Easy stem plants???

[cowgirluntamed]

For whatever reason...I can't seem to get stem plants that will grow! They seem to start to change over from emersed to submersed and then just stop. I have low light low tech tanks with harder water.

I've tried both types of water sprite (even floating this didn't do well...), mexican oak leaf, African water fern (I think....). Crypts and anubias do well (crypts are a bit slow but are changing over). I've even tried java ferns a while ago and they didn't do well! I know..those aren't stem plants...lol.

Oh, but I do have a aponegeton crispus that is doing very well. But I need more tall plants that will grow! I have tannins in the water and floating plants (frog bit and salvinia minima). The salvinia grows like a weed.

Anyway......any suggestions?? Thanks for the help!

 

[AbbeysDad]

What kind of light do you have, what's the duration (photo period) and what is the depth of your tank?
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If floating plants don't do well it's likely either lighting or nutrients. I had floating water sprite in my 60g that had initially been doing really well, then started failing - not growing and browning. I had the 48" Finnex 24/7 LED running in 24/7 mode and was offering Seachem Flourish Comp. I thought I'd try more light so I've been switching the light to max from about noon until 6pm and the plants are responding.
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As to stem and other planted plants, again either lighting, nutrients OR lighting relative to tank depth and/or floating plants blocking the light. Even low light plants need sufficient light to do well.
You need to find a balance of sufficient light and nutrients.
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EDIT: Having 'said' all of that I once had several water wisteria stems growing like a magnificent jungle of weeds. I trimmed them and slowly but surely they began failing....no matter what I did. I don't know if it was the trim or a subtle change in nutrients or water chemistry. Sometimes plants just take off and grow crazy no matter what....and sometimes they don't...no matter what!!!

 

[Colin_T]

Have your lights on for 16 hours a day and see if that helps.

Try a liquid iron plant fertiliser like Sera Florena, Add it to the tank at half strength each for a week then add it 3 times a week at half strength. Or you can get an iron test kit and then just add it whenever the iron level drops below 1ppm.

Aponogetons have a corm/ bulb that they use to grow and do well for 6 months and then fall apart if they don't get fertilised. Crypts are the same but have a smaller rhizome and they run out of nutrients within a few months.

Good plants to try include: Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperm & rubra, common Amazon sword plant, narrow Vallis and Water Sprite but if you're killing that you need more light or give up fish keeping

 

[cowgirluntamed]

What kind of light do you have, what's the duration (photo period) and what is the depth of your tank?
------
If floating plants don't do well it's likely either lighting or nutrients. I had floating water sprite in my 60g that had initially been doing really well, then started failing - not growing and browning. I had the 48" Finnex 24/7 LED running in 24/7 mode and was offering Seachem Flourish Comp. I thought I'd try more light so I've been switching the light to max from about noon until 6pm and the plants are responding.
------
As to stem and other planted plants, again either lighting, nutrients OR lighting relative to tank depth and/or floating plants blocking the light. Even low light plants need sufficient light to do well.
You need to find a balance of sufficient light and nutrients.
------
EDIT: Having 'said' all of that I once had several water wisteria stems growing like a magnificent jungle of weeds. I trimmed them and slowly but surely they began failing....no matter what I did. I don't know if it was the trim or a subtle change in nutrients or water chemistry. Sometimes plants just take off and grow crazy no matter what....and sometimes they don't...no matter what!!!

The lights I have are both the fluval aquasky leds. I have them with maybe half of the white light on and some of the rgbs. The 20 gallon is 16 inchest high and the 55 is 20 1/2 in high. That's the outer dimensions. Photo period is 8 hours.

In the 20 my plants used to pearl after every water change but they don't any more. This happened when I started prefiltering the water with carbon and ammonia nuetralizer. I noticed this and that the current plants weren't doing well and now I only aerate the water to help stabilize the ph.

I know it isn't a plant light...but I'm not in a budget to get a better one. (There is a light on amazon that is 6500k leds for whites but no rgbs. I'm unsure if I wanted to try it...lol.) I love how my fluval timer ramps up and down with these lights and I don't think the other does, I haven't checked. I also don't know how "dim" it would be for the fish and if they would do well. They all seem pretty good with how I have it now.

