[freshreef]

what makes them so difficult?
considering i have all the light and the ferts i need and a good co2 + chiller and heater - what else do i need to make them happy?

i had a lot of plants from that category and never had any problem with them. the only prob that i have is with H.C that gets some green algae because its a slow grower....

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Interesting question....maybe some plants just dont ship or take changes very well and thats what makes them difficult?

 

[Hanzo]

I have been thinking the same thing. As long as you have your water chemistry in order, what makes a plant more difficult than the other? I bought R. Macranda just because I was told it was a very difficult plant to grow... I sure don't have a problem growing this, so now I migh try this Tonina speceis, they look like a challenge

 

[Cavan Allen]

What makes a plant difficult? A lot of the time, difficult plants are the first to react if something is wrong in the tank. A nitrate deficiency is one example. Some react poorly to trimming or moving or to all of the above even they they might grow like weeds the rest of the time.

I distinguish between dificult and demanding. Demanding plants need a little more than most in the way of lighting, temperature, and on rare occasions, water chemistry. As long as their needs are met, they aren't so much of a problem. Aponogeton madagascariensis is a good example of that (mostly in terms of temperature).

 

[pineapple]

In the Plant Finder, the word hardiness is not used in the way I have come to understand it in its gardening context. Perhaps that is the difference between American English and English English. I am from an English English speaking background evolving to Brooklyn English).

In a gardening context, hardiness is a plant's ability to survive bad conditions, weather, low temperatures etc (but not necessarily anything to do with the abuse or so-called affection with which the gardener endows it).

Personally, I think the Plant Finder should not use the word hardiness to describe how difficult or demanding a plant is to grow. I would suggest changing that word to Difficulty or... something else.

Andrew Cribb

 

[Bert H]

I agree with you Andrew. Perhaps 'hardiness' should instead be 'hardness', as in how hard is it to grow?

Having said that, I must say that I aqppreciate all the work the folks who put together the plant finder have done! It's a great resource.

 

[pineapple]

Me too. It makes my Kasselman somewhat worthless. If we see a bunch of Kasselman on eBay, we will know why...

Several months ago I was thinking of starting a thread akin to: If you could update Kasselman, what would you add?

Obviously the Plant Finder made that obsolete immediately

Andrew Cribb

 

[tsunami]

Guys, all this is being discussed with the Plant Finder, we will change the description to hardiness. Anyways, this is my interpretation of difficulty and the description I used for this site's database:

Hardiness (will read Difficulty): Each plant is classified under one of the following categories based on its hardiness:

Very easy: nearly indestructable, requires little to no special attention, grows even under standard strip lighting <-- Hygrophila polysperma, Anubias barteri var. nana are good examples...plants you can toss in a 55g with standard 80w lighting and still grow in quartz gravel.

Easy: easy to grow, although perhaps requiring a richer substrate or more lighting than the above <--Rotala rotundifolia, Hygrophila difformis, Bacopa caroliniana are good examples, basically your stem plants that need more light than the very easy plants, but are still relatively undemanding.

Medium: not too difficult if the hobbyist has ample lighting and uses CO2 injection <--Glossostigma elatinoides, Cyperus helferi, Hottonia palustris are good examples, basically including those plants that at least need good lighting and CO2 to do well. Some knowledge of fertilization required.

Difficult: plants that require ample lighting, CO2, a standard, balanced fertilization regimen, and/or special substrate needs <--Rotala macrandra, Ludwigia 'Pantanal', Cabomba furcata are good examples of these plants, which absolutely need CO2 and a good working knowledge of fertilization through the water column or substrate to succeed. If you don't know anything about adding nitrates, phosphates, iron, etc to your tank, then you should probably stay away from these.

Very difficult: very sensitive, requiring a very stable, balanced fertilization regime and/or requires special conditions such as soft water <--Tonina 'Belem', Nesaea sp. 'Red Leaved', Eriocaulon sp. 'Mato Grosso', some rare crypts...in this category, we've included all the plants that either prefer relatively soft water (GH 5 or less), are really sensitive to nutrient fluctuations, or are difficult to get going in submersed culture (C. nurii, griffithii, tonkinensis). Basically, the plants you have to coddle.

Hope this is clear,

Carlos

 

[gnatster]

I wouldn't go and toss my copy of Kasselman right away. Look at as more of part of a well stocked reference library that compliments other sources such as the Oriental catalog.

 

[pineapple]

Carlos,

Great.

On thing, slightly off topic, is it possible to add an option box on the PLant Finder index which allows a user to query and find out what plants have been added in, say, the last 10 days? I for one am interested to see the work progress and like periodically to check in and see what has been added rather than to check each plant type...

Andrew Cribb

 

[Aqua5-0]

a good working knowledge of fertilization through the water column or substrate to succeed. If you don't know anything about adding nitrates, phosphates, iron, etc to your tank, then you should probably stay away from these.[/b]

How does one gain this knowledge? Obviously, one would need a good test kit? what do you reccomend? where can I get these?

Is it just a matter of testing for nitrates, phosphates, iron, etc... seeing which ones are low and then adding them in the water? Or is it a lot more complex than that? I'm guessing its more complex then that right?

So for a beginner where do I start? I'm only using Flourish and Flourish Iron. WHat more do I need. My water is only rainwater, so i'm sure i'll be needing a lot more? help!

Josh

 

[ShaneSmith]

I would say they are listing hardness on the amount of fertilizer they need?

IE, elodeo needs very little, Rotala sp. green seems to need a lot. I think they say rotala sp green is easy though....

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Aqua5-0, this is a great place to start learning. Read read read....i find thats the best way. Ask questions....then read some more! :lol:

 

[ShaneSmith]

Hach and Lamotte are both good accurate test kits. THey are crazy expensive and you HAVE to keep up on the expiration. I would only buy these if the tank is in a Public area where you would be very embarrassed if people saw it with green water or huge algae problem. if it is at home maybe just follow the estimative index until you get it down. Then once you have a full understanding the test kits are kinda useless. But if there is a problem it helps to have a Co2 PO4 and NO3 test kit that is accurate... It really helps me figure out things.