Hygrophila corymbosa and Amazon sword have twisted leaves

[Andrew_Thorichthysmeeki86]

 

I have a 50 gallon, the substrate is organic dirt capped with sand. I used a mix of some play sand and pool filter sand, so i did have an issue with the type algae that feeds off of silicate from having used the play sand, and tannins for a while. These are the two plants that seem to show this issue the most, but I'm pretty sure they all have it. Some of the hygro leaved also have pin holes. I dose flourish excel, flourish, potassium and iron. These are what my LFS sells. My nitrates are bellow 20, gh is at or over 300, kh is at or over 300 and ph is at or over 8.4. I keep the temp at 78. Our local water sources have a lot of limestone and granite in them, so that's why our water is so hard. I do 50% water changes every 3 weeks. I thought calcium. I make my own root tabs after following some tips from, I think, an Aquapros video.

 

[Patrick_G]

Can you post a picture? 

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/6/2022 at 11:52 AM, Andrew_Thorichthysmeeki86 said:

I used a mix of some play sand and pool filter sand, so i did have an issue with the type algae that feeds off of silicate from having used the play sand, and tannins for a while.

Is this sand still in the tank?

On 7/6/2022 at 11:52 AM, Andrew_Thorichthysmeeki86 said:

I dose flourish excel, flourish, potassium and iron. These are what my LFS sells.

Welcome to the forum!

I am in a similar situation, so I understand the struggle.  I have had a lot better success using the seachem stuff for additives in addition to something like easy green. I have iron on hand, which will be eventually replaced with easy iron due to ease of use. 

There is a video by Bentley Pascoe and an older talk by Cory and Lamont that's pretty in depth.  If you haven't checked either of those out, I would recommend doing so.  I am certain you understand how, but it's always good to take a step back and high level view of basic things to make sure something easy isn't missed.
 

 

[Brandon p]

Most plants that do that it’s a mineral deficiency usually a micro nutrient deficiency

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

For suspected nutrient deficiencies it it very helpful if pictures of the effected leaves/plants are provided.  Visual descriptions can be somewhat arbitrary but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Also water chemistry information is needed, specifically it is most helpful if the pH, dKH, dGH, and nitrate ppm leaves are provided.  If there is a water softener on the water supply that information is important as well.  -Roy

Edited July 6, 2022 by Seattle_Aquarist

[JoeQ]

Not sure how wondershell would affect your water.  Mines on the softer side at about 150ppm gh but they did wonders for my hygrophila compact which also was suffering from small twisted growth. 

[Andrew_Thorichthysmeeki86]

Here are some pics

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi @Andrew_Thorichthysmeeki86

Here is your 2nd picture where I enhanced and enlarged the picture.  Where the arrows are pointing do you see how the leaf margins are curled under? (In some species the margins curl upwards)  Also, if you look closely at those leaves do you see how the leaf veins seem darker and the areas between the veins are lighter in color?  When these symptoms appear in older leaves it would indicate insufficient available magnesium (Mg).  This can be caused by 1) not enough magnesium in the water or 2) another nutrient (typically too much calcium [Ca}) effecting the uptake of magnesium by the plants.  You do seem to have a lot of calcium in your water based upon the ppm / dGH but I don't know if it is so much to effect the uptake of Mg.

Since it is easier to try adding more magnesium than trying to lower the calcium level let's try that first.  Go to your local drug store and buy some Epsom Salt.  Get a pound of the cheapest stuff on the shelf with no additives or scents (likely $1 - $2 per pound).  When you do your next weekly water change add 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom Salt per 10 gallons of aquarium volume.  This will add about 6.6 ppm of Mg to your tank.  Thereafter, when you do your weekly water water change add 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom Salt per 10 gallons of new water added.  This will replace the Mg removed when you removed water from the tank.

Now comes the hard part.......................waiting!  Watch the new leaves that emerge after you start dosing the extra Mg, for the next four weeks; do they look green and healthy?  You may also see an increase in the growth rate of the plant.  DO NOT WATCH ANY EXISTING LEAVES, THEY WILL NOT IMPROVE AND MAY CONTINUE TO DECLINE.  Now, as those same new leaves mature do they stay relatively flat (no cupping of leaf margins) with a healthy green color?  If so then you have solved your problem.  Hope this helps! -Roy

[Andrew_Thorichthysmeeki86]

Thanks for all the responses to my post. I'll give the Epsom salt a go and let you know the results.