My current actual floating plants are growing like weeds, well the salvinia. It's the only floater in the 20 but I have it and the frog bit in the 55. I keep having to thin the salvinia so the frogbit has room to grow. It's getting there! Lol.

I was just hoping there might be some easier plants that can get tall that I could try. I wouldn't mind trying the pogostemon octopus but not sure of other stuff.

I also use aquarium co-OP easy green and some seachem root tabs. Sand substrate and lots of mts in both. Lol. And ramshorn in the 55 that may be infiltrating the 20...thought I saw one the other day. Didn't know if that info would help or not.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Have your lights on for 16 hours a day and see if that helps.

Try a liquid iron plant fertiliser like Sera Florena, Add it to the tank at half strength each for a week then add it 3 times a week at half strength. Or you can get an iron test kit and then just add it whenever the iron level drops below 1ppm.

Aponogetons have a corm/ bulb that they use to grow and do well for 6 months and then fall apart if they don't get fertilised. Crypts are the same but have a smaller rhizome and they run out of nutrients within a few months.

Good plants to try include: Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperm & rubra, common Amazon sword plant, narrow Vallis and Water Sprite but if you're killing that you need more light or give up fish keeping

We cross posted...lol. I think 16 hours may be a bit much. Though my pleco and snails would love the algae growth! I use root tabs for the crypts and crispus and any heavy root feeders. I have not tried a common amazon sword but the kleiner bar sword started to do well and then just didnt...I think I didn't put in root tabs soon enough and the floating plants took over the light. My crispus I actually have two side by side...and only one is growing because it's more near to the bubbler which is pushing away the floating plants. Lol. Just that much more light. Amazing. But I'm glad. Lol.

Thanks for the plant suggestions. I'll go see what I like. As for giving up fish keeping? Nah....I'd get fake plants and keep the floating live ones. Lol. It just wouldn't be as awesome. Or I would get a ton of anubias and see what I could do...lol.

 

[Colin_T]

Anubias are slow growing plants and generally shrink over time.

LEDs produce less light than fluoros and halides with the same wattage so either increase the number of LEDs running or increase the photo period.

16 inch high tanks are borderline for low wattage LEDs but 20 inch high tanks are too high for standard LEDs and you would be better off using a LED spotlight on the taller tank.

But first, try increasing the time to 16 hours a day for a few weeks and see if the plants pearl then. The Ambulia and Hygrophila polysperma are good plants to watch for lighting times. When they have had sufficient light they close their leaves up. The top set of leaves close first because they are closest to the light and get the most light. Then the next set of leaves close up (fold up against the stem). When most of the leaves have closed up you can turn the lights off for the day.

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You can make a loop out of air line or plastic hose and tie it to a suction cup that is stuck to the side of the tank. The floating plants can sit in the loop and won't block as much light.

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You can try growing plants in small 1 litre (1/4 gallon) plastic icecream containers. Put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the bucket. Spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Cover the fertiliser with 6mm (1/4 inch) of dry red clay that has been crushed into a powder. Cover that with gravel and put the plant in it. Then put the container in the tank.

As the plant grows its roots will grow into the clay and fertiliser and the plant will take off. The clay strops the fertiliser leeching into the water.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Anubias are slow growing plants and generally shrink over time.

LEDs produce less light than fluoros and halides with the same wattage so either increase the number of LEDs running or increase the photo period.

16 inch high tanks are borderline for low wattage LEDs but 20 inch high tanks are too high for standard LEDs and you would be better off using a LED spotlight on the taller tank.

But first, try increasing the time to 16 hours a day for a few weeks and see if the plants pearl then. The Ambulia and Hygrophila polysperma are good plants to watch for lighting times. When they have had sufficient light they close their leaves up. The top set of leaves close first because they are closest to the light and get the most light. Then the next set of leaves close up (fold up against the stem). When most of the leaves have closed up you can turn the lights off for the day.

--------------------------
You can make a loop out of air line or plastic hose and tie it to a suction cup that is stuck to the side of the tank. The floating plants can sit in the loop and won't block as much light.

--------------------------
You can try growing plants in small 1 litre (1/4 gallon) plastic icecream containers. Put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the bucket. Spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Cover the fertiliser with 6mm (1/4 inch) of dry red clay that has been crushed into a powder. Cover that with gravel and put the plant in it. Then put the container in the tank.

