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Plants that like low pH

Miss Pennyapple

Miss Pennyapple

Member
Joined
1 Jan 2016
Messages
50
Location
Scotland
Hi all, I recently added some elodea to my tank just to add something cheap and cheerful and to fill up some space in the background. However, I've removed it tonight as over the past 6 weeks or so it's not done well and was rotting from the bottom of the stems. I put this down to the very low pH in my tank (5-5.5) and very soft water which it seems elodea doesn't like very much!

So now I'm looking for ideas for what I can plant in its place. I have a lot of sword plants already and I would like a similar stem plant to elodea if possible - something I can remove easily and pop into my quarantine tank when needed. I was thinking Cabomba but am concerned it will clog my filters etc as it did when I kept it many years ago in a different tank. Also have read of others having similar issues with this plant being fragile and bits break off it easily, polluting the tank?

Also looking for any other suggestions for acid loving plants! Tank lights are total 70w, on for 51/2 hours per day. No CO2 injection but I do add liquid carbon + ferts.

Any suggestions? Thanks all.
 
Most easy plants java fern, hygrophila polysperma, frogbit for a floater etc.
 
Miss Pennyapple said:
Hi all, I recently added some elodea.... I put this down to the very low pH in my tank (5-5.5) and very soft water which it seems elodea doesn't like very much!

No CO2 injection but I do add liquid carbon + ferts.

Any suggestions? Thanks all.
Click to expand...

Elodea will melt with the addition of liquid CO2.
 
rebel said:
hygrophila
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have you grown this in very soft water - I'd not be surprised if 0-1KH given the low pH - with no CO2?

Unless I bump up KH & GH in my tanks (tap is acidic KH <1, GH<2) several "easy" plants just melt away, grow poorly or slowly etc

Miss Pennyapple said:
I would like a similar stem plant to elodea if possible - something I can remove easily and pop into my quarantine tank when needed
Click to expand...
Given low pH & likely accompanying low KH & no CO2 addition, this is a bit more challenging - plant will need to obtain most nutrients from water column AND utilize the liquid carbon
You might consider "potting" plants in moveable containers or look at the sorts of plants that do well attached to wood etc (but not many of these are fast growing)
 
Absolutely nothing to do with soft water, as mentioned liquid carbon will melt many plants, even some that you think are very hardy. Also 70W is a lot of light when not using gaseous CO2 and extra fertilisers, again will simple melt your plants away.
 
Didn't know that easy plants would struggle at pH 5.5!! Learn something new every day.

For the op, would you consider putting some crushed coral in your filter to boost your kH?
 
ian_m said:
Absolutely nothing to do with soft water,
Click to expand...
How many plants have you grown under conditions of KH<1 & GH<2 (more often GH<1) pH 5.5 - 6.2, no CO2 ?

I've not had plants melt in a way that could be definitively traced back to addition of Seachem Excel - used it for a couple years in one tank dominated by Vallisneria spiralis 'Tiger'
 
You may find it difficult to obtain the Cabomba carolineana (the "good old one", you knew back then), since that plant has been banned as an invasive weed, in most countries, beginning of 2016. This plant is now illegal to produce, distribute and keep, in most of Europe.
What is usually available is now Cabomba aquatica.........which is quite similar in appearance, a nice plant - but honestly not as encredible tolerant as the Cabomba carolineana.
 
I've noticed some plants slowly recover from Liquid carbon.. For some reason true aquatics seem most sensitive to it. I had my Potamogeton gayi melting due to that stuff. But if you go slow on it and slowly encrease the dosage over a peride of time and do not start with highest dose possible for day one it might just addapt. Even the very sensitive mosses get used to it in time, like liverworth, and i killed my fair share of that with liquid carbon.

Most plants like slight acidic environment rather more than other way around. Acidity provides a better CEC.. In laiman terms Acid gives, bases take (gives less). 🙂
Not that a plant can't live in pH8 but it just does better in nutral to slight acidic like pH 5.5.. Lower than pH 5 is danger zone, pH 4.5 and lower is deadly for most plants on the planet.
 
Now see, I had wondered if liquid carbon might melt the elodea. But I couldn't find any definitive info on it. I did read that elodea doesn't like acidic conditions particularly so just assumed it was dying off due to this. I don't add a lot of liquid carbon - 2.5ml twice a week.

I would like to add some hygrophila but am put off as there is an ongoing issue in the tank with BBA and green hair algae and I don't want the small leaves to become smothered in BBA. Still trying to get on top of these algae problems and failing!
 
ian_m said:
Absolutely nothing to do with soft water, as mentioned liquid carbon will melt many plants, even some that you think are very hardy. Also 70W is a lot of light when not using gaseous CO2 and extra fertilisers, again will simple melt your plants away.
Click to expand...

I didn't think 70w was very much light? Confused! I thought that was considered low-medium light level?
 
rebel said:
Didn't know that easy plants would struggle at pH 5.5!! Learn something new every day.

For the op, would you consider putting some crushed coral in your filter to boost your kH?
Click to expand...

Nah! Don't want to start messing with the natural chemistry of the water! 🙂
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all,
Most Cryptocoryne & Echinodorus spp. do well in soft water. As mentioned Java fern is fine, and so are most mosses. Bolbitis heudelotii likes soft water, and so does Ceratopteris thalictroides.

cheers Darrel
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions - will take a look! 🙂
 
alto said:
How many plants have you grown under conditions of KH<1 & GH<2 (more often GH<1) pH 5.5 - 6.2, no CO2 ?

I've not had plants melt in a way that could be definitively traced back to addition of Seachem Excel - used it for a couple years in one tank dominated by Vallisneria spiralis 'Tiger'
Click to expand...

My water is soft out the tap and the plants in my two shrimp tanks of TDS 120 KH0-1 with no CO2 have great plant growth.
 
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