[anthony0704]

Hello all

Just a quick intro; Tony Davis has decided to take the planting of his aquarium seriously and is discovering the fun of keeping Hygrophila polysperma in the substrate of his 88ltr aquarium and not floating around on the surface of the water, which seems to be in direct contradiction to what the plants themselves actually want. I have tried showing them all the publications which state that being in the substrate is actually the normal position for plants of their type but either a - they cannot read, or b, they can read but are not interested. I have gone to some trouble to accomodate their needs, CO2, fertilizer, the companionship of some Amazon swords and some Vallisneria, both of whom seem quite content with their "roots in the substrate" lot in life, but it seems to no avail. I have heard of flourite substrate, unlike any of the aquarist shops in my locale, so I will have to travel some way and buy some of this, to see if it helps.
Regards

Tony

 

[gheitman]

Welcome to this web site. Sometimes it can be difficult to get stem plants to root properly. I can tell you from personal experience that Hygrophila polysperma will root in Flourite and it won't hurt your Amazon swords or vals either. As a last resort you might seek the assistance of a "plant whisperer" -)). They are easily identified by the need to sell excess plants from their tanks on a regular basis.

 

[davemonkey]

If the Hygro doesn't have roots on it yet, let it float around until some roots start growing. Then, CAREFULLY place the stems in a pre-made hole and gently cover with your substrate...being careful not to snap the stems. The stems are easy to snap/break.

 

[JanS]

Welcome to APC!

If you have to travel too far to buy the substrate you want, you can always order it and in many cases it costs you less anyway.
If you check our sponsor forums I believe there are a few who sell it there.

 

[anthony0704]

Thanks for all the suggestions. What I have done, as a temporary measure, is to bunch the Hygrophila together in the rockwool and attach a weight to them to keep them at the bottom of the tank, as I was worried about the floating plants screening the light from the others, is this okay, or is it better to leave them to float?

I had considered mail order, but the postage costs seem quite high, so I will look around. Besides, it is always nice to explore new shops.

Tony

 

[JanS]

They will be okay for a while that way, but the stems can start rotting eventually if they are bunched too long.

You can try posting more questions on it in the general discussion forum and get a lot more answers.

 

[anthony0704]

Thanks for that. I will use the other forum now

 

[trenac]

Hello Tony...Welcome to APC

 

[skg22086]

welcome to apc