[bharada]

Here's some L. 'cuba' I purchased at a LFS on 6/5. Why is the new growth developing such wide leaves? The stems are and have been (so far as I know) grown submersed.

This is in my 40 gal tank:
192W PC (1 10000K and 1 8800K bulb)
pH = 6.8
kh = 6.5
gh = 19
NO3 = 5ppm
PO4 = .5ppm
Flourish dosed .5ml/day
K2SO4 dosed 5ppm 2-3 times a week

Thanks.

Bill

 

[HeyPK]

I am wondering if this is a daylength effect. I am guessing that you are giving the plant relatively short days. I have the species growing on 14 hours of light (8:00 AM to 10:00PM), and the leaves stay narrow. How many hours are you giving your plant?

 

[bharada]

It's getting 13 hours total, 11 hours with both bulbs, with an hour on each end with just a single bulb. I'm wondering if it's being caused by the 10000K bulb that's over it. It's seems to be getting leggier along with the wider leaves. As an experiment I'm swapping my 8800K and 10000K fixtures so it'll be under the 8800K bulb to see what happens. But I'll also try lengthing the light duration over it by another hour. I'll see what happens over the next two weeks or so.

What type of bulb(s) are you using over it?

 

[gnome]

DUDE! That's just so cool! My personal preference is for wide or round leaves over narrow, so if I thought that the wider-leafed growth on the L. sp. 'Cuba' were the norm for the species, I probably would have been interested in putting some in my tanks.

If you ever figure out what specifically causes this, I'd love to know! I just love how the veins are red, and the tips of the leaves have a subtle blush. Too cool!

-Naomi

 

[gnome]

Oh, BTW, did you purchase it at Albany Aquarium? Their last shipment had Hemianthus callitrichoides, the L. 'Cuba' AND Tonina fluviatilis! I was so tempted to try all of these, but I'm having problems growing the plants I already have.

-Naomi

 

[HeyPK]

What type of bulb(s) are you using over it?

5000 K compact fluorescents. The plant has been growing quite rapidly. It came up in a tray intended for crypts from some tiny bit of stem that settled in there on its own. It is beginning to shade out some very small crypts I am trying to get started, and so I am going to have to yank it out.
Maybe it is the color temperature of the bulb, rather than the daylength. If it is becomming leggier, that, along with the rounder leaves is an indication that it is shifting back to the emersed form, which is totally different.

 

[bharada]

Some updated pictures from this morning.

Can a plant really think it's emersed while it's 10" under water? :lol:

Naomi,
Yes. I did get it from Albany the other week. I saw the Hemianthus but was scared off by the price :shock:. Anyway I don't have room for additional groundcover right now.
[/rationalization]

 

[HeyPK]

It is starting to look like a red-stemmed H. polysperma! That plant certainly has a variety of appearances. When fully emersed, it is thick stemmed with dark green widely separated diamond-shaped leaves that have petioles.

 

[bharada]

I don't know guys...it's like planting a rose garden and having it bloom carnations! :lol:

Anyways, I've ordered some stellata ans Blyxa japonica so my quest for the ultimate bottlebrush continues...

 

[HeyPK]

I have had about three shipments of Eusteralis stellata, and none of them survived. The plants lose all their leaves and then the stem rots from the cut end until it is gone. I had two shipments of Ludwigia sp. pantanal which died the same way. Bharada, let me know how your stellata does.

 

[bharada]

Oh great! Thanks for the confidence boost!

I placed the order with Florida Driftwood, but got a message that it wouldn't be in stock until the end of the month. Now you got me thinking if I should even bother...oh well, there's also the Blyxa to look forward to. I also have some Xmas moss in the order so it wouldn't be a total loss if the stellata melts in transit.

Back on topic, the 'cuba' seems to be putting out a lot of side shoots so if nothing else I'll be able to propagate it and move some stems to my 29 gal tank.

 

[defdac]

I noticed your GH of 19.

I was playing around with coral crush in bags in my canister filter in an attempt to raise my Calcium-levels. The GH and KH skyrocketed (I terminated the experiment at GH of 15 - initial GH of 3.5) and several plants started to show emersed leaves, pretty much as yours, but my Ludwigia incliniata var verticillata "Cuba" got smaller leaves - more of a stunted look

 

[tsunami]

I've had Ludwigia sp Cuba grow leaves like that once and only once. The tank had been neglected for a couple of months and the new growth, when I returned home, was growing in with those same broad leaves.

To me, it was a sign of less than optimal conditions. BBA and BGA were running rampant in the tank at that point.

I haven't grown it under 10k bulbs, but I've only grown it under a mix of 8800k bulbs and 6700k bulbs. Intensity doesn't seem to be as much of an issue, as I have been able to grow it under 2 wpg PC with narrow leaves (although not the best coloration or size).

Hope this helps,

Carlos

 

[bharada]

Carlos, the tank is in pretty good shape, except for the hair algae that insists on covering the driftwood . There is one stem that seems to be maintaining the narrow leaf form and it's behind a vertical piece of driftwood so may not be getting the same intensity of light the rest do. So maybe there is something to do with the quality of light it receives.

Here are a couple more pics showing the surrounding areas...

The circled area is the 'cuba'

Top down shot.

 

[bharada]

Just a quick update to the state of my 'cuba'. Definitely taking on a gnarly look. I've replaced the 10000K bulb so now both my fixtures are running 8800K bubs.

 

[EDGE]

Is it just me or does the latest photos looks like a deficiency of some sort?

 

[plantbrain]

Add more traces, and KNO3(aim for a 10ppm or slightly higher target) and Ca/Mg. If your GH is 19, check to see how much Mg is in there or add a little MgSO4 just in case after the water change.
Add a tad more CO2.

That will cover most of your bases.
You are low likely on something and I do not think it's anything to do with the light.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[bharada]

Thanks guys.

Tom, I'll start upping my traces and see where it goes. I'm already at 35-40ppm in CO2 (KH 6.5, pH 6.7). Do you think upping that will have a positive effect on the 'cuba'?

 

[ShaneSmith]

Did anything improve?

 

[bharada]

Did anything improve?

Somewhat. After the first couple of days things looked like they'd be alright, but after the fifth day or so the new growth started coming in nearly white and small so there's still seems that there's some imbalance with the Ca in my water. I dosed some additonal Mg last night since that seemed to spark the first turn around. Now I just have to wait and see.

All the other plants in my tank (L. repens, L. aromatica, Lobelia, Micranthemoides, Alternanthera, C. Wendtii, Myriophyllum) are doing great, so it's frustrating to see this one plant limping along. It'd be better if it would have outright melted