Nursing Vallisneria before planting

[HooKooDooKu]

I picked up some Villisneria at PetSmart today (it was cheap).
They are not looking in the best of shape (did I mention they were cheap?), so I'd like to try to pep them up a bit before planting them in the aquarium. However, I'm not wanting to spend any additional money on them at this time (did I mention they were cheap?).

Here's my plan, but I'd like some feedback on what might be an improvement (or were I might be going wrong).

I've got a 5gal white bucket that I'll start filling with my next partial water change from the tank. To the water, I will add some Peter's All Purpose Plant Food (Water soluable, mixed at the "outdoor" rate of 1 TBS per gallon of water). I also have a clamp-on bare-bulb light with reflector. I'll put a 60watt incandecent light bulb in it and hang it right at the lip of the bucket. I'll leave the light on 24/hour per day and leave that set up for about a week.

After about a week, I'll replace the fertilized water with some new water (from the tank again) for a few days to allow excesss fertilizer to leach out before putting the plants in the tank with the fish.

Here's the tank I plan to eventually put the villisneria in.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f70/1st-tank-feedback-desired-109314.html It's 10gal with a basic 15 watts flouresent light. Hard water (high pH) and the lights stay on about 14 hours/day.

 

[jsoong]

I would not keep the light on 24 hrs a day. Plants need a dark period to use the sugar made during the light period for growth, so they would do better with a 12 hr on/ 12 hr off schedule.

You might also want to change your incandescent bulb to a CF bulb. The daylight ones should give better light for the plants.

 

[Jnam]

GE makes a great one for what you are trying to do. Get it at your local Wal Mart!! LOL I have done the same thing i used Save a Tree and it kick the vals in the pants!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Ok, I decided to cut the fertilizer in half. Since the plants are going to be soaking in this stuff, I want to avoid fertilizer burn. I can always add more later (and I'm already wondering if I put too much).

I found a 100watt equivalent (26W actual) compact fluorescent. It's hanging in the reflector about 6" above the water line of the bucket. The plants have been in the dark all day, so I went ahead and turned on the light to get things started. But tomorrow, I'll have it on a timer and give it about 14 hours of light per day.

 

[Jnam]

Sounds good, I think it will work just fine. Let us know

 

[czcz]

I think you should just grow it out in the tank, fwiw. You'll want to lift the Anubias sp (front left) up a little so its rhizome -- the long green stump the leaves and roots are attached to -- is above the substrate. If it wants to float up, its safe to weigh the roots down with that gravel or the driftwood. Nice tank.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I think you should just grow it out in the tank, fwiw. You'll want to lift the Anubias sp (front left) up a little so its rhizome -- the long green stump the leaves and roots are attached to -- is above the substrate. If it wants to float up, its safe to weigh the roots down with that gravel or the driftwood. Nice tank.

I'm already dealing with cycling a new tank with live stock already in it. I don't want to add plants with brown leaves to the mix as well.

As for the Anubias, yet the one in the front is a little low. I've got the ones towards the back set at the depth you're talking about. I've lifted the anubias just a little since the picture, but th erhizome is still under the sand. I'm sort of waiting to see what the Wisteria is going to do before I do much more rearranging in the tank. In some ways, the leaves on the wisteria are not looking as green as I think they should... but at the same time, I can see what looks like some roots growing from some of the stalk.

I figure once I'm ready to put the Vili in the tank, I'll do one more rearanging in the tank. I've got a few more other things I want to do as well, including hiding that blue air tube in the back left corner. I saw some black air tubing at the LFS made to hid the tubing. So I'd like to change that out as well, but that will take a major undertaking given that I've got that rock mixed with the sand.

 

[mgamer20o0]

on a side note 10 gal tank is way to small for vals. i have had vals 3-4 feet tall. trim the brown parts and stick it in. since your already cycling with fish your doing the wc anyways. once the hold on and start to grow they will speed up the cycle.