Search results

Hi all, You can't beat experience. I'm not going to enter the CO2 debate, I'm not a CO2 user and I don't have any practical experience of its addition. All I can say is that I've grown a number of easy Cryptocoryne spp. without CO2, and while their growth definitely hasn't been optimal...

Hi all, I do that as well. Usually lot of new plantlets are produced on old fronds before they senesce, or when the plant isn't very happy. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It <"might be the glutaraldehyde"> causing the black patches? They definitely look less healthy than they should be, but I've never had anything quite like that. We've had some threads where they've dried out during water changes, but that usually causes brown (not black) patches. Are...

Hi all, <"Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) and Indian Fern (Ceratopteris thalictroides)?"> As a permanent planting Anubias barteri "Nana", Cryptocoryne x willisii? and something with contrasting leaf shape and/or colour? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'd be tempted to ignore it as, "just one of those things". If plant health begins to look compromised Sounds a good idea. Definitely more nutrients are available to the plant in the soil based substrate. My guess would be we are somewhere in the nitrogen (N) and/or potassium (K)...

Hi all, No, I don't really have any more suggestions. What does plant health look like otherwise? cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes. Could be. My guess would be a Guzmania, but a lot of Bromeliads look pretty similar and I'm not sure how you tell them apart. cheers Darrel

Hi all, A <"lot of mosses"> will do well, Fontinalis antipyretica is a UK native. I'll add in Marcel @zozo he will be able to offer plenty of suggestions. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No, they don't look great. The problems, in diagnosing what may be wrong with them, are: These are old leaves, so it is possible they are still present from the time when the plants were produced emersed. You would really need to know what the new shoots, (that grow now), or the...

Hi all, Perfect, they still look pretty good, but I think the Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) is just beginning to show the signs of <"iron (Fe) and/or magnesium (Mg) deficiency">, you can see the paling and net pattern chlorosis on the leaves. Iron deficiencies show in new leaves and it takes...

Hi all, They look good. Plant health looks OK all around. Could be, your floating plants aren't CO2 limited. Turn the light intensity up. Can you get a shot of the floating plants from above? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm still using the <"Miracle Gro"> from <"this thread">. I don't recommend it because of the ammonia/urea content, but it gives you some idea of the <"mark-up"> on many "aquarium" fertilisers. You might also be interested in the <"Duckweed Index">. It is simple technique where you...

Hi all, I should have also said that if you are willing to go DIY then dry salts are <"much cheaper option"> than liquid fertilisers. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You can pinch the yellowed leaves off the Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus), they aren't contributing anything now. If you want to stick with Tropica's fertilisers? Try <"Tropica Specialised">. It is lack of one (or more) of the <"essential nutrients for plant growth">. Because new...

Hi all, <"Helanthium (Echinodorus) tenellum"> I'm struggling with your photo (which is really small for me) but the plant should have a <"broad, pale green leaf">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You honestly don't need to worry. A lot of what you will read about nitrate (NO3-) needs a bit of interpreting. Have a look through the <"linked threads"> (and all the links in them) and it might help. The really good news is that NO3 - ion isn't toxic to fish, until you get <"into...

Hi all, I should have said welcome, so I will now. Plant health looks pretty good, other than the Salvinia. They've run out of one of the nutrients that isn't supplied by <"your fertiliser">. Because the Salvinia are floating plants their growth isn't CO2 limited, and they can't benefit from...

Hi all, Alas, not everybody does. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It does. You could liberate all the metal ions in the wood by burning out the carbon and collecting the ash, in which case the ash is about 25% calcium (Ca), but you don't get much wood ash <"from a lot of wood">, for Oak I think it is about 0.5% ash, so the wood is ~ 0.13% calcium...

Hi all, @Wookii is right, it is back to your LFS behaving like a <"payday lender"> and it <"really p*sses me off">. Plants need <"phosphate PO4---, it is one of the three macro-nutrients"> and the <"level of silicates in your water is totally irrelevant">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Definitely true, I'm really interested as well. I wonder if we will ever get to the bottom of this one. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No, I don't. For most nutrients you can equate the amount you added with the amount that is plant available, but it isn't like that for iron, due to the number of ferric (iron III) compounds which are insoluble. This means <"we have to use a chelator"> to ensure iron (Fe) ion...

Hi all, The growth pattern strongly indicates it is an issue with a <"non-mobile plant nutrient">. If you have hard water (high dKH/dGH) then it could be an iron (Fe) issue. Iron availability looks to be <"a frequent issue"> with Rotala rotundifolia, but I've always seen it <"with chlorosis...

