This is supposed to be so easy to grow, but it rots in my tank and I can't get it to really perk up. My Anacharis and Sagittarius are doing fine with the Anacharis growing like gang busters. How can I get the vals to thrive?
Corkscrew val
- Thread starter itafx
- Start date
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rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
How much light do you have? What do you fertilize with? Do you add CO2? What kind of substrate?
Do you have any test readings?
Do you have any test readings?
JDogg
Aquarium Advice Addict
how much light and ferts do you have?itafx said:
I was doing 12h/d of light (~2w/gal) but cranked it back to 10h in battling BGA. I used a substrate formula from a Jim Kelley post which had garden soil, vermiculite and osmocote.
The only readings I have are Ph and Ammonia. Zero ammonia and Ph ~7.2
The only readings I have are Ph and Ammonia. Zero ammonia and Ph ~7.2
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
10 hours is fine. What are your nitrate readings? Do you add ferts?
I tried hunks of lillytabs from Lilypons, pushed into the substrate at the bases of plants, but I wasn't sure how well it worked and I know it had some phosphorous. The other fert I tried was osmocote time release fertilizer pellets, but they have phosphorous too. I've ordered the tablets from aquariumplants.com that don't have any free phosphorous and are supposed to last 2-3 months. I really don't want to put fertilizer into the water. I'd rather keep it in the substrate. I did measure nitrates with a test strip. NO2 was zero and NO3 was 40.
zenkatydid
Aquarium Advice FINatic
my experience of those vals is that really appreciate co2 injection. mine didn't thrive until i added diy co2.
itafx said:
Sorry to tell you this, but most aquatic plants get most of their nutrients from the water column. Substrate ferts do help some plants, but you WILL get better growth with water column and substrate ferts or just dosing the water column alone as compared to only substrate dosing. There are quite a few plants that only have a root system to anchor it in place and not uptake nutrients.
gu2high
Aquarium Advice Freak
Corkscrew val will rot if you plant its root deep! This is the main cause. You need leave the main stem out of substrate and can barely see the root.
shayfish
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I have corkscrews that do great in only 1.5 wpg and dose with only flourish comprehensive. I really don't think they need co2.
Skyrmir
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yup, Flourish Excel will tear up Vals and Anacharis and a few other plants. You'll want to use real co2 for tanks with those in it. It's far more expensive up front, but over the long run, co2 injection is actually cheaper after a few years.
Do you know any other particular plant species that are sensitive to Excel? I wonder if I'm hurting anything else in my tanks by using the Excel. I invested in 2 liters of the stuff so I would like to find out which tanks I can use it up in without harming the flora.
