[APD] K+ and Color

["Rachel Sandage" <rachelsor at hotmail_com>]

About a week ago, I switched from raising my KH & GH with Seachem 
Equilibrium & Baking soda to using CaCO3. The change in plant coloration has 
been astonishing. In particular, Rotala macranda and Gratiola officionalis, 
which had previously only showed non-green colors when almost at the top of 
the water column now show color most of the way to the base - even older 
leaves. The gratiola is an incredible purplish red on the undersides of the 
leaves.

Equilibrium is not just Ca, of course - it is 23% K (as K20), Ca (19.5%), Mg 
(2.41%), Fe (0.11%) and Mn (0.06). Our water here is very soft - KH&GH <1, 
so adding CaCo3 alone leaves the GH entirely from Ca. I also dose with 
Flourish and Flourish iron.

So what caused the color change? Cutting out the K? (I still dose KNO3). Mg 
deficiency? (I just bought some MgSO4, so we'll see).

All other tank parameters were unchanged.

Interesting, I thought-

Rachel

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