Hi all, Normal, it just looks to be growing really well. When it has plenty of nutrients and light it will grow, bigger, less dissected leaves. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Aquascapers tend to be a bit sniffy about it, but there is always a willing market among more general fish keepers for <"breeding tanks etc">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is <"pick a name">, but it looks like it. Java moss is a <"fairly untidy grower">, if you don't trim it. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It would have to have occurred before the plants got into the tank, so during transit. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No idea really, other than @GHNelson's cold damage. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"It enjoys life">. I have <"very shady tanks">, so any of the plants <"in this list"> are pretty shade tolerant. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Apium nodiflorum"> (Fool's Water-cress). cheers Darrel

Hi all, Perfect, in that case you need to substitute 8.6 g of K2SO4 for 10 g of KNO3. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The 24 ppm NO3 will be the minimum value that they recorded. Because you live in the SE of England (where you've had a large population for a long time) you have a considerable input from treated waste water, and even the aquifers will contain high levels of nitrate. The same would...

Hi all. Point taken, it won't. cheers Darrel

Hi all, We have a few posts about anthocyanins as <"sun-screen" in plants">. I think that nutrients may have some role in how red a plant appears, mainly because anthocyanins accumulate in the cell vacuole and <"are masked by the chlorophyll in a dark green leaf">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That might have initiated flowering. The Echinodorus belongs to @zozo and I think is <"E. "Kleiner Bähr">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Very nice, it is a Cryptocoryne flower. I don't know <"which species">, but you need a flower to get a definitive ID. @Christel, or @Mick.Dk, may know. They only tend to flower when they are emersed. All <"Aroids"> have that type of "flower", a spadix, surrounded by a spathe. Amazon...

Hi all, The test kit will convert all the ammonia (NH3) to NH4+ via acidification (or it may convert all the NH4+ etc to NH3 using a base like NaOH), which is why it measures TAN, it doesn't tell you the relative proportion of NH3/NH4+, because that is dependent upon the pH. The relationship...

Hi all, Nitrite (NO2) testing is reasonably straightforward, but both <"ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+)"> and <"nitrate (NO3) testing"> are more problematic. I'm not anti-testing (I actually have access to analytical lab.) and I'd really like to know what the water parameters in my tanks were, but...

Hi all, One or the other, my guess would be <"ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+)"> from the Amazonia. I did wonder initially (we have other <"burn" threads with Amazonia)">, but the fish confused me. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"More than one"> thread. I'd probably start with <"Aquarium sand and diatoms">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The highlighted area looks very much like <"fertiliser "burn">. It could be from <"high salts concentration"> in the water, or it could be from heating damage in transit etc. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Something else" for me">, but putting <"definitive names to mosses is incredibly difficult">. If you have a moss with a spore capsule and <"access to a microscope">, you can make a guess, but it is still only a guess. This is Java Moss (Taxiphyllum barberi) from the Aquamoss website...

Hi all, Turn the light intensity up for a bit, I'd go to at least 50%. Our eyes are really poor at judging light intensity, and <"sunlight is incredibly bright">. I use a floating plant as a <"net curtain"> when I have a lot of PAR. *edit: I honestly posted this before @Wookii posted his...

Hi all, It is <"Hair/Blackbeard Algae help please"> thread, where we talk about low range phosphorus test kits. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Probably Hygrophila for me as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Thanks @jaypeecee, I've arrived. I agree with @Sarpijk. Yes, a picture of the floaters would be useful. Diatoms was going to be my guess as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You'll need some-one else to advise, I'll add in @Wookii. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is a funny plant, you can either plant it or<" leave if floating">. If it gets plenty of light and nutrients it is a very quick grower, but it will also persist in very low nutrient conditions. This one belonged to @Parablennius, and maybe C. cornuta, but it doesn't make any...

Hi all, Yes, Anubias barteri "Caladiifolia" would be fine. I'd just keep away from the species with really large leaves (like type A. barteri). Good idea, <"any of them should do">, other than the really small cultivars. In <"terms of the Betta">, at the moment I'd buy Ceratopteris...

Hi all, You don't want one that is too large, <"it will fill the available space fairly quickly"> and they aren't the easiest plants to prune and still maintain them looking good. Anubias barteri "Nana" would be a suggestion. I also like <"Anubias barteri "Coffefolia">, it will eventually be...

Hi all, Very strange. It might be light, could you try a longer light period? <"I have a 12 hour day"> on all my tanks. You need a cheap plastic strainer from Wilko etc. Teas strainers are really useful, they are like a net but rigid. Half fill a washing up type bowl with tank water (white...

