Utricularia graminifolia uprooting itself

[Tom-ato]

Hi all - new to the forum (and planted tanks) and would very much like to pick your brains re the above. I've recently set up a nano sized tank with Dennerle "scapers soil" and CO2. Currently housing dwarf puffers, shrimp and some plants - all of which seem to be doing well. A bit of an algae issue at the moment - a mixture of too much light I think, and the dwarf puffers being quite messy feeders - but the Utricularia I have in the foreground seems to be commiting suicide. It's grown really well, covered the entire floor in about 5 weeks, but is now uprooting itself in sheets. Is this because it's just grown too much? Any advice gratefully recieved.
Thanks
Tom

 

[bazz]

You should be able to glean some information from this thread, Something... Something... Shallow UG Tank!
Cheers!

 

[Tom-ato]

Ah, thanks bazz. Looks like my theory that it was growing too rampantly was a little optimistic!
Most of it has come up now in a big sheet - it looks like the only plants that actually formed roots were the original sprigs I put into the soil, the rest just seemed to spread laterally and didn't form any roots.

 

[andytruman]

Hi all - new to the forum (and planted tanks) and would very much like to pick your brains re the above. I've recently set up a nano sized tank with Dennerle "scapers soil" and CO2. Currently housing dwarf puffers, shrimp and some plants - all of which seem to be doing well. A bit of an algae issue at the moment - a mixture of too much light I think, and the dwarf puffers being quite messy feeders - but the Utricularia I have in the foreground seems to be commiting suicide. It's grown really well, covered the entire floor in about 5 weeks, but is now uprooting itself in sheets. Is this because it's just grown too much? Any advice gratefully recieved.
Thanks
Tom

Hey Tom, sounds like a great setup! Utricularia can sometimes uproot itself if it grows too thick and starts lifting from the substrate. It could also be due to trapped gas from CO2 or decomposition underneath. Try trimming it back a bit and gently pressing it down where needed. Reducing light slightly might also help with the algae issue. Hope that helps! 👍

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

it looks like the only plants that actually formed roots were the original sprigs I put into the soil, the rest just seemed to spread laterally and didn't form any roots.

Utricularia spp. are really strange plants, they <"don't actually have any roots">, the structures with the bladders are actually modified stems.

cheers Darrel