Alternanthera Reineckii

[bkiggy]

How do I keep it from turning green! I bought this because of the RED!! I give them root tabs w/ iron , flourish excel and flourish

 

[blert]

More light.

 

[leftyfish]

How do I keep it from turning green! I bought this because of the RED!! I give them root tabs w/ iron , flourish excel and flourish

Lighting is the biggest thing when it comes to color from what I have read.

 

[bkiggy]

6500 T5 on it now 10 hours

 

[Rivercats]

That light on what size tank? Also most red plants get better color when nitrates are low (10ppm) and phosphates are high (.5-1.5ppm).

 

[bkiggy]

40b , nitrates +/- 20 ,, no idea phosphates ??

 

[blert]

6500 T5 on it now 10 hours

Can you be more specific?
T5 - HO or NO?
How many bulbs?
What size bulbs (36")?
Distance of fixture to tank?

 

[bkiggy]

Not bulbs---- HO / NO ? Not sure , they are Full spectrum, 18 inches from light to plant

 

[blert]

Not bulbs---- HO / NO ? Not sure , they are Full spectrum, 18 inches from light to plant

High Output (HO) or Normal Output (NO)? What are the length and wattage of the bulb(s)?
And how many bulbs in the fixture (1,2,3,4)?

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

I have a bunch of that plant in my 60g, and mine has a deep red color on top of the leaves, and a pretty bright hot pink under the leaves. I have high light, almost no nitrates, and they get lots of iron. That's what I have learned to get red plants to brig out their best colors...same with some rotala and ludwigia I have.

 

[bkiggy]

@Dan. I have high nitrates , 2 bulbs, high output T5 6500k AquaticLife is the maker

 

[jetajockey]

Are you dosing ferts?

 

[bkiggy]

Yes flourish, flourish excel and iron root tabs

 

[Rivercats]

Do you have nitrates in your tap water?

 

[bkiggy]

0 nitrates in tap, I did 50% WC back/back for 2 weeks to get them down from 80 to 20 and I'm good , I'm tired of doing extreme WC and the fish are too --- I have always had high nitrates even have seachem DeNitrate in the filter (Fluval 406) someone told me I over feed my fish and my Pleco attributes to high bioload - if I can't have red plants then so be it. All my other 15 plants do well, just not this one

 

[blert]

A dual bulb T5HO over a 40b can be high light if the plant is positioned correctly and is not being shaded. Example: If the fixture is positioned at the rear of the tank then the front of the tank is going to have much lower light than the rear. Try adjusting the fixture's position so the plant is right under the light. Remember, it's not going to turn red overnight, and if it is a new plant (and depending where you got it) you will need to give it time to acclimate from emersed to submersed growth.

 

[leftyfish]

A dual bulb T5HO over a 40b can be high light if the plant is positioned correctly and is not being shaded. Example: If the fixture is positioned at the rear of the tank then the front of the tank is going to have much lower light than the rear. Try adjusting the fixture's position so the plant is right under the light. Remember, it's not going to turn red overnight, and if it is a new plant (and depending where you got it) you will need to give it time to acclimate from emersed to submersed growth.

+1, if it's new it will convert. Mine is a month into going from emerged to immersed state. Still a lot of green on top with pink underneath, but new growth is turning orange red. If I remember correctly this is a slow grower, needs time.

 

[bkiggy]

Ok. Had it 2 weeks was VERY red and now is green. Some leaves dropped off. Alot of new growth and 'roots' coming out

 

[bkiggy]

These plants died. Don't think enough light. Looking now for another beautiful plant