I don't know how this is happening.....

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newfound77951

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
2,114
Location
St Petersburg FL
.....but I'm not complaining! Some pics of pearling Rotala macrandra and rotundifolia from my 55. Now granted I don't get the freshly-opened soda can type of pearling that those with pressurized CO2 get, and the plants at the bottom of the tank don't pearl, but this happens pretty much every afternoon on most of the plants in the upper 1/2 of the tank. Reminder, this is a 55 gallon, 2x96 watt PCs, 2x1 liter (that's not a typo!) DIY CO2 injected through a powerhead with a diffuser nozzle.

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and here's just a pretty shot of the Bacopa monnieri at the top of the tank (again....must trim....again)
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Good point! But things have been going so well I'm almost scared to mess with anything. And I really don't need my plants to grow any faster, which is one of the reasons (besides the $$$, which what little I have is going into the reef tank at an amazing rate) that I haven't gone pressurized. Eventually I will, but as long as this keeps up the way it's going I'll be happy!
 
Really? I thought whomever gave it to me said monnieri, but if it's australis, that's fine too. It grows like a weed no matter what it is, and I really like the light green color. So sorry for the mis-identification of the plant to everyone whom I've given cuttings of it to! It does give off the nicest mint smell when pruned, though.
 
Bacopa australis does grow like a weed! It is very delicate in appearance, but very hardy and fast-growing. The leaves of Bacopa monnieri look a bit like a terrestrial jade plant - they even have the same thick texture, although not as thick as the jade plant, of course. For me, Bacopa caroliniana and B. monnieri don't need a trim every week. Bacopa australis definitely needs a trim every week, plus it gets many more side shoots than the other Bacopa species.
 
Congratulations, your plants look amazing! I wish I could get Rotala Mac to grow for me again, never mind pearl. Had great luck with it once, got cocky and moved it around to much, lost it all. It has failed on me the last three times I've tried it. It is still hands down my absolute favorite red plant. :)
 
My macrandra isn't that red, actually, more of a pinkish shade, I got a few stems and just planted them randomly and they are doing fine. It's funny, i have two stems on the left side of the tank and two on the right (the ones pictured) and both are growing well but the stems on the right are more red. i think they get more light on that side but it is interesting to see the difference.

I'm planning on doing a big overhaul on this tank in a couple of weeks, and I'll try and be careful with the macrandra, thanks for the tip Glen!
 
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