lilsoccakid

hey guys.

i have a 55 gallon planted tank with 108watts of T-5 lighting for a WPG of approximetly 2.4

recently all my plants are getting holes all over the leaves and im not sure why

i use iron enriched aquatic plant fertilizer (.15-0-0)


what could be the problem?

thanks!

angelfish220

Is there plenty of algae for the ottos? some people say that they will eat holes in your plants if there is no algae.

lilsoccakid

wow never though about that. i dont think this is the problem though, because there is still some algae on the walls

Red_Rose

Holes in plant leaves can often indicate a potassium deficiency. If left for too long, it can start affecting your fish in the form of fin and skin problems. My tank has that problem but I'm now dosing it with KNO3(potassium nitrate. I also have a nitrogen deficiency) and I'm getting some K2SO4(potassium sulfate) for it as well.

Here's a picture of what a potassium deficiency looks like in a Crypt.

lilsoccakid

thanks alot red_rose, as i was starting to suspect that as the problem as well, but this confirms it.

what products can be used to solve this problem?

Red_Rose

You're welcome.

You can use potassium sulfate to add extra potassium to the water. Since there is no real test kit for measuring potassium, you'll have to be careful not to overdose. I think the recommended level of potassium for a planted tank is 10-25ppm.

I'll be dosing my 10g with 1/16 tsp of potassium sulfate at first to see how things go. I've already dosed it with 1/16 tsp of potassium nitrate because I had zero nitrates in my tank which is why my plants were suffering from a nitrogen deficiency. I think I could easily up it to 1/8 tsp but I'm afraid of overdosing. Here is a calculator that you can use in figuring out how much to add to your tank.