Hi all, A good small Cryptocoryne is <"C. x willisii">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They look healthy, you actually have two different plants, the larger one really is Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum), but the smaller plant is Common Duckweed (Lemna minor). As you've found it is a very good grower. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I didn't actually buy mine, you won't be surprised to hear that it arrived as a <"hitchhiker" with some moss, along with Utricularia gibba">. I make efforts to keep <"the bits I have"> (as a floating plant), because it never grows very well in soft water with low nutrients. A lot of...

Hi all, It is very well behaved, and a slow grower. You <"can fix it on"> with <"very small blobs of gel type cyanoacrylate super-glue">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I haven't grown anything with that <"nice bright green colour"> and pearling, most of the mosses are darker green. <"Lomariopsis lineata"> would probably be the nearest option? <"A moss that attaches"> would be my suggestion. There are the various Fissidens spp. that would do, but...

Hi all, It will grow through the mesh and escape into the tank. It doesn't fix itself underwater, it really wants to be a floating plant. When it is photosynthesising vigorously the oxygen "pearls" get caught in the Riccia mat and float it up. I assume that is one of the reasons why the...

Hi all, I think you need a different plant, it is <"almost impossible to keep it in place">, it really wants to be a floating green scum. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Good, I wouldn't say mine are looking very good, but <"they are surviving">. cheers Darrel

H all, No, once a week should be fine, plants only need a little bit iron (Fe), the difference is "some" or "none". The problem with ferric iron (Fe+++) is that it forms <"insoluble compounds"> in oxygenated, carbonate rich, water., which why we use it as a chelate. I'm not an EI user...

Hi all, They've run out of one of the <"essential nutrients for plant growth">. Because <"they are new leaves"> that are chlorotic (and it's <"Rotala rotundifolia">) then <"iron (Fe) availability"> is the likely one, particularly <"if you have hard water">? I'm not a great fan of ADA's...

Hi all, I've had a <"lot of plants not do very well for me">, but all my tanks are similar. Java Fern is often quoted as a good hardy "beginners plant", and it is on the <"Tropica "Easy" list"> so they may have a point. I've failed to kill it entirely over (at least) <"the last 15 years">, so...

Hi all, Either during large volume water changes (if the lights are on and the leaves are exposed?) or during planting?, or even before the plants came to you? Java Fern is <"prone to this sort of damage">. Have a look at <"Java Fern Petite......."> and <(Microsorum pteropus SP...

Hi all, It looks like drying damage. This can be where the leaves have actually become dry, or it could be <"where fertiliser"> (or undiluted Excel) has dripped on them. They don't do well in very soft water, I've found that <"Bolbitis heudelotii does better in soft water">. I'd definitely...

Hi all, Yes you are to some degree, but there has to be some degree of trust somewhere. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Cheap to post (large letter, first class), so a nominal amount to cover p&p for you? and optional "donation to the forum" by the lucky member? or swap for something you like? I'll be honest I agree with @Siege , I've given away a lot of plants, but I've also received a huge amount of...

Hi all, Looks like a Fissidens sp. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The leaf veins just means it is a "monocotyledon". <"Leaf venation"> was how I was able to exclude plants like <"Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula)">. All the possible ID's we've discussed are monocotyledons (Sarurus is a <"bit of a strange one"> and it is neither mono or dicot)...

Hi all, That is a <"really rare one"> in the UK. <"Baldellia is a rare one as well">. I've seen Baldellia in the Burren, but I've never seen Luronium in the wild. cheers Darrel

Hi all, @mort I wonder if your plant might be <"Potamogeton polygonifolius">? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think <"you are fine">. I'd probably try and <"snap the rhizome">, I think it does less damage than slicing, because the rhizomes tend to break at a node. The plant sounds pretty healthy, so I would expect a <"number of the axillary buds will grow out"> from the leaf axils once...

Hi all, Might be <"Alisma plantago-aquatica"> Regani, CC BY 3.0 <Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons cheers Darrel

Hi all, More intriguing, definitely no Cryptocoryne spp. Did you collect it from the wild? cheers Darrel

Hi all, We need @Mick.Dk, but I think <"the new leaves"> on <"Echinodorus expand" (below)>, rather than unrolling, so I think your plant is something else. What I don't know, is what it is, although an Aroid? so possibly a Cryptocoryne? Saururus cernuus has <"characteristic leaf venation">...

