Water sprite. What am i doing wrong?

[Sidman24]

Why does it keep doing this?

 

[Rivercats]

Water sprite is pretty easy but what is your lighting and are you using any ferts or liquid carbon?

 

[Sidman24]

Water sprite is pretty easy but what is your lighting and are you using any ferts or liquid carbon?

No I was told I didn't need any fert or carbon. It's in play sand. This is what's on my light. ( see picture ) ... It's a 29 gallon.

 

[Rivercats]

That's really low light and honestly using carbon will help to the plant to utilize what little light it gets. I've grown water sprite in pretty low light tanks but I always use liquid carbon. Plus even just a little Flourish comprehensive after your WC too would be a big help.

 

[Sidman24]

Alright thanks! I'll try to get some soon!

 

[candymancan]

I had a watersprite that did that.. Its in my 55g... I found its due to the substrate having no nutrients the stems just keep rotting.. It had tons of roots on it when I got too.. I put it in rocks that I literally just got and put in the tank and all the roots rotted and the stems did too... Floating the watersprite on top of the water helped it alot

 

[Sidman24]

I try to float it and some of it sinks :/ ... Is there a trick?

 

[candymancan]

I dunno.. Mine always float.. never had one that sinks : /

 

[jetajockey]

If it doesn't have enough light to utilize the already available co2 then adding another carbon source should not make much of a difference regarding growth. Water sprite takes a while to get established, root wise. Its also commonly farm grown at least partially emersed so there's a transition period there also. If the bottoms and roots look really bad just chop them off an inch or two beneath the lowest set of leaves and let it float.

 

[Rivercats]

You can plant or float Water sprite. If you want to float it start out with smaller lighter pieces as they will do much better.

 

[Sidman24]

Thanks so much for the help guys! You're awesome!

 

[CatoeSc]

I was listening to a podcast today that talked about water sprite and that it's a good indicator plant of high pH. The guy was talking about raising soft water fish and using water sprite so if his pH changed he would know. Evidently tap water can be somewhat unpredictable?

Anyway, if there is any truth to that, you may have high pH causing it.

 

[bshenanagins]

I was listening to a podcast today that talked about water sprite and that it's a good indicator plant of high pH. The guy was talking about raising soft water fish and using water sprite so if his pH changed he would know. Evidently tap water can be somewhat unpredictable?

Anyway, if there is any truth to that, you may have high pH causing it.

Idts, my tap is pretty alkaline and my sprite has doubled in size in a couple weeks. I don't fertilize it or provide much light. It's in a 5 gallon with 3 beta

 

[billsey420]

I was listening to a podcast today that talked about water sprite and that it's a good indicator plant of high pH. The guy was talking about raising soft water fish and using water sprite so if his pH changed he would know. Evidently tap water can be somewhat unpredictable? Anyway, if there is any truth to that, you may have high pH causing it.

what podcast

 

[CatoeSc]

what podcast

Under the sea radio show

 

[Rivercats]

I was listening to a podcast today that talked about water sprite and that it's a good indicator plant of high pH. The guy was talking about raising soft water fish and using water sprite so if his pH changed he would know. Evidently tap water can be somewhat unpredictable?

Anyway, if there is any truth to that, you may have high pH causing it.

I've pretty much grown water sprite in every kind of water from hard to soft to pond water, in super low to super high light. Floating and planted. In face oakleaf water sprite is one of my favorite looking floaters. So I really don't think that has much to do with it.

 

[CatoeSc]

I've pretty much grown water sprite in every kind of water from hard to soft to pond water, in super low to super high light. Floating and planted. In face oakleaf water sprite is one of my favorite looking floaters. So I really don't think that has much to do with it.

If it's true, it might be that the guy was talking about breeding killifish and probably wasn't doing much to grow his plants.