stevenlau

Why it is so hard to grow this plant? What is the special parameter to successfully grow this plant? Intensive lighting?

Mine seem like to grow at a certain height and then melt at the bottom stem part, I replant those healthy parts and after they grow at certain height, they started to melt again at the bottom and so on. Even though I plant them sparse enough in order for light to be able to reach the bottom part. They grow at medium speed not fast as described on most website. Also I noticed the new grown shoot has smaller leaf. Do they stunt? Lastly, I noticed that this plants are not forming roots at the base, is this normal?

Substrate using ADA AS II
pH = 5.2-6.4
kH = 0-1 dgH
gH = 4-5 dgH
Light = 2x21watt T5NO (Tank size 80x30x40cm)
CO2 diffuse by external reactor
EI dosing :
NO3 = 10 ppm
PO4 = 1.8 ppm
K = target 20+ ppm
Fe = 0.25 ppm
Ca = 20 ppm
Mg = 5 ppm

The tank has been setup for almost 1 month. TIA.

DarioDario

Did you take the time to cycle the tank with just the ADA substrate? HM is incredibly easy to grow. So I'm suspecting that you haven't cycled the soil properly and thats whats causing the plant to melt. Fill us in

endgin33

I find HM to be really easy to grow in my hard water- in fact I just read an article on the ADA site about how HM is a hard water plant. Given how soft and acidic you water is, that may be the problem.

stevenlau

No, I just cycled the tank together with ADA substrate and all the plants. Should I really just cycle the tank with ADA substrate only? But why? How to cycle ADA substrate only and how long? What is the purpose behind it? Why not all the plants melt except HM? TIA

stevenlau

Could you provide me the links? Thanks

Wouldn't the HM just be able to adapt to soft water?

endgin33

Here you go. http://www.aquajournal.net/na/water/plants_prefer.html
In my hard water it grows SO fast under high light and co2, it is almost a nuisance.

endgin33

In fact, in the article it specifically discusses Amazonia and HM. Those guys are pretty good at this stuff...

stevenlau

Thanks so much endgin33 for the link.

Now come to think of it, should I just replace the HM with another plant or just keep planting until they form the roots and hoping somehow they will adapt/acclimate to my soft water, hmmm? The link clearly describe my HM situation precisely

nfrank

i dont think it should make a big difference here, but the plant that Amano calls "Pearl Grass" is not Hemianthus micranthemoides. I got some from him a long time ago, and PG looks alot like HM but PG has 2 leaves at each node (HM native to the US has 3 or 4) and the appearance of PG is a little less stiff. From my experience PG and HM grow very easily in soft water.

Here is a somewhat humerous old exchange Amano Pearl Grass . The link to the picture is broken. He is a working link to a different old picture, i still have on-line. HM is on the left, PG is on the right.

Tausendblatt

So, the real Pearl grass bends like rotala green hmm? Makes sense for there to be 2 different species, since there are 2 common "interchangeable" names, baby tears and pearl grass. Just like Elodea and Egeria.

Is that the micranthum umbrosum or whatever it's called, or it something entirely different?