Ok. Will do. My tank doesn't have any brown algae though. These spots are part of the leaf, they don't come off.
Java Fern Troubles
- Thread starter Kads
- Start date
OK, that's helpful to know. I was just guessing it might be brown algae because of brown spots on my java ferns, which is algae.
KH & GH is always good to know even if just a data point for the moment. Your lfs may test it for you once or twice & sometimes you can get seasonal averages from your water Co. if you have 1 (they may have a website that tells). Plants do "use up" KH as I found out when I moved from a high GH & KH area to a much lower 1 & my pants were unhappy. You never know until you test.
This could be due to two things, nutrient availability and light level adjustment.
Lack of nutrients could cause decay if the plant is pulling from those old leaves to try to grow new. As to new leaf size, are the new leaves fully formed yet? A new leaf continues to grow from the tip area for some time and that process goes from stem to tip. You can see the tip on a still growing leaf looks different than the mature part of the leaf.
Plants do have a setup for low light and a different one for higher light. Once the leaf is matured that setup doesn't change, but if the plant is moved the amount of light very likely will be different. If you take a low light leaf and put it under high light the leaf will burn because it is metabolically driven faster than it can control. A high light leaf put in low light can't do enough to maintain it's own existence. The plant's only recourse in either case is to grow new leaves that are set up for the current light amount and if possible take nutrients out of the old leaves and let them go.
You can't control lighting induced changes, but you can make sure they are fed well enough to grow to the new conditions.
Lack of nutrients could cause decay if the plant is pulling from those old leaves to try to grow new. As to new leaf size, are the new leaves fully formed yet? A new leaf continues to grow from the tip area for some time and that process goes from stem to tip. You can see the tip on a still growing leaf looks different than the mature part of the leaf.
Plants do have a setup for low light and a different one for higher light. Once the leaf is matured that setup doesn't change, but if the plant is moved the amount of light very likely will be different. If you take a low light leaf and put it under high light the leaf will burn because it is metabolically driven faster than it can control. A high light leaf put in low light can't do enough to maintain it's own existence. The plant's only recourse in either case is to grow new leaves that are set up for the current light amount and if possible take nutrients out of the old leaves and let them go.
You can't control lighting induced changes, but you can make sure they are fed well enough to grow to the new conditions.
Thanks for your reply SnakeIce,
In order to ensure my plants have proper nutrient levels, I am moving to the EI method for Excel tanks as laid out by Sundeep Mandal:
"A 20 gallon tank using excel should get:
"1/8 teaspoon of KNO3, 1-2x a week
1/16 teaspoon of KH2PO4, 1-2x a week
2mls of Seachem Flourish, 2x a week
SeaChem Equilibrium 1/8th once a week (Immediately after weekly water change)
50% weekly water change
Dose 1-1.5x the recommended dose for Excel (1 ml for every 10 gallons on a daily basis and 5ml for every 10 gallon after 40% or more water changes)."
Do you think this will work/help my situation?
Yes that is a good method to go by. Here is the original source of that idea, article found here: http://www.barrreport.com/forum/bar...ndex/2938-ei-light-for-those-less-techy-folks
That is the simple version, there is much more in depth reading to be had on the free section of the site.
That is the simple version, there is much more in depth reading to be had on the free section of the site.
