Propagating Rotala Rotundifolia

(Rotala Rotundifolia)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

I’ve grown Rotala Rotundifolia in two different high light setups with amazing results.

It’s been grown in a 2.5 gallon standard with a 26 Watt Power Compact shop light fixture and a 5.5 gallon standard with a 36 Watt Power Compact Fixture by Coralife. I perform 50% water changes once per week on both tanks. CO2 is supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This provides CO2 levels above 60ppm in the 2.5 gallon tank and about 45ppm in the 5.5 gallon tank. I dose 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, and 8ppm Flourish Potassium three times per week. In addition I dose 1ml of Flourish Comprehensive in the 2.5 gallon tank and 2ml in the 5.5 gallon tank.

The Rotala Rotundifolia spreads so fast that I have to thin it at least once every two weeks in both tanks. Stems both grow longer and put out lateral shoots making for a bushier plant. Under higher light the leaves that aren’t being shaded by the rest of the plant will turn some very nice shades of pink and red. When I trim, I usually use a combination of topping and removing of extra plants. Occasionally I’ll replant the tops if I’m trying to get an area to fill in.

Rotala Rotundifolia is a relatively undemanding plant that will reproduce rapidly if provided with reasonably good growing conditions. In fact it grows almost too well in the 2.5 gallon tank, crowding out the other plants if I let it go too long between trimmings. It will grow under lighting anywhere from medium light to very high light. It makes a great background plant in smaller tanks and a nice midground plant in larger tanks.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006

Tropica.Com Tropica Aquarium Plants A/S [On-line] http://192.38.244.204/go.asp?show=products, April 17, 2006

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Author Bio:  Joy Twentyman-Crock has been keeping aquariums as a hobby off and on since 1996, and while she occasionally kept live plants in her tanks it wasn’t until 2005 that her focus shifted to keeping planted aquariums. She is a member of a local fish club, Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association (EIAA), and actively participates in its Horticulture Award Program (HAP) sharing the plants that she propagates along with the knowledge she gains about the plants while growing them. She also works to help educate the other members about keeping aquatic plants so that they can enjoy their beauty and avoid many of the common mistakes that beginners make.

 

EIAA Website - http://www.finflap.com

Propagating Ranunculus papulentus

(Ranunculus papulentus)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

Ranunculus papulentus is one of my favorite plants and is growing very nicely in my 2.5 gallon tank.

The 2.5 gallon standard has a 26 Watt Power Compact shop light. I perform 50% water changes once per week. CO2 is supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This provides CO2 levels above 60ppm. I dose 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, 8ppm Flourish Potassium, and 1ml of Flourish Comprehensive three times per week.

Once you see Ranunculus papulentus, you’ll always be able to recognize its distinctive leaves. From the first time that I saw a picture of this plant, I knew that I wanted to give it a try. It is a moderate growing plant that spreads via runners. Each node will send out multiple stems of varying length, each with a single leaf. Once the new plant has a two to three stems and a good root system, it can be clipped from the mother plant and moved to another location if desired. This plant takes awhile to get established, but once it does it will spread rapidly.

Ranunculus papulentus is somewhat demanding plant that will provide an excellent conversation piece in any tank with good lighting and growing conditions. It will grow under lighting anywhere from medium high light to very high light.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006

Victri.Net 2004-2005, Ranunculus Inundatus [On-line] http://www.victri.net/plants/_ranunculus.html, May 3, 2006

Propagating Narrow Leaf Sag

(Sagittaria Subulata)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

I’ve grown Narrow Leaf Sag in two different setups with success.

The first tank was a 5 Gallon Hex by AquaTech. I replaced the incandescent bulb with a 10 watt bulb, which provided the tank with medium low light. I performed 35-50% water changes once per week. CO2 was supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a Red Sea CO2 Reactor 200 to diffuse the CO2. With this setup the tank averaged 15ppm CO2. I dosed 5ml Flourish Nitrogen, 4ml Flourish Phosphorus, 4ml Flourish Potassium, 0.6ml Flourish Comprehensive, and 5ml Flourish Excel twice a week.

In this tank the Narrow Leaf Sag would often have BBA on it, most likely due to the fluctuating levels of CO2 inherent in a DIY CO2 setup combined with overall CO2 levels below 30ppm. The Narrow Leaf Sag would put out a new runner or two every month.

I recently upgraded the 5 Gallon Hex to a 5.5 Gallon standard with a 36 Watt Power Compact Fixture by Coralife. This increased the lighting to very high light allowing me to grow a greater variety of plants. I now perform 50% water changes once per week. To make sure that there was enough CO2 to keep up with the higher light level, I switched to a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This increased CO2 levels to about 45ppm. I also increased the dosing to 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, 4ml Flourish Potassium, and 2ml Flourish Comprehensive three times per week.

