Aquarium plants nutrient deficiency charts

[ayman.roshdy]

What do you think about 'Aquarium plants nutrient deficiency charts', they are available all over the web, are they:

• Good and useful to use? (if this is the case then perhaps we need to add a resource, article ... etc. for our forum)
• Bad and can be harmful to use by giving wrong information?
• Useless to use in maintaining our plants and we need to rely on something else? What to rely on in this case?

Image and complete article from this link

 

[GreggZ]

That's easy.....pretty much useless in the real world.

If you can pinpoint a problem by using one of these charts than you are a better man than me.

 

[ayman.roshdy]

That's easy.....pretty much useless in the real world.

If you can pinpoint a problem by using one of these charts than you are a better man than me.

Will I never tried these before, but asking to see if I should use them or not

So from your answer it seems I will neglect them all together, does fixing plant problems rely mainly on trial and errors then?

 

[GreggZ]

Will I never tried these before, but asking to see if I should use them or not

So from your answer it seems I will neglect them all together, does fixing plant problems rely mainly on trial and errors then?

First of all those charts are designed for terrestrial not aquatic plants. And they assume that every issue is caused solely by nutrients.

In an aquarium there is a lot more going on than nutrients. Light, CO2, flow, substrate health, organics in the water column, carbonate hardness, shading, over crowding, horticulture skills, etc, etc.

Most plants can do well in a fairly wide range of nutrients. But if you don't get the other things right there is no mix of nutrients that will save you. So when plants have issues, it's always best to take a holistic approach. That is you need to look at everything that is going on. Nutrients are just one piece of a larger puzzle.

In my experience trying to fix problems by solely adjusting ferts almost never works. Most times there are other contributing factors that need to be addressed as well. For instance getting CO2 optimized can have a far greater impact than any fert modifications.

 

[BigWave]

Utterly garbage. They make it more confusing for the newer people coming into the hobby. People see these and chase nutrients to the point of making it worse. There are so many factors that come into play. Learn to read your plants. Use the manufacturers dosing guides as a reference and go from there. No tank is the same so its all about experimentation really.

 

[Art]

In my experience trying to fix problems by solely adjusting ferts almost never works. Most times there are other contributing factors that need to be addressed as well. For instance getting CO2 optimized can have a far greater impact than any fert modifications.

Couldn't agree more with this.

I spent way too much time thinking and sweating charts like this early on. In really, it never really solves any problem. As @GreggZ says, almost always other problems exist that are causing the issue.

Today it is very easy to use a good, full-spectrum fertilizer so, provided they are using a fertilizer, the answer is usually something else. CO2 is usually a big factor. I also find poor maintenance is also usually an big issue.

 

[GreggZ]

I also find poor maintenance is also usually an big issue.

Art I have been trying to hammer this home for years. Problem is it's not as flashy or sexy as a conversation about nutrient dosing.

When you get to know some of the best in the hobby it's the thing they have most in common.

 

[JPog]

Water creates many more issues for plants than their terrestrial cousins. In addition to light, nutrients, co2, once even the smallest amount of algae is on a plant leaf it could make the leaf look deficient. Snails will also go to work on that area, most likely damaging the leaf in the process. So the result may look like a K or other deficiency, but is simply damage from algae and then snails or other critters. As pointed out the chart is purely terrestrial and doesn't apply to our setups.

Art I have been trying to hammer this home for years. Problem is it's not as flashy or sexy as a conversation about nutrient dosing.

When you get to know some of the best in the hobby it's the thing they have most in common.

Having a well run tank to me has always been tied to lifestyle. The more committed you are to it the more likely you will do the maintenance work (not really work enjoyment) That's why the best in the hobby always do it.

 

[Art]

The longer I've done this hobby, the more I rely on automation and simplification. There are some things you just have to do. I haven't come up with an automated way to trim plants... yet. But everything I can automate or simplify, I do.

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