Crinum deficiency

[Cory]

Do crinums generally struggle in Low PH? I am growing a ton of leaves but i'm loosing some through yellowing in the middle usually, and sometimes in the tip...this causes the SAE to eat the dying part then they eventually sheer off the rest of the leaf from the blub. This usually happens to leaves farthest out on the bulb, and i think that i grow leaves faster than I loose them, sometimes it's close though. If i slack off a week for whatever reason i loose a leaf or two and the new budding leaves dont split into as many. Sometimes my newest leaves split out into 5 or 6 individual leaves.

If anything I could imagine that my phosphate gets low now and then but i try and do a Lazy man's EI. I dose ~5 ml of pmdd every other day, and then on sundays i put in 2 tsp. of CaNO3, and a 1/4tsp Phosphate. Water changes are about 1/4 of a 30g tank every month. The tank is sparsely planted, i tried to start this highlight tank w/ 4 plants, 1 anubias nana, 2 crinum, and 1 chain sword. I had some R. wallichi, but that plant hates me...that's reciprical. There is 96+80 watts over a 20x20x24" deep tank but i'd say the crinums are no more than 12" from the waterline. The plants are kinda rebounding over the last month from when i ran out of fertilizer and hobby money, I had to stop my amano raising attempts too.

I do this a bit differently, i enjoy messing up if i eventually get it right. The tank is in teirs the lower tier is where the microswords grow, some large rocks make cliffs and rocks for anubias to grow, and then the crinums grow up on the upper level which will be eventually surrounded by anubias. I like the tank setup enough to finish this, so i oughta get it right eventually.

I hope you guys can help, I enjoy this little community and wish i had some more time to do events. BTW I think I'm going to purchase some of those virgin nerites after i learn how long their acclimation process is.

[Cristy Keister]

PH probably isn't the problem since Crinums have a very wide pH tolerance. You don't mention the substrate, though. What are you using? Any substrate ferts?

[SCMurphy]

Substrate; Cristy is hitting the nail on the head.

Cory is this the crinum that you got from me? They were grown in a rich substrate. They are HEAVY root feeders.

[RTRJR]

Agree w/Sean. I got a spectacular Crinum with pup from him and planted it in one of my low care system tanks. It shrank. Then it shrank some more. So I moved it rather than see it die (I hate to move Crinums, it always sets them way back for me). Now it is settled in and beginning to grow again, eventually it may recover its former glory - if Sean doesn't kill me for what I did to such a great plant.

[Cory]

I can put some root tabs under them, and will see if that'll make the difference.

Hope your not too disappointed Sean, the plants still have 15+ leaves and they do grow a lot of new leaves. I'd say at least 1 per week splits off of the an older leaf.

[Cory]

Sean, are there other steps that i could use to further enrich my florite gravel? I didn't make it to the meeting where you talked about soils back in May '04. This is a very cost and time prohibitive hobby for me over the last year.

[SCMurphy]

The root tabs or sections of Jobes sticks are the best way for you to suppliment your substrate.

[Cory]

I'll keep at it. I bought some root tabs from petsmart, opened them up when i got home and 1/3 of them had been taken outta the package. What NPK of jobes do you like to use?

[SCMurphy]

Just the standard housplant sticks will work.