The amount of BBA present has decreased with the increased CO2 levels, although it has not completely disappeared yet. The quantity of Narrow Leaf Sag is now doubling in about 2 Months.

To separate the plantlets from the parent plant, I wait until the plantlet is one third the size of the parent plant and then cut the runner. At this point the plantlet can be left in place, relocated to another part of the tank, or removed to share with other aquarists. Since my tank is so small I usually have to remove the plantlets when they are big enough to separate from their parents.

Narrow Leaf Sag is a relatively undemanding plant that will reproduce easily if provided with reasonably good growing conditions. It will grow under lighting anywhere from low light to very high light.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006

Propagating Baby Tears

(Micranthemum Umbrosum)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

I’ve successfully grown Micranthemum Umbrosum in two different high light setups.

It’s been grown in a 2.5 gallon standard with a 26 Watt Power Compact shop light fixture and a 5.5 gallon standard with a 36 Watt Power Compact Fixture by Coralife. I perform 50% water changes once per week on both tanks. CO2 is supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This provides CO2 levels above 60ppm in the 2.5 gallon tank and about 45ppm in the 5.5 gallon tank. I dose 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, and 8ppm Flourish Potassium three times per week. In addition I dose 1ml of Flourish Comprehensive in the 2.5 gallon tank and 2ml in the 5.5 gallon tank.

The Micranthemum Umbrosum spreads fast enough that I have to thin it at least once every month in both tanks. Stem both grow longer and put out lateral shoots making for a bushier plant. I trim the plants with a combination of topping and removing of extra plants. If I’m trying to get an area to fill the tops are replanted. I may also replant the tops and remove the bottoms, when the bottoms start to look beat up.

Micranthemum Umbrosum is a relatively undemanding plant that will reproduce easily if provided with reasonably good growing conditions. It will grow under lighting anywhere from high light to very high light. It makes a great background plant in smaller tanks and a nice midground plant in larger tanks.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006

Tropica.Com Tropica Aquarium Plants A/S [On-line] http://192.38.244.204/go.asp?show=products, April 17, 2006

Propagating Dwarf Clover

(Marsilea Minuta)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

Marsilea Minuta is one of the few plants that can be used as a foreground carpet plant in low light tanks. Another trait that makes it desirable is that it is a slower growing plant than most carpet plants. While this means that it takes longer for it to grow in, it also means that you are a lot less likely to be stuck tearing up your carpet and replanting it on a frequent basis.

I’m currently growing Marsilea Minuta in a 5.5 gallon standard tank. For lighting I’m using a Coralife 36 watt compact fluorescent fixture which is on for 12 hours a day, which provides very high light. I perform 50% water changes once a week using tap water treated with Prime. CO2 is injected into the tank using a DIY CO2 setup consisting of 2 x 1 liter bottles for CO2 generation and an Inline DIY CO2 Reactor powered by an 80 GPH water pump. With this setup the CO2 averages between 45-60ppm. I currently dose dry fertilizers based on a slightly modified EI method. Since there is Nitrates in the tap water, I skip the first dose of KNO3 after the water change and dose some extra K2SO4 to make up for the Potassium that would have been dosed with the KNO3. Exact amounts vary slightly as I work to find the best balance for dosing to obtain good plant growth and minimize algae.

When planting Marsilea Minuta like most carpet plants you want to divide the plant into smaller pieces and spread them through the entire area that you want your carpet to fill. I find it works best to cut the runner so that there are two to four leaves per plant. This leaves enough of the runner to make it easer to get the plants to stay in the substrate. It can also be helpful to bury the runner a bit deeper to encourage the leaves to hug the substrate more and help minimize the plant getting leggy. Once it starts spreading you can cut the runners again dividing it into pieces with two to four leaves. This will allow it to fill in more quickly since the runners won’t branch.

I’ve had Marsilea Minuta in this tank for about 3 months now and it is finally getting to the point where it makes a nice carpet, though it will need to fill in some more before it could be considered a dense carpet. It is probably my favorite carpet plant at the moment and as a result I’ve recently taken some clippings from this tank and added it to both my 2.5 gallon and 10 gallon tanks. I would highly recommend it to anyone regardless of whether they have a high or low light tank.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, September 13^th, 2006

Propagating Long Beach Primrose

(Ludwigia Brevipes)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

Ludwigia Brevipes is a relatively new plant to me. I’ve found it to be a very easy and rewarding stem plant to work with.

