Is giant hygro really an easy plant?

[fearlessfisch]

I have seen some stunning pictures online of aquariums with giant hygro in them, but I can't seem to find it available for sale in very many places. I bought some on Ebay, but it arrived in fairly skimpy clippings, and much of it died off. Some has survived, but it is very skinny and sparse and fragile-looking despite use of root tabs and the fact that my other plants are generally doing well. It looks nothing like the tall, lush, thick-leaved specimens I see in pictures online.

Doing a search online led me to many, many people talking about problems with giant hygro and many saying that they have to add extra potassium or take other extra steps beyond fertilizers they provide for their other plants, in order for it to survive.

This, and the fact that hardly anybody seems to sell it (and those who do send clippings rather than plants with roots) makes me wonder how many people are actually successful getting hygro to thrive in their tanks.

If you have thriving giant hygro, where did you buy it? And how do you keep it healthy? I'd love to see pictures of your tanks.

Thanks.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Do you dose your tank with anything or just use root tabs? What about your light?

 

[fishingBuds]

Maybe? I have those.
Grow roots everywhere if you plant them wrong. Also, sometimes, if the nutrients in the water are in abundance, the plant grows way better.

I use rich substrates, root tabs and water fertilizer with CO2 once every two days or so, that means roots everywhere, above my 3 inch layer and the bole gets thicker. They are stunning and i have to trim them every month for my desire style.

Only rich substrate and water nutrients is necessary in my opinion, maybe the substrate itself is already the only thing u need, give it a try, maybe in your ecossystem will work in a different way.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Thanks very much for the replies. I am using osmocote root tabs. I dose with Thrive C, which is also supposed to have some CO2, I think. The light is a Finnex Planted+ CRV, and it's on for about 8 hours a day, with a three hour break in the middle. I am not always consistent with the lighting schedule and should probably get a timer.

The root tabs are a fairly recent addition since adding the hygro and some swords. Previously, this aquarium has mostly had Java fern, anubias, and dwarf sag in it, so I have been able to get away without a lot of fertilizing. I lost some bolbitis and other things, though, so have been trying harder recently to get the lighting and fertilizer regimen under control.

fishingBuds, I have just a play sand substrate, which compacts a lot. The tank is well-established, though, and I have some trumpet snails and loaches to stir things up. Do you think it's possible to grow hygro successfully in sand?

I hesitate to buy more given the limited success of my first order--but I keep getting drawn back to pictures online of how gorgeous they are when they do well. I'm wondering where you found yours, and whether you started with clippings or rooted plants.

 

[fishingBuds]

The hygro are going to catch nutrients mainly through their roots, thats why i called them heavy rooters. If u want them to propagate, i would mix your substrate with something else. U could try to grow them without the substrate being the base of it, use liquid fertilizers and when u notice root growing u can plant them. Thats one thing i would try..

 

[fearlessfisch]

Interesting idea--thanks. I appreciate all the input. I think they are gorgeous plants, and I'd love for mine to be able to take off. Right now it it looks pretty sad.