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what plants are they?
im guessing the sailfin is eating them

EDIT i meant clown plec

Last edited by Alex at 02-Aug-2005 02:33

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

So I just when home from school for about a day and came back to school and most of my plants have holes in the leaves.

In my tank for fish I have are:
1 Clown Pleco
2 Checkered Barbs
1 Tiger Barb
1 Black Ruby Barb
1 Snail (Dont know what kind, it was brown but has been turning white and it is about 1/2" big)

there might be more snails but I am not sure... when I find them I feed them to my Convicts.

Fish any one can help me that would be super cool..... thanks!!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Hi,
If you are sure that you need Potassium, simply go to any
store that has a garden supply and purchase a product
called "Grants Stump Remover." It is KNO3. Have a test
kit for potassium, and use it a little at a time till you
get the desired saturation.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

You should be able to get Pottassium Chloride in a supermarket or health food shop.

Mortons Nu-Salt or No-Salt is pure Potassium Chloride.

Muriate of Potash should be available in any gardening centre.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

K2SO4 is potassium sulfate. It's usually used in fertilizers. I'm not sure where you would get it in AU, I would check with a hydroponics supply store, pharmacy or gardening centre.

For alternate souces of potassium you can use KCl (muriate of potash in most places, proper name is Potassium Chloride). KCl is also commonly used as a water softening salt. Just be sure you're getting POTASSIUM chloride and not SODIUM chloride if you're buying water softening pellets. Or something like Seachem Potassium which should be available either at your LFS or through an online store.

Here's an article that gives the basics on common chems used to "make your own" fert mixes. The PMDD formula is a bit outdated but the source chems and info about them are still valid.

http://www.aquabotanic.com/PMDDprimer.htm

Last edited by trystianity at 02-Aug-2005 02:53

is there a common name for K2SO4?

and where can i get some?

Some commercial fertilisers contain potassium, TMG is one. The other cheaper option is getting some K2SO4 which will last you for years, if not a lifetime.

that must be whats going on....... what should I do???? Give them a Spud??

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

far out i must be going blind! i swear i saw clown loach for some reason! sorry alex!

actually the holes i have look exactly like the ones in the pic, guess i had a potassium deficiency after all

Ingo is right, potassium deficiency does cause holes in leaves. It affects older leaves and this is how it looks like:

untitled attached this image:


It starts off as small brown pin-point holes and then they grow until the leaf dies off. If this is your problem then it's lack of potassium, if it affects newer leaves as well then it's not.

Last edited by untitled at 01-Aug-2005 13:26[/font]

Doesn't a lack of Potassium cause holes in leaves?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I have a Clown Pleco...

There are quite a few holes and they are mainly small holes. The plants that have been attacked are my.......... hydro something or other.... Its a tall broad leaf plant... Also my snails are in the shape of a ram horn..

Last edited by Wingsdlc at 01-Aug-2005 08:10

Last edited by Wingsdlc at 01-Aug-2005 08:11

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

is your snail's shell more or a turbo shape or a cone? i suspect my ramhorn snails put holes in my blue stricta.

are they big holes or little ones? also are there heaps of holes or just a few?

alex he doesnt say he has a sailfin

I answered the cost thing in the other thread.....even at $12 it's like $0.01 a dose.

How much is 1 bottle of Flourish Phosphorous ? And how long does 1 bottle last ?

The 1lb bag will literally last you years. $12 for a few years is good value anyway you look at it.

I don't know what other uses this stuff has, but I doubt you'll find it in a DIY store. A hydroponics supplier would be the best bet.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Tryst

Yes the PO4 is $3.42, but w/shipping it's over $12.00.
Anyone know if Lowes or HD sells PO4

Last edited by tetratech at 10-Aug-2005 12:05

My Scapes

I just ordered a lb of KH2PO4 from Greg Watson, $3.42 USD. Much much much cheaper than flourish.

I don't mean to be too picky but Fleet enemas are not the same, they are sodium phosphate based. I like KH2PO4 better because it contains a bit of potassium, not a whole lot but I think the dosage that I calculated will raise my K by about 1 ppm. Bonus

Last edited by trystianity at 03-Aug-2005 21:03

Tetra,

It's very difficult to overdose on the Potassium so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I worried in this case about using KNO3 for K as it will increase Nitrate more then K, which may be an issue.

Potassium is a very important macro. It would very often be in short supply in a tank not being dosed with macros. The reason being that unlike nitrate and phosphate you won't find much in fish food or fish poo, so it quite often needs to be added.

The reccomended level for potassium is 20ppm. If dosing macros such as KN03 for nitrate or KH2PO4 for phosphate you are also adding a good bit of Potassium (K). Most feel that will be enough to meet your needs for K. I usually top this up with a bit Potassium Sulphate once a week, but it's probably niot neccessary.

For phosphate dosing I use KH2PO4 - Mono Potassium Phosphate. Should be found in a hydroponics store or online at Greg Watson's. 1lb will last a lifetime and is ridiculously cheap. Fleets Enema solution is the same thing and available from a pharmacy if you have the nerve to ask . Seachems Flourish Phosphorous is exactly the same thing, basically water and KH2PO4, will do fine but is the most pricey solution.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I bought the stump remover (KNO3) simply to get my nitrates up to 20, but yes, I wasn't even thinking potassium, so I'm adding the flourish potassium product separately.

Bensaf:
You might have told me this, but what source are you using for PO4?

Last edited by tetratech at 03-Aug-2005 12:51

My Scapes

tetratech,

May I ask why you use both of these products?

I assume that bensaf made this statement because the Stump Remover product would drive the nitrate levels up and would not only increase the potassium values.

Although a certain level of nitrates in your tank is good for your plant growth, the level would get too high once you reached your desired potassium level (- to all the critic that say nitrate levels can be over 50ppm and would still not be dangerous, I don&#8217;t care).

I would suggest you use your potassium ferts purely and, if need should be, add nitrates separately.

Ingo

EDIT: LITTLE_FISH is a Big Fish now

Last edited by Little_Fish at 03-Aug-2005 12:10

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club