Echinodorus tenellus care...

[Iain Sutherland]

Trying educate myself a little in regards to this lovely carpet plant.
Tennelus is growing well in my high tech and has now had 3 trims. When i do trim i cut it right back as low as i can which seems effective.
However im now thinking that maybe im trimming too often as it doesnt seem to put new runners out much...
Would trimming too often cause this? Just hypothesizing, but its like the plants use their energy to grow new leaf for photosynthesis and before it has a chance to send runners i cut it back again??

Am also wondering if growth is improved by cutting the runners once the new plantlets are rooted, would this then encourage the plantlets send out runners rather than just one long chain from the mother??
Im happy to test the theory and plan to leave the carpet for a lot longer now to see what happens but interested in others experiences...

This plant also can be red(ish) is this caused by high light or other environmental factors...

 

[Alastair]

I'm keeping it in my low tech mate, and although I don't trim it down, I do snip the occasional runners so they become their own plant and then start to produce runners themselves.
When I kept it in my high tech, the leaves would turn pink under 3watts per gallon of halides but didn't when I had t5s on it.
In this tank now it's a lovely pink/red and only running around 1.8 wpg of t5s which is about 3 foot above water level.
I have read that under high light it does go red. I guess that means that even with my ati raised as high as it is it's still pretty powerful then.


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[Iain Sutherland]

Ok, looks like ill be snipping a lot of runners tomorrow at wc, do you find this produces more runners than just leaving the plants to grow?
I cant see me getting it red as feel my light is relatively low in the sense it is so high... i cant get it any higher now, about 150cm from substrate... any lower and BBA breaks out and i dont seem to be able to get any more CO2 into the tank with current method...

 

[Alastair]

Ok, looks like ill be snipping a lot of runners tomorrow at wc, do you find this produces more runners than just leaving the plants to grow?
I cant see me getting it red as feel my light is relatively low in the sense it is so high... i cant get it any higher now, about 150cm from substrate... any lower and BBA breaks out and i dont seem to be able to get any more CO2 into the tank with current method...

I think so yes, it takes a few weeks I've found in my set up before the snipped plantlets send out their own runners but Atleast it means I don't just have a continuous line of runners from one plant. I get more overall coverage.
I'd imagine in your set up with co2 they'll send out runners sooner.
I think tennelus looks nicer green anyway mate


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