echinodorus

[dan4x4]

I have a walstad aquarium, john innes no7. Also stupidly soft water. To counteract the soft water, I smashed some old coral rock up into stones and put them in the filter.

echinodorus tenellus is doing great, loads of growth.

echninodorus aquartica slowly died away to nothing and was removed. why? 🙁

I really want some big leaved plants in the background. I had great success growing a sword in an old tank so I don't think its the softness of the water. But then that tank wasn't a walstad.

Anyone want to share some knowledge of where I might be going wrong? I read online that aquartica is a hard nut to crack?

Any suggestions of a alternative plant is welcome.

also Im thinking of getting a new aquarium a bigger one and tearing this 60l cube down as Im getting bored of it.

 

[Manisha]

Hi Dan, I haven't grown either of the echinodorus species that you have but have grown some others successfully & also have soft water. I have Bleheri & Barthii from tropica in the background and Vesuvius & Quadricostatus in the mid/foreground. Fastest growing would be the quadricostatus, followed by vesuvius then bleheri and finally barthii 🙂

 

[dan4x4]

I love the name Vesuvius! Im googling the different variations now. I might upgrade my tank as well but if i do, it'll probably be next weekend anyway.

 

[Mick.Dk]

Echinodorus are generally easy and tolerant plants.........but not all are equally easy, sorry.
The Ech. aquartica is really not that difficult to grow - but it is not as easy and tolerant as many other types.
The ones Manisha list are all much more toletant types........the Ech. 'Vesuvius' is the more demanding of those, though.
I would think it is the shortage in accessable CO2, that troubled your Ech. aquartica.....and this may also affect Ech. 'Vesuvius', to be honest.
That said, the Ech. 'Vesuvius' is a really striking plant, worth that little "extra". It needs a very calm background to really appreciate the fantastic leaves.......

 

[dan4x4]

Yeah there is no added co2 so I'm pretty sure that will be the limiting factor in the tank.

 

[Manisha]

Echinodorus are generally easy and tolerant plants.........but not all are equally easy, sorry.
The Ech. aquartica is really not that difficult to grow - but it is not as easy and tolerant as many other types.
The ones Manisha list are all much more toletant types........the Ech. 'Vesuvius' is the more demanding of those, though.
I would think it is the shortage in accessable CO2, that troubled your Ech. aquartica.....and this may also affect Ech. 'Vesuvius', to be honest.
That said, the Ech. 'Vesuvius' is a really striking plant, worth that little "extra". It needs a very calm background to really appreciate the fantastic leaves.......

I would refer to Mick as he's the plant expert... but I wonder if u r light isn't too bright echinodorus vesuvius would do ok? As my tank doesn't have co2 & has low light & it's been one of my more successful plants? I didn't realise it needed co2...☺ Another big leafed (but shorter plant) is http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantdetails/Lagenandrameeboldii'Red'(103)/4759 nice colour in a low tech & if I've managed to grow it...anyone can!

 

[Eduard18]

Hi there ! I think it's the Walstad method ; it's hit and miss with the plants, as Ms Walstad have said it herself ; some plants adapt and others not ; its a risk you must accept with this method

Envoyé de mon SM-G935F en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Mick.Dk]

I agree, ofcourse, in Manisha's thoughts about corresponding levels of light and fert.s (CO2 being a fert.). The balancing of those are the Alpha and Omega of a successfull aquarium.
Still this does not mean, you can just allways get away with reducing light, to compensate for in-accessabel CO2.
Plants are not a homogenous mass of biology - they have different "standards", developed to cope with different environments, in order to be the best at a given biotope........and thereby winning the price of out-competing other species and survive.
In short: all plants have a "lowest standard" for being able to thrive; be it light, or other factors.( This is why "red plants" can actually not be dealt with as a defined group either, by the way. ).
In this case I'm sure Ech. 'Vesuvius' and Ech. 'aquartica' can both tolerate less accessable CO2 at lower light intensity......but it does not change the fact, that they basically need a bit more light than most other Echinodorus.

 

[dan4x4]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have tried to manage the co2 better in the tank by having 2 lighting periods.

I have been browsing for a new tank in my spare time this weekend. I feel like I want to start again, but with a bigger aquarium. Probably a 200l one.

Theres too many plants that I love the look of and want to try bit don't have the space in the current 60l cube.

I'm lead to believe that the light that came with the tank isn't anything special.