a couple problems

[panboy]

lately ive been planting my tank like crazy, i got a new compact fluorescent light a whiel ago, im settin up a co2 system in a week, and ive been constantly adding plants.

so far its been going good, but a couple problems happen of course.

1. my plant (ulvaceous) has black spots on the leaves, which then turn into holes. ive tried to fix this with flourish excel and flourish potassium, but it hasnt helped. do you think iron would fix this problem? im gonna get iron anyways, since its good for the plants, especially rotala macranda which i just got, but im worried bout my ulvaceous thats getting eaten up by spots.

2. is it common for the stems that are planted in the gravel to rot? my cabomba and wisteria often have this problem, they can be growing great, but if they are uprooted on accident, the stem that was under the gravel is dead.

3. is there a way to stop the rotting of the stems? like plant each stem alone, not in bunches? or somethign else?

thanks in advance for the help

 

[Silly me]

1. my plant (ulvaceous) has black spots on the leaves, which then turn into holes. ive tried to fix this with flourish excel and flourish potassium, but it hasnt helped. do you think iron would fix this problem? im gonna get iron anyways, since its good for the plants, especially rotala macranda which i just got, but im worried bout my ulvaceous thats getting eaten up by spots.

potassium doesnt fix holes in the plants, but a potassium deficiency causes holes.. meaning your leaves with holes in them will have them till they are replaced by new leaves.

2. is it common for the stems that are planted in the gravel to rot? my cabomba and wisteria often have this problem, they can be growing great, but if they are uprooted on accident, the stem that was under the gravel is dead.

NO.. its not,
what substrate do you have? you might need to look at vacuuming your gravel as dead spot in the substrate could cause this. Size is an issue; with small grains the roots might not be able to get a good hold and the sand tends to compact, while larger gravel has a tendency to collect pockets of rotting detritus. Most believe the ideal size is 2-3mm

3. is there a way to stop the rotting of the stems? like plant each stem alone, not in bunches? or somethign else?

planting them appart will not resolve the rotting of the stems, Malaysian trumpet snails will burrow into the substrate and keep it aerated.

While N-P-K are of the utmost importance for crop performance, the secondary nutrients are often overlooked. And low levels of secondary nutrients can lead to stunted growth, discolored leaves or delayed maturity.