Ghosting (disappearing leaf) and yellowing

[Ken125]

The pictures attached show one plant where one of the leaves has disappeared completely and now the other is begining to do the same. In the second picture the Lutea has been getting more and more yellow.

Nitrate levels in this tank are already at 20ppm, so I've not added nitrogen, I have added phorphrus and potassium. After a few days I'll do another gravel cleaning and water change.

Any ideas about the ghosting of the first plant? I don't remember it's name.

Thanks

[AngelMom]

Looks like a calcium deficiency.....maybe potassium as well.

[Ken125]

Thanks Angel Mom!

I really apprected your links and found them very helpful, espically the one about CO2 and water conditions, I had no idea. I'm still in mourning over my UGF plans though. :rolleyes:

If I want to keep the plants in the 46 gallon tank, do you recomend that I go ahead and get rid of the UGF now?

Where is a good place to research substrates, I'd like to read about putting a clay bed underneath the gravel to provide a nutrient bed for the plants.

Thanks for all the help, you folks are awesome here.

[AngelMom]

You can pull the UGF at any time. A couple of notes of caution on doing this........

First, even with powerheads, you can get a lot of gunk collect under the plates. Your water will be pretty murky for a bit until the filter clears all the muck out.

Also, you can get "dead spots" under the plate where anaerobic bacteria have taken residence. If these do exist (and there is really no way to tell) when the plates are pulled, hydrogen gas may be released.

I suggest using a large, clean bucket or a smaller tank to house the fish for 6-12 hours (until the water quality improves) when pulling the filter plates. I've done this myself on 2 fairly large (60 gallon) tanks and it isn't fun!

On the substrate, you could check Plant Geek (www.plantgeek.net) and The Planted Tank (www.plantedtank.net). Personally, I wouldn't bother. I added laterite after the fact to two of my tanks (yup, the same two I pulled the UGFs out of) and it made a HUGE mess! Because it's a clay based material, you can't rinse all the loose stuff off and when you place it in the tank you get a lovely orangey cloud (I was very careful, did a cupfull at a time and let the water go into the cup before pouring it out and it still made a mess). It took 24 hours to clear and the fish were not happy!

I've since found that 1) if you use a clay substrate you need to replace it every couple of years, 2) most plants take the majority of their nutrients from the water through their leaves, and 3) my plants that do use nutrients from the substrate are just as healthy if I use regular gravel and add root tab fertilizers (I have 2 tanks that have no laterite at all).

So, if you choose to add a clay based substrate, you've been warned (LOL), and if you choose to avoid the hassle you can be assured that the plants will do fine without it.

HTH