Online purchase, is this plant on its last legs?

[SinkorSwim]

Hello everyone,

I'm in need of some advice and hoping someone might help..

I have just bought this plant from a respectable online dealer but to my uninformed and distinctly amateur eye it looks like it's a plant that had been heavily pruned for cuttings, and one that's leaves and general appearance makes it look in bad shape. Could someone kindly take a minute to have a quick look and tell me all is well? Thanks in advance. Plant is Alternanthera reineckii mini.

I hope this is a normal and healthy specimen.

 

[Dantrasy]

Not ar mini I'm afraid. Looks more like ludwigia repens. I nice plant that will introduce red to the tank. but ludwigia repens grows like a stem (ar mini grows in clumps).

There's no algae, no holes/damage, so I'd say the plant is in pretty good condition. Curled leaf is probably a sign of some nutrient deficiency .... someone here might be able to suggest which one.

 

[rebel]

Can you show the best stem from top to bottom close up ?

 

[SinkorSwim]

Thanks for your replies, I'm not in the house right now so won't be able to do that until tonight, but I can tell you the stem did not grow straight. If you were to tie about 6 or 7 small twigs top to bottom, that would be what it looked like.

Initially I was concerned due to the amount of pruning but I will do my best to nurse it back.

Could either of you recommend a shrimp safe root tab to use on this plant? That I think, would be a good way to ensure food for it.

 

[dan4x4]

I've had this plant in the past in a tank with gravel substrate, liquid ferts & flourish excel and it grew well. This was when I didn't have a clue what i was doing.

It roots out of the stem, also sold as Alternanthera reineckii however I don't think it was cos when you google Alternanthera reineckii the plant looks very different. Im no botanist however. Although other if the consensus on here is that it isn't they will be right. as in ukase are right.

 

[Mick.Dk]

Flowers (the little white things) says this is defenitely Alternanthera - not Ludwigia (very different flowers). The presence of flowers also says plant is grown emerse. The curly appearance is a result of cuttings having been laying around a bit too long, after being harvested. They may not return to normal, but new growth will.
With this info, I think it is safe to conclude, that this is indeed Alternanthera 'mini'. Plant looks heavily pruned, like you say - but Alternanthera is very good at re-growing through branching if given acceptable conditions. This includes enough light and at least some added CO2 + liquid ferts.
- so in conclusion; Get the cuttings planted (remove lowest set of leaves) immidiately in acceptable conditions, and it will start adaptation to life submersed and grow new branches, with broader and more colourfull leaves, like you see them on pic.s...........
Good luck and enjoy your plant.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Flowers (the little white things) says this is defenitely Alternanthera

I hadn't noticed them until "Mick.Dk's" post, but flowers don't lie and it is definitely Alternanthera.

cheers Darrel

 

[SinkorSwim]

Good evening all,

Thanks first and foremost for the replies all, I am grateful indeed for the info and guidance; i could do with some .

I asked the seller today to confirm the plants identity and he rightly so assured me it was Alternanthera. I am now slightly concerned I will be able to get it back to health as my tank is nano sized with only a layer of tropica beneath the micro gravel, my lights are underwhelming and I am not ready or willing to approach co2. As for liquid fert, I'm still searching for a shrimp friendly brand, the closest so far being easy-life Profito and I'm only going with second hand info. I have been recommended the dennerle power tabs as shrimp friendly root ferts so I was really hoping with careful maintenance, root tab fert and minimal liquid fert dosage I'll be able to keep shrimps healthy and enjoy this lovely looking plant.
I would be forever grateful if someone could advise on ferts both liquid and root that I could use that won't kill my inverts.

My lights are the very budget beamworks, which is all I can really afford at the moment and not sure if they will be good enough to support this plant, light spec is 9 x 1 Watt 6500k lumen 1300. It is fine for the ferns and mosses but could be a different story with this plant and crypts I was looking into. .

Ant feedback or advice would be super at this point.

 

[Mick.Dk]

I am not allowed to advertice for specific brands (I am employed by one), but in my testing, I am able to grow Alternanthera in a "starterset" (app. 50 l. with only 1 x T8 of 18 w) by adding a "CO2 chamber" ( the type that uses simple surface exchange of CO2 => water from a chamber in the tank, and a "hairspray-style" can. No mist, which means you can't possobly overdose). This is a quite low investment.
I too use only the substrate you mention and some gravel over it.
As for liquid ferts; I am no expert in shrimps, but I have never had problems - even when dosing 10 times the recommended dose of my brand. Use of root tabs have never bothered my shrimps either.

 

[alto]

As for liquid ferts; I am no expert in shrimps, but I have never had problems - even when dosing 10 times the recommended dose of my brand.

This
I've never noticed any shrimp issues with Tropica fertilizers that I've used over the years

 

[SinkorSwim]

Hi Mick, your starter set, looks to be far more advanced than my budget led, and I sincerely doubt I will be able go give the plant the light it needs.
Pity as it looks a lovely plant when flourishing.

How do I check to see how effective the light I have is? Bearing in mind the tank is small, and will not be heavily planted, some java fern, a few crypts, some moss and the Alternanthera. I am willing to use root tabs and liquid fert but not ready or have the budgrt for a co2 set up. That is something for the future when I've learned more of the tanks inhabitants any advice and/or info on my lights would be most appreciated.

Thanks to you and all for the great info and responses so far.

 

[Mick.Dk]

Finding the effect of LED lights, need measurements. LED is another way of producing light, than fluorescent tubes - the standard w/l info for fluorescent tubes does therefore not apply to LED, sorry.
Best advice I can give you is, now you allready have the Alternanthera, to plant it as best you can. Best position is probaply right under the light-source.
Then time will tell.......

 

[X3NiTH]

This is what AR Mini looks like If left to grow out the water. It was only a couple of stems in there initially but a few extra had grown when the pic was taken. It's in a 2ft Window box. You can see the flowers at the nodes.



This is what it looks like a little over a year later if left to its own devices.



That's in the bath, all laid out after being plucked from the window box, bottom of the bath is 4ft. The root mass is 2ft long after starting out in one corner, you can definitely say that it grows in clumps.



I trimmed all the tops and floated them in a small tank under low light for a week, long enough for some root hairs to grow down from the first node after the cut. They were then planted as normal in the tank. From what I have seen it's a very resilient plant to being suddenly submerged and then staying that way, tends not to catastrophically melt, keeps it together long enough to get some submerged growth going and to send out lots of roots into the substrate.

Root mass is back in the window box, where it's throwing out new growth after an extreme trim, it's quite the weed, even compared to some L.Peruviana that got relegated there and now keeps it company which amusingly is having a hard time trying to find a niche in that 2ft root mass.

 

[X3NiTH]

Should have also said this plant stays very squat and bushy if grown submerged under low light with no added CO₂, with low ferts (only ferts mine get in my shrimp tank are from the shrimp and snails and maybe a drop or two of trace every once in a while), grown like this mine have thrown out multiple roots from all the nodes on the plant, it's not heading to break the surface like a rocket like it does once its established in a tank with CO₂ and EI dosing under moderate lighting.

 

[SinkorSwim]

Resilient is the word X3nith, that's what I call near rampant. Your climate must be perfect for AR minis!
I suspect my light is of the basic variety but as long as I can use some small amounts of fertiliser with no chance of invert damage I will do my best to bring this plant back to health. Fortunately I have had the benefit of a Tropica emloyee confirm their products are shrimp safe so I can easily apply a root tab to aid the process. Now all I need is a couple of nice small crypts to compliment the AR mini...

Thanks all for your helpful posts and responses.