I’m currently growing my Ludwigia Brevipes in a 10 gallon standard tank. For lighting I’m using a Current 80 watt compact fluorescent fixture with 1 dual daylight and 1 50/50 bulb which is on for 12 hours a day, which provides very high light. I perform 50% water changes once a week using tap water treated with AmQuel. CO2 is injected into the tank using a DIY CO2 setup consisting of 2 x 1 liter bottles for CO2 generation and an Inline DIY CO2 Reactor powered by an 80 GPH water pump. With this setup the CO2 averages between 45-60ppm. I currently dose dry fertilizers based on a slightly modified EI method. Since there is Nitrates in the tap water, I skip the first dose of KNO3 after the water change and dose some extra K2SO4 to make up for the Potassium that would have been dosed with the KNO3. Exact amounts vary slightly as I work to find the best balance for dosing to obtain good plant growth and minimize algae.

Ludwigia Brevipes makes an excellent background plant for this tank and needs regular pruning. The top of the stems nearest the light turn a very appealing shade of red. It almost grows too fast for a 10 gallon and would probably be even better suited to a larger tank. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for a tank any smaller than a 10 gallon as it grows much too fast. Like most stem plants you can top in and either replant the tops or let the bottoms continue to grow producing bushier growth. Within two to four weeks of introducing this plant to the 10 gallon it had filled in forming a nice think background. It must be pruned at least every two weeks to prevent it from blocking the light from plants in the rest of the tank.

Like many plants that can turn beautiful shades of red, Nitrate limitation can be used to bring out even more vibrant shades of red in Ludwigia Brevipes. I’ve found that this plant displays beautiful red coloration even without Nitrate limitation while keeping it in my tank.

I would recommend keeping Ludwigia Brevipes in high light tanks to see its best color. It may also be grown in medium light tanks but would probably remain green. It is an easy plant to care for as long as you provide it with good lighting and nutrients.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, July 28^th, 2006

Propagating Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides

(Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

I’ve grown Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides in my 2.5 gallon tank with a more success than I first realized.

The 2.5 gallon standard has a 26 Watt Power Compact shop light. I perform 50% water changes once per week. CO2 is supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This provides CO2 levels above 60ppm. I dose 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, 8ppm Flourish Potassium, and 1ml of Flourish Comprehensive three times per week.

Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides can be grown floating, like a stem plant, or forced to creep. In my tank I planted it like a stem plant. Since its growth is like that of a vine plant, it wound its way into and out of my other plants slowly multiplying. Since most of it was hidden in the other bushier plants, I had no idea how well it had multiplied until I started pulling plants out to do some major reaquascaping. To trim this plant I simply cut it and remove the excess length. To start new plants each node can be separated and planted forming a new plant.

One of the best things about this plant is when it pearls. Each leaf will collect and hold a single bubble of air at its center. This plant may be one ways that pearling gets its name, as the air bubble looks very similar to a pearl sitting on an open clam.

Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides is relatively undemanding plant that will provide an excellent highlight in any tank with good growing conditions. It will grow under lighting anywhere from low light to very high light, although in lower lighting conditions it will need to be floated to ensure it gets enough light.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006

Propagating Elatine Triandra

(Elatine Triandra)

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

I’ve grown Elatine Triandra as a carpet in my 2.5 gallon tank with a fair amount of success.

The 2.5 gallon standard has a 26 Watt Power Compact shop light. I perform 50% water changes once per week. CO2 is supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This provides CO2 levels above 60ppm. I dose 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, 8ppm Flourish Potassium, and 1ml of Flourish Comprehensive three times per week.

Planting Elatine Triandra to form foreground carpet is very similar to planting Glosso. A pair of needle nose tweezers will make this task much easy, although you’d best have a descent chuck of time set aside for this somewhat frustrating and definitely time consuming task. The Elatine Triandra should be separated it into individual plantlets which can then be planted an inch or so apart. Over then next few weeks it will fill in to form a lush carpet.

The Elatine Triandra spreads so fast that I have to thin it at least once every month. If I let it go too long it will get too crowded and start growing up becoming more of a bush. I trim the plants by topping the stems that are getting too long and removing any plants that are starting to grow into areas where I don’t want the carpet.

Due to its fast growth, Elatine Triandra is an excellent indicator of iron deficiency. If the tank becomes too low in iron, the edges of Elatine Triandra’s leaves will turn yellow. A slight increase of the trace mix dose usually fixes this problem.

Elatine Triandra is a somewhat demanding plant that will form a very attractive carpet if provided with good growing conditions and high light. Under lower lighting, it will grow upwards and act more like a regular stem plant. It will grow under lighting anywhere from medium light to very high light.

