citrus said:


> Soil was brand new in July 2014, it was MGOPM.


Is the one stringy plant w/ no lower needly leaves Myriophyllum?

I had nothing but problems w/ that one.. Great growth/bad growth/ algae/lower stem rot.. finally complete loss ..

Though it doesn't say it I suspect it prefers alkaline water..

Err never mind.. it isn't that plant


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## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

That plant, whatever it is (I think it's a rotala species) started booming my tank. Had to trim it every week almost.

Then that cloudy water/bulb change issue hit and now it's been pathetic ever since.


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## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

The plants don't really look like they are suffering from a lack of light. You can see some plants doing well, growing near the bottom, and the same near the top of the tank. If it were a lack of light you'd expect to see only plants near the top doing well and none near the bottom (except low light plants perhaps). On the other hand, if the issue was a macro nutrient deficiency like potassium, nitrate or phosphate then you'd expect the old leaves to die no matter where they are in the water column, leaving only the new leaves intact.

In your other thread I saw many pinholes in the Hygrophila plant. This species and the holes are both good indicators of potassium deficiency. Also, potassium is very soluble in water and would be the first nutrient to be flushed out over time with water changes, this is one of the reasons why aquasoil advises you use brightly K (a potassium product) after a few weeks of setting up an aquasoil tank. 

You are currently dosing about 1 ppm each cap full of flourish potassium that you add to your 60g tank (total of between 4 and 9 ppm a week with your current dosing schedule). You need about 20-25 ppm per week to be sure you have enough K. I recommend you try adding more potassium each week and see if the problem resolves. A week or two will tell. This works out to 8 tsp (cap fulls) 3x a week. You can also buy K2SO4 (potassium sulfate) and dose that instead. It is the same stuff they use in flourish potassium except it is far cheaper.


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## Gavin Citrus (Aug 2, 2014)

I bought dry ferts and have been dosing ei well like half dose for the past two weeks. Maybe I'll up my k2so4 dosing.


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