[Stan510]

This plant is near impossible to find now. It took me five months of going through every plant site and seeing that around May of 2018,stocks in the USA were dried up. I was actually sold by two different vendors the worthless "difformis" a plant that only dies fast or slow underwater. It was sold as the real B.heudelotii..BEWARE! I also tried overseas..Confiscated! Three strikes.
I finally bought some- very dark green -from the great Han Aquatics.
Sellers are on ebay now naming their price for this plant,and shipping doubles the cost. If it's the real thing? Be glad to have even that. I would be very careful you don't shell out near $40 for "difformis"!

 

[Stan510]

Tiger,if you really got the "difformis'? Than that's par for the course. Its really a plant that has no place in the hobby. I've seen Co2 tanks by pros..and "difformis"..was down to its last piece of stem.
As a matter of fact,you wont find a single Google/Internet photo of difformis thriving in an aquarium..all are just newly placed ( and newly submerged) plants. I was sent two..and the sellers didnt want them back. As of now,they are both fading away when all other plants are doing well to thriving.
I've only had the TRUE B.heudelotii for a few days..but its looking good. No rot in any leaf. Where some plants just wont adapt to submerged without Co2,the true Bolbitis will since it grows submerged in habitat.. "Difformis" and "Trifolia" are not found submerged.

Bolbitis heudelotii that are doing best I notice are in high flow tanks..water is making the fronds wave. So,I placed mine where the big pump's outlet washes over them a few feet away. Its a big tank with a big pump so..a few feet is close enough.

 

[Stan510]

How were the other plants doing? If the other plants were struggling,maybe the filter was overmatched with the fish load or water changes were too far apart.

 

[Stan510]

I just got my B.heudelotii a week or so ago..and its doing fine. Meanwhile almost all my B. "difformis" melted away and right now,only a part that is resting o n old live rock from my reef days has surprised by sending up 4 or 5 tiny croziers all at the same time. They might grow..or rot off. Wait and see.

On youtube Lucas Bretz has B.difformis in a tank with Co2,and it really looks nothing like B.heudelotii...it appears to grow wanting to reach the surface..thin and wide gaps between fronds. It also looks nothing like the parsley leaved plant they are when they are sold in emersed growth.

 

[Stan510]

Reading the OP posts,I would say that the mini Bolbitis in the photo is not b."difformis". It might be a smaller clone of B.heudelotii..but that can't be B.difformis.
Maybe I shouldn't say B.difformis being sold wont grow..but it's got to defeat a high percentage of people who buy them!
One small tip FWIW..my only growing B.difformis is growing near the outlet of my pump. Maybe on non Co2 tanks..water flowing strongly over it helps the plant breath. Not in stone though..

PS.That page in Chinese when translated by google says that B.difformis is native to South America-its not. BUT! It also mentions this plant likes acid water,soft water and a strong flow. There IS some wisdom in those characters.

 

[Stan510]

A little more on the Bolbitis difformis. It seems to be a detritus magnet. I have it just starting to grow.
This plant really is for the connoisseur. It's not going to make the scape. I have spotted it only once or twice in a Co2 YouTube vid aquarium doing well. Even if its reaching 4-5" long fronds,it's pretty much a nano tank plant. In that case when a B.heudelotii is too large.
I've had one for 6 months and its only threatening to break out with more than the 3 fronds it has..far less than it had when grown emersed by the grower.
I think there is much truth to this plant taking a year of making roots before it rewards you.