Hi all, Can we have a photo of the Frogbit from above? We can get some idea of the nutrient status of your tank by the <"size and colour of the leaves">. Because it is floating plant it has first dibs on the light <"and isn't CO2 limited">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Could well be a light issue. Mine mainly grow low down in the tanks <"where it is pretty gloomy">. What do the rest of the plants look like? cheers Darrel

Hi all, Those look like they are the <"emersed leaves"> of Bolbitis heudelotii, from when it was produced by Tropica etc. So you could say "CO2", but my guess is that the plant will always shed the emersed leaves once it is immersed again. The new unfurling frond (on the right) looks fine, so...

Hi all, I'd be really surprised if it wasn't a scam, but you could tell pretty quickly from the look of the seed, below are Eleocharis seeds (from <"Probably not Glossostigma...........">) You are right if it was the real thing it would be extremely <"similar to E. acicularis">. cheers...

Hi all, I'm pretty sure it is a "Bitter-cress", either <"Cardamine hirsuta or C. flexuosa."> cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've been thinking about this, and working from the premise that it does have enough chlorophyll to actually allow it to survive, my guess is there must be a sweet spot where you have enough <"PAR for it to survive">, but not so much that Clive's <"photon torpedo"> of light burns <"it...

Hi all, Might be <"Sphagnum magellanicum">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, There are a couple of ornamental Red Algae that may be available <("Caloglossa beccarii & Thorea hispida")>. I think that @killi69 & @zozo used to grow Caloglossa? cheers Darrel

Hi all, Nile Cabbage (Pistia stratiotes). The plants look OK, and the fact that they've greened up is promising. I'd probably keep on with your present dosing regime. If the plants have been deficient in any of the non-mobile nutrients (like <"iron (Fe))"> it takes a while for the new leaves...

Hi all, I'll be honest I thought that it was Limnophila aromatica, but I can see that Pogostemon stellatus is a much better fit. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That is a fundamental question, and one that is increasingly relevant in the age of "citizen science". Personally I think a lot of smaller pictures <"can help create the bigger picture">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Fasciated">. You can almost certainly propagate it via cuttings. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Limnobium laevigatum then. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I enjoyed his posts too, and I think he had something useful to say and it was a shame he left. I'd say <"the same"> for @JamesC. We do need to be a <"broad church">. I've belonged to other forums which have imploded due to <"lack of efficient moderation"> and some <"fairly combustible...

Hi all, Looks OK, mine rarely looks any better than that, unless I've just given it a bit more nitrogen (N). I'm not entirely sure that it isn't <"Limnobium spongia">, rather than L. laevigatum. If its L. laevigatum the underside of the leaf will be green, they are red tinged in L. spongia...

Hi all, I know what you mean, there is a lot of comment, but not that many conclusions. I'm the same I look on the plants as primarily a technique for <"improving water quality">. I'm not interested in optimal plant growth, I ideally want the <"plants growing slowly in nutrient depleted...

Hi all, <"Perfect">, and about as welcome in this house. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I just think it is a chlorophyll issue. If Anubias barteri "Snow White" doesn't have any chlorophyll you could <"only keep it as a "parasite"> on a normal bit of green Anubias barteri. Because Anubias spp. are monocotyledon, you can't graft them, so you would be reliant on having...

Hi all, Have a look at Marcel's (@zozo ) <"outside tanks">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think the one you labelled <"Bolbitis heudelotti">, is actually <"Hygrophila difformis">. This is a better monitor and I can see some stem. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Probably <"Rotala rotundifolia?"> cheers Darrel

Hi all, Definitely keep us updated. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Welcome to the forum, I'd definitely let if grow and see what you get. Looking at the pot you seem to have a number of hitchhikers, the moss looks like <"Drepanoclados aduncus"> I agree, I think the best you can do, at the moment, is <"dicotyledon">. Because the plants are...

Hi all, They change from <"one growth form to another"> quite readily. My guess is that what you are seeing is <"largely a light effect">, although I suspect your window-sill plant is deficient in all, or any, of the three major plant nutrients (N : P : K), which are mobile within the plant...

Hi all, Mine do it as well, but I usually only see the roots if I disturb the remains of the structural leaf litter. Yes I think that is it, it is just that the plants are healthy and growing well. My guess is that, in the wild, the plant produces those fine roots to grow up into the leaf...

Hi all, It will do, it just spreads laterally really slowly. I tend to leave mine, but if you prune it encourages it to spread laterally. Java moss attaches, but it is a scruffy grower, even with pruning. cheers Darrel