Salvinia Turning White!

I started a 5 gallon walstad (dirt) tank a week ago. I am using an 8w led light. My salvinia started producing white leaves. Other plants are doing ok. Please identify what's wrong with my tank!

 

If you just added these they are probably in their melting stage. They should bounce back and grow like weeds.

 

Do you dose ferts

 

Do you dose ferts

I don't.

I don't.

I was trying to figure out the deficiency and then buy a fert accordingly !

B

If you just added these they are probably in their melting stage. They should bounce back and grow like weeds.

But the new leaves are white, and I've read that without chlorophyll they are pretty much useless !

 

B

But the new leaves are white, and I've read that without chlorophyll they are pretty much useless !

Oh I missed that part I'm sorry.

I was trying to figure out the deficiency and then buy a fert accordingly !

Buy Chlorophyll Liquid 2 x 16 fl oz (473 mL) Supplement Bottle | Piping Rock Health Products

 

Buy Chlorophyll Liquid 2 x 16 fl oz (473 mL) Supplement Bottle | Piping Rock Health Products

^this is for human consumption, not a fertilizer

White new growth is usually nitrogen or iron deficiency. I wouldn’t bother with getting ferts just for these because you’ll have to keep buying bottles as deficiencies pop up, go for an all in one like Nilocg Thrive

 

^this is for human consumption, not a fertilizer

White new growth is usually nitrogen or iron deficiency. I wouldn’t bother with getting ferts just for these because you’ll have to keep buying bottles as deficiencies pop up, go for an all in one like Nilocg Thrive

so are tums and calcium tabs but we use them in our tanks. Thia is ehat the vet uses at the fish clinic so I assume it is safe.

 

Plants make their own chlorophyll, if they have the right minerals to begin with, so no sense in dosing with chlorophyll. Common deficiencies are iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Seachem Equilibrium is what I'm using for the extra minerals, and Easy Green for iron and a everything else.

My salvinia is growing so fast that I have to thin it regularly >_<

 

so are tums and calcium tabs but we use them in our tanks. Thia is ehat the vet uses at the fish clinic so I assume it is safe.

Safe, but has no nutritional benefit for plants at all.... the only ingredients are sodium chloride (which is not good for plants) and vegetable glycerine, which is not chlorophyll and I doubt plants can use since it’s not a nutritional compound for plants.

 

Thank you all , for the suggestions. I've decided to get an all in one fertilizer ,available in my country , probably Seachem Flourish and raise my led light a bit higher. Apparently excess light can also lead to white leaves as I've noticed my azzola fern also started turning pink.

 

so are tums and calcium tabs but we use them in our tanks. Thia is ehat the vet uses at the fish clinic so I assume it is safe.

Only thing is plants don't use chlorofyl from "outside". Adding it into a tank is not very usefull.

 

Thank you all , for the suggestions. I've decided to get an all in one fertilizer ,available in my country , probably Seachem Flourish and raise my led light a bit higher. Apparently excess light can also lead to white leaves as I've noticed my azzola fern also started turning pink.

I worry about flourish not containing enough nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for you, it's not really an all in one.

 

I worry about flourish not containing enough nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for you, it's not really an all in one.

The potting soil I used under the gravel has enough N,P and K to last my tank for few years. I'm only worried about iron. If you know a better fertilizer let me know !

 

Did you check them?

The potting soil I used under the gravel has enough N,P and K to last my tank for few years. I'm only worried about iron. If you know a better fertilizer let me know !

Did

 

The potting soil I used under the gravel has enough N,P and K to last my tank for few years. I'm only worried about iron. If you know a better fertilizer let me know !

I'm not saying it's the cheapest way to go forward, but if you know iron is the issue, buy Flourish Iron and dose only that. Of course, it takes a few weeks to know if you were right. And if it's not iron, then you're into buying the next suspect.
I'd go with an all in one that DOES include NP&K, and try to find the lowest dose/rate that keeps the plants healthy. As long as you're dosing any ferts, you will have to do water changes to prevent buildup of any elements that aren't consumed by the plants.
Are you trying to eventually get this to be a fert-free ("self-sustaining") tank? I gather Walstad's take time to reach their balance, but I've also read that iron is often specifically supplemented when installing the substrate (eg red clay).

 

I'm not saying it's the cheapest way to go forward, but if you know iron is the issue, buy Flourish Iron and dose only that. Of course, it takes a few weeks to know if you were right. And if it's not iron, then you're into buying the next suspect.
I'd go with an all in one that DOES include NP&K, and try to find the lowest dose/rate that keeps the plants healthy. As long as you're dosing any ferts, you will have to do water changes to prevent buildup of any elements that consumed by the plants.
Are you trying to eventually get this to be a fert-free ("self-sustaining") tank? I gather Walstad's take time to reach their balance, but I've also read that iron is often specifically supplemented when installing the substrate (eg red clay).

You are right , I was planning for a self sustaining ecosystem with little to no maintenance whatsoever. I was inspired by this book - "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad ( I highly recommend reading this gem). Floating plants were an important step and when they went wrong I panicked ,cause I couldn't find the reason behind it. And yes sometimes iron is specifically supplemented into the substrate. All I can do now is try few things and wait for the results.

Did you check them?Did

I did not. But a potting soil mix is supposed to have a lot of N,P,K, at least that's what I thought !

 

I did not. But a potting soil mix is supposed to have a lot of N,P,K, at least that's what I thought !

Possibly.
In Dutch we say "meten is weten" = checking/measuring is knowing.
We also don't know if the mentioned ferts are usable by plants (is it released as NO3 PO4 )

 

Possibly.
In Dutch we say "meten is weten" = checking/measuring is knowing.
We also don't know if the mentioned ferts are usable by plants (is it released as NO3 PO4 )

The problem is , I'm in college and I've already spent my whole monthly allowance on aquarium supplies, which here in India are almost 3 times as expensive as they are in US and A. ApI master test kit is 15 dollars in US and A and here it's 40. I'll have to wait another month to test my water parameters!

 

An update:
My salvinia started to bounce back after a week of posting the above pics now all the plants are happy except maybe the hygrophila pinnatifida which was emersed grown.
This is what I did
1. Got an iron fertilizer - baked clay
2. Started dosing Seachem Flourish.
3. Raised my Led light by 10cm.
I don't know what worked but I am happy with the results. Thanks again fishlore community for your suggestions.