As the plant grows its roots will grow into the clay and fertiliser and the plant will take off. The clay strops the fertiliser leeching into the water.

Why would anubias shrink over time? I know eventually they lose the older leaves but I've had a nangi for 3-4 years and it's just gotten bigger and only just started losing original leaves but they were replaced.

I do think I will increase the photo period some but not by twice as much. Maybe a couple of hours for a bit and go from there. I don't want to do anything really drastic.

I was thinking of doing the loop for a feeding hole for the fish...to keep the plants out, not in. Lol. I like having the coverage and I know they do too.

I will look into the plants you suggested for sure. Thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

Anubias are a marsh plant that never evolved to live permanently under water. After a few months it sheds its old terrestrial leaves and grows smaller softer leaves to try and cope with being submerged. Normally in the wild the water recedes after a few months and they can grow big again but in an aquarium they just get small and don't grow fast.

I normally increase light to 16 hours and then back it off 1 hour a week until I find the sweet spot where the Ambulia closes up almost completely and then I turn the lights off. you can go the other way if you like, start at 8 and go up but my guess is you will need at least 12 hours a day with LEDs.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Anubias are a marsh plant that never evolved to live permanently under water. After a few months it sheds its old terrestrial leaves and grows smaller softer leaves to try and cope with being submerged. Normally in the wild the water recedes after a few months and they can grow big again but in an aquarium they just get small and don't grow fast.

I normally increase light to 16 hours and then back it off 1 hour a week until I find the sweet spot where the Ambulia closes up almost completely and then I turn the lights off. you can go the other way if you like, start at 8 and go up but my guess is you will need at least 12 hours a day with LEDs.

Thanks for the info! I'll see what I can do. I need to see where I can buy the plant first. Lol. Hopefully it will help me!

 

[seangee]

The lights I have are both the fluval aquasky leds. I have them with maybe half of the white light on and some of the rgbs. The 20 gallon is 16 inchest high and the 55 is 20 1/2 in high. That's the outer dimensions. Photo period is 8 hours.

As an alternative you could leave the photoperiod and crank them up to 100%.

 

[TallPaul]

I have Hygrophilia Polysperma and Hygrophilia Siamensis. They grow like rockets. I put them in the tank when they were 6 inches tall and now they are 12 inches tall. Soon I will have to chop them back a little.

I am in the UK so we have no problem getting plants but I am aware that certain plants are restricted in the US due to being considered "invasive species".

Put it this way, they aren't called Hy-gro for nothing.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

As an alternative you could leave the photoperiod and crank them up to 100%.

I don't think the fish would like 100%. Lol. One thing with the aquasky is I can control each color; white, red, green, and blue. I did try upping the white on the 20 gallon and the plants didn't respond well. So I put it back. It could just be a spectum color problem and not just a brightness problem I suppose.

I have Hygrophilia Polysperma and Hygrophilia Siamensis. They grow like rockets. I put them in the tank when they were 6 inches tall and now they are 12 inches tall. Soon I will have to chop them back a little.

I am in the UK so we have no problem getting plants but I am aware that certain plants are restricted in the US due to being considered "invasive species".

Put it this way, they aren't called Hy-gro for nothing.

Lol. Thanks for the input. I will look more into the hygro family!

 

[NickAu]

LEDs produce less light than fluoros

Im sorry but I disagree, I spent $150 on a fluro light 2x 20w t8 tubes and its nowhere near as good as my Beamworks LED

Fluros are rubbish compared to 6500k LED

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Im sorry but I disagree, I spent $150 on a fluro light 2x 20w t8 tubes and its nowhere near as good as my Beamworks LED

Fluros are rubbish compared to 6500k LED

On your beamswork...does it only have the 6500k white leds or does it have the rgb leds too? I think the brand I was looking at was aquaneat.

 

[NickAu]

I have this one CG,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FVNPZMI/?tag=ff0d01-20

The tank with LED

The tank with fluro.

All the fluro seems to do is make my plants stringy and it grows LOTS of algae.


PS

The 6 foot tank has the 6 foot version, the 2 foot has the 2 foot version.