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How to grow blyxa novoguineensis ?

anewbie

Member
Joined
13 Mar 2021
Messages
166
Location
usa
I purchased this plant from a hobbist and it was in good shape and bright orange upon purchase. However in my tank it remains green and is a bit shorter than when purchased:
xyzx.jpg

This was purchased in late april so I've had the plant for nearly 4 months. It is clearly not dying but is relatively short and green in my tank. My substrate is inert and i do put root tabs near it around one every 3 months. I also dose the tank nilogc thrive+ and iron once a week. None of the plants in this tank are esp difficult to grow but the rotala h'ra that is near the top has a very good colour (strong pink/red) (second picture). The light is a wrgb2 on a 40 breeder so not very deep around 70%. Total on time is 9 hours (8am to 5pm); BUT the ramp on/off is 1.5 hours so the start and end are dimmed quite a bit. This increases viewing time but algae is not really an issue.
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I'm not sure if anyone has experience with this plant as it is not super common but I'm a bit confused how to improve the colour. I suspect it has to do with the substrate and root tabs are a poor subsituation for actual soil or similar substrate but i don't know if this is the actual issue hence this post for advice.
 
1. it's possible you recieved blyxa japonica.
2. your light is not strong enough. blyxa becomes red under light stress. also nitrate limitation helps.
either way blyxa japonica also gets relatively red. upgrading light or nutrient limitation should help
 
I'm not sure if anyone has experience with this plant as it is not super common but I'm a bit confused how to improve the colour. I suspect it has to do with the substrate and root tabs are a poor subsituation for actual soil or similar substrate but i don't know if this is the actual issue hence this post for advice.
1. it's possible you recieved blyxa japonica.
I've often wondered whether this so-called "novoguineensis" is just another typical marketing term for japonica that just happens to turn red occasionally.
2. your light is not strong enough. blyxa becomes red under light stress. also nitrate limitation helps.
either way blyxa japonica also gets relatively red. upgrading light or nutrient limitation should help
None of this is necessarily true and the last thing I would suggest to anyone would be to "upgrade" lighting, which could prove disastrous. The combination of high lighting and poor NO3 can result in lots of problems. See the thread red blyxa

Cheers,
 
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