Bibliography

Victri.Net 2004-2005, Elatine Triandra [On-line] http://www.victri.net/plants/_elatine.html, May 3, 2006

Propagating Echinodorus quadricostatus v. tenellus

by Joy Twentyman-Crock

It’s funny how once other hobbyists find out that you enjoy keeping aquatic plants you find yourself presented with the occasional surprise package. This is exactly how I came to have Echinodorus quadricostatus v. tenellus in my possession after one of the monthly Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association meetings in Cedar Rapids. Lee Van Hyfte was kind enough to give me a couple of bags containing plants that I hadn’t heard of before.

When I got home I was presented with the all to common problem of trying to figure out where I was going to fit these new plants in my already crowded tanks. At the time I was much more interested in the other plants I had received and didn’t give this little sword much thought. I found it a spot behind a piece of driftwood in my 10 gallon, recorded it’s name in my log, and promptly forgot about it.

It bears a strong resemblance to both the Echinodorus quadricostatus (Cuban Broad Leaf Chain Sword) and Echinodorus quadricostatus var. "magdalenensis", which isn’t too surprising considering their names indicate that they are all variations of the same plant. Like both of those plants I have found that this plant is extremely easy to care for.

I was soon reminded of its presence in my tank when I discovered that it had sent runners all the way to the back corner of my tank by the water pump and had made the corner heading back toward the front of the tank. Unlike some plants which send out runners which end up in the water column with roots floating everywhere, the runners of this plant hug the substrate and do an excellent job of rooting into the substrate. It would provide a very low maintenance plant for the foreground of a larger tank, since it would only need the occasional trimming to keep it confined to the part of the tank where you want to keep it.

As most of you know, my 10 gallon is a high light tank which has pressurized CO2 and a heavy fertilization routine. While this plant has grown extremely well under these conditions, I’m sure that it would do equally well in a tank with at least medium light, after all it has spent most of it’s time in my tank heavily shaded by fast growing stem plants. If given an place in a medium light tank where it wasn’t shaded by other plants, I would expect that it could outperform the growth I’ve seen in my tank.

While it may not be the most striking of plants, it’s light green leaves provide a very nice contrast with other plants. I particularly like how it looks next to some of my Cryptocoryne Wendtii. I would definitely recommend anyone that can provide it with enough light give it a try. I expect that you will be as pleasantly surprised by it as I was.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, February 10, 2007

Propagating Dwarf Sag
(Sagittaria Subulata) 

By Joy Twentyman-Crock

I’ve grown Dwarf Sag in two different setups with a great deal of success.

The first tank was a 5 Gallon Hex by AquaTech. I replaced the incandescent bulb with a 10 watt bulb, which provided the tank with medium low light. I performed 35-50% water changes once per week. CO2 was supplemented using two 1 liter bottles to generate CO2 and a Red Sea CO2 Reactor 200 to diffuse the CO2. With this setup the tank averaged 15ppm CO2. I dosed 5ml Flourish Nitrogen, 4ml Flourish Phosphorus, 4ml Flourish Potassium, 0.6ml Flourish Comprehensive, and 5ml Flourish Excel twice a week.

In this tank the Dwarf Sag would often have BBA on it, most likely due to the fluctuating levels of CO2 inherent in a DIY CO2 setup combined with overall CO2 levels below 30ppm. The Dwarf Sag would roughly triple in quantity every two months.

I recently upgraded the 5 Gallon Hex to a 5.5 Gallon standard with a 36 Watt Power Compact Fixture by Coralife. This increased the lighting to very high light allowing me to grow a greater variety of plants. I now perform 50% water changes once per week. To make sure that there was enough CO2 to keep up with the higher light level, I switched to a DIY inline CO2 reactor powered by a ViaAqua Powerhead 180. This increased CO2 levels to about 45ppm. I also increased the dosing to 20ppm KNO3, 1ppm KH2PO4, 4ml Flourish Potassium, and 2ml Flourish Comprehensive three times per week.

The amount of BBA present has decreased with the increased CO2 levels, although it has not completely disappeared yet. The quantity of Dwarf Sag is now tripling in less than a month.

To separate the plantlets from the parent plant, I wait until the plantlet is half the size of the parent plant and then cut the runner. At this point the plantlet can be left in place, relocated to another part of the tank, or removed to share with other aquarists. Since my tank is so small I usually have to remove the plantlets when they are big enough to separate from their parents. This helps to ensure that the Dwarf Sag doesn’t get too crowded, since Dwarf Sag can suffer from die off if too many plants are packed too closely together.

Dwarf Sag is a relatively undemanding plant that will reproduce rapidly if provided with reasonably good growing conditions. It will grow under lighting anywhere from low light to very high light. It can provide a very nice grassy foreground in tanks that do not have enough light for other higher light options.

Bibliography

PlantGeek.Net 2002-2006, Plant Guide [On-line] http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php, April 17, 2006