Nutrient deficiency help

[AndyC1983]

Hi,

I have a mature low tech planted tank with some amazon swords, a couple of bucephalandra and an anubias nanak.

In the past it has been relatively healthy but recently the leaves have become discoloured variagated light and dark green and have begun to shrivel (particularly older leaves). The discoloration is random sploges on the leaves not related to the veins. This is happening in all the plants, the substrate feeding swords (whick i put in root tabs for now and then) and the water feeding buc and anubia.

I have tried dosing fluorish trace in case there was a lack of a trace element but this doesn't seem to have helped. I have ordered phosphate and potassium test kits to see if it may be a deficiency of these elements, there is plenty of nitrate from the fish.

I have had a look at the pictures you can find to determine which element is deficient but it doesn't really seem to match any of the pictures.

Does anybody recognise this sort of pattern?

Thanks,
Andy.

[Martinspuddle]

I can see an algae issue.

Could you post your daily fertiliser dosing regime, flow rate, lighting, water parameters and aquarium maintenance please.

[Lo1]

I have a tank full of Amazons, which are feed twice a week on:



I do not feed either Flourish® Nitrogen™ or Flourish® Phosphorus as the fish provide.

However, you must provide:



(“Because plants use iron to produce chlorophyll, a lack of iron results in chlorosis, or yellowing, of the younger leaves. Stems may also appear short and slender. If the deficiency is severe and prolonged, each new leaf emerges lighter in color than the preceding leaf.“). Seachem

Which amazon swords really need, but struggle to produce themselves.

Also:



(“…potassium depletion (signs of which include yellowing in older leaves) and maintain the highest level of growth”). Seachem

[Lo1]

Amano shrimps will clean up the algae.

[Lo1]

Because amazon swords are very heavy root feeders I also used: