Holes in Ludwigia

[Annemarie]

Hello! I’ve had three stems of Ludwigia repens in my 29g for 8 months now and they’ve grown great. Of course the low lighting has made the lower leaves fall but I don’t mind it much. Recently though I’ve noticed tons of holes in most of the newer leaves of my stems along with many of the leaves falling off. Sometimes I’ll come home after 6 hours and 2 new leaves will be floating! I use flourish root tabs but I’m worried my silver tip tetras (or something like a deficiency) may be causing these holes. Can anyone tell me what these are/what caused them and how to stop it?

 

[Byron]

Substrate tabs will provide very little nutrient benefit to stem plants because they take in nutrients via the leaves and often roots form along the stem nodes. The Flourish Tabs do not release nutrients into the upper water column (no idea how Seachem managed this, but it seems to be accurate). A comprehensive liquid fertilizer should help here. Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is your best bet, since you already use the Flourish Tabs. Use it minimally at first anyway.

The Flourish Tabs are a super fertilizer for substrate-rooted plants.

Another thought, the lighting. If this is fluorescent tube, the tubes do become weaker as they continue, and eventually so weak the plants will begin to show problems. I replace my fluorescent tubes every 12 months. If you have LED, I don't know if this same issue is relevant. But stem plants do need good light, and a weakening tube can cause problems.

 

[utahfish]

Pin holes in plants are most often from lack of potassium. Potassium is a macro nutrient.
One can buy a pre made liquid fertlizer or buy dry fertilizer and mix ones own.

I use k2s04 which is potassium sulfate and kno3 which is potassium nitrate which provides nitrates and potassium.
But if one just wants potassium go with potassium sulfate.
Great thing about potassium is its really hard to over dose as the range for potassium is between 20-200ppm.
Also most comprehensive ferts have potassium in them which byron mentioned