Red plants

[aquazen]

I've seen many of your tank pics, and I must say that a large number of them are beautiful, especially because the greens are off-set by a few reds here and there.

I was wondering what I could do to keep some of my red plants as red as the first day I got them. The red in my Rotala indica and macandra are slowly becoming a green/red color. In fact, more green than red. Is there anything I can add to allow the red to show more? I've got ~3watts/gallon. I don't add any type of fertilizer. I use Eco-complete as my substrate and Flourish excel for my carbon source. Do I need to raise my nitrates to bring out the color?

Any suggestion is appreciated.

 

[gheitman]

I would suggest adding Flourish Iron to your tank. It really helps my Crytocoryne wendti "red" and Alternanthera reineckii. Not only do they keep their red color but they grow magnificently.

 

[Toirtis]

Agreed...a little more light helps, too.

 

[betowess]

I would say the most important component to getting your bright reds back is wattage per gallon. I have only 55 watts of AH Supply on my 26 bow and the Altenanthera reineckii pink is red as a christmas poinsetta. But AH supply lights are 60% brighter than most big name brands like Coralife because of their superior reflector design and tube placement. Try more light! And pressurized CO2 helps alot too. HTH bob

 

[aquazen]

I have an AH supply kit, but with a regular aluminum reflector. The 10 gallon has 26 watts of compact fluorescent over it (2.6 watts/gallon). Maybe I should go ahead and invest in the MIRO relfector anyways? My riccia and glosso, two very high light plants, grow like weeds as it is. Grrrr....TURN RED DARN YOU!

Any pressurized system will have to wait till I'm done paying off my school loans, so till then, I'm stuck using Flourish Excel. I figure waiting another decade shouldn't be too bad. Hey, it took me 28 years to decide that I really REALLY wanted to be an aquarist. I don't hate DIY CO2, but it seems to hate me. Can't get those things to work. :?

 

[betowess]

Yeah, that German MIRO reflector will make the difference, is my guess.

 

[gheitman]

I think you'll find that adding iron to your aquarium is the easiest and cheapest solution to rejuvenating your red plants. This has worked for me and should do the job for you. Of course, upgrading your lighting probably wouldn't hurt either.

 

[malkore]

most red plants need lower nitrate levels to really color up.

 

[aquazen]

I got the flourish iron today. How often should I dose? I figure I'll dose about 1 mL every 2-3 days like I do for Flourish Excel. Any suggestions?

 

[gheitman]

I dose my plants with iron 5 times a week now although Seachem recommends dosing with Flourish Iron on a daily basis. I probably get by with less frequent dosing because I use Flourite as a substrate which is rich in iron.

 

[malkore]

On SeaChem Iron, follow the label's dosing instructions. Iron precipitates out of the water quickly, and is only a trace nutrient. Small, daily or every other day dosing is perfect.