Scarlet Temple not looking ideal

[Bjorn]

I planted my scarlet temple stems about 2 weeks ago. At the time of planting I used 2 Co-op brand root tabs and I’ve been treating my water with easy green after weekly water changes. I have a small 7” LED light that I keep on a 13 hr cycle. I’ve also been dosing with API CO2 Booster in the mornings.

Should I be concerned with the condition of the leaves? They seem to be curling and have a brown texture on them. The brown texture could be algae since I’ve noticed similar growth on other objects near the light.

Is this a normal part of the acclamation process or do I have nutrient deficiency? Is algae hurting my plant?

Would increasing the dose of CO2 Booster help? My other plants seem to respond well since using it and I haven’t noticed any signs of stress from my guppies. The tanks has plenty of surface agitation.

 

Edited August 27, 2021 by Bjorn
Added tag

[Mmiller2001]

This could be a lack of magnesium or an overabundance of potassium/ calcium. What is your GH and KH and what are you dosing into the tank. Do you know what's in your source water?

Edited August 27, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Bjorn]

@Mmiller2001API reagents show me 140-200 ppm GH and 50-100 ppm KH for my tank and source water. 

SJ Wave test strips show 250-500 ppm GH and ~80 ppm KH.

Screenshot is my city’s 2020 water report.

[Bjorn]

On 8/27/2021 at 4:44 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

What is your GH and KH and what are you dosing into the tank.

Nothing mineral wise other than the previously mentioned fertilizers. I pre-treat the tap water with Fritz conditioner and API acid to bring the PH down to ~7.5. Carbonate and PH have been consistent for me.

[Mmiller2001]

On 8/27/2021 at 8:22 PM, Bjorn said:

@Mmiller2001API reagents show me 140-200 ppm GH and 50-100 ppm KH for my tank and source water. 

SJ Wave test strips show 250-500 ppm GH and ~80 ppm KH.

Screenshot is my city’s 2020 water report.

Is range detected in ppm?

But it does look like you have enough Ca and Mg. Sometimes, too much light can cause that kind of curling, but I don't think that's the case here. Sadly, AR(Scarlet Temple) can be stubborn in some tanks. I've personally given up on it. Also, plants will get upset when they are moved into new water parameters which you might be seeing here.

I would give it a few more weeks. Watch the new growth, the old growth will never recover. If new growth looks good, then cut it off, replant and remove the lower portion. 

This plant does best in aquasoils and under CO2 injection. It's sold as easy, but it's a bit misleading. An alternative would be Ludwigia Repens. It's much easier and will do well in low tech tanks.

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[Bjorn]

UPDATE: It's been a few months but I've miraculously managed to revive this plant. I moved it to another tank that has CO2 and slightly better lighting. I didn't even know if it was still alive cause it looked decrepit and wasn't growing.

The stem in the photo is on its third new node since rehoming about 6 weeks ago. The past two week I've been dosing Easy Iron since some of my other plants were looking a little yellow and as a pleasant surprise the latest set of Scarlet Temple leaves are looking more red! It's not a vibrant as when I first purchased but I'm still totally writing this off as a win!