Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tank Plant Advice => Topic started by: TopCookie on March 31, 2018, 06:08:21 PM
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I have some Hygrophila Costata plants that started out so well but are now a sorry looking bunch and I would like to replace them with something else... This is what they're supposed to look like:
(http://tropica.com/imagegen.ashx?width=760&height=380&image=/Plants/052A/3.JPG&crop=resize&class=product)
Anyways, can anyone recommend a background stem type plant that is easy to care for but with slow to medium growth rates...?
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What sort of shape plant/leaves are you looking for?
Do you want to stick with hygrophilia? If so, the polysperma is a bit easier, but still requires regular trimming/maintenance. Or try bacopa caroliniana, which has a relatively slow/med growth rate.
Sometimes I struggle a bit with stem plants, so have also used echinodorus martii major and cryptocoryne balensae as background plants.
Best of luck and let us know what you choose. :)
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Thanks Donna... :)
Cookie dashes off to Google those names... (http://www.cdv-forum.com/Smileys/default/vroam.gif)
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Also look up hygrophila corymbosa thailand
Other thoughts... ludwigia palustris or repens... rotalia rotundifolia... vallis.
Try looking on http://aquafleur.com/AQ-catalogus-2017-UK-2-cont/HTML/files/mobile/index.html (http://aquafleur.com/AQ-catalogus-2017-UK-2-cont/HTML/files/mobile/index.html)
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Back...
So, the one that appeals most is the Bacopa Caroliniana... However, I already have the much smaller Bacopa Compact and somebody keeps uprooting it... There are two potential culprits; I first suspect the Corydoras Ornatus, who love to rummage around at the base of many plants but then also potentially the Rabbit snails could be guilty... I did recently re-plant a fully uprooted stem and then the following day, one of the Rabbits was attached to it... I assumed he was probably chomping on algae as the stem had spent some time floating in the tank before being re-planted, nearest the lights... Low and behold, he chewed right through the stem near it's base and the rest just floated back to the surface again...!!!
I dunno what it is about Bacopa Compact that appeals so much, but the poor thing is suffering an ongoing assault by at least one of said guilty parties, if not both...!!!
Lovely little plant and was doing so well in the early days of the tank and before Rabbit snails and Corydoras were added to "The Cookie Crew"...
I would quite like the Caroliniana but fear it may suffer the same fate...
Incidentally, I also have a Ludwigia Palustris that also suffers from the same onslaught, while pretty much everything else is generally left alone by those two culprits... The exception being some Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan' which comes under attack by the flippin' Amano shrimp, lol...!!! All good fun though, eh... ;D
If you can think of any other recommendations Donna, please do pop back and let me know about them...
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Thanks Matt... downloading that catalogue now and will have a good read... I definitely want something that's not too fast growing nor too big, nor indeed too demanding... A lot to ask for sure, but there must be something that fits the bill out there... :)
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To avoid uprooting you could try putting a few flat stones around the base of the plants for a while, which should give them time to root firmly without any disturbance. You could then remove the stones and see if they are uprooted again - if the roots have grown far enough they should be quite difficult for the fish & snails to shift.
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Absolutely brilliant and simple idea...!!! Thanks Donna, I shall indeed do exactly that... Daft thing is, I have been thinking about all sorts of ideas to try and make some sort of protection, including possibly using the little plant pots modified with scissors and turned upside-down around the base etc... It never occurred to me to simply place stones around the base - doh...!!! I did just recently buy a pack of slate pieces which are perfect for the job too...!!!
Now I must go and stand in the dunce corner and have a good word with myself, lol...!!! :isay:
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:rotfl:
We've all had those times when we think so hard we don't see a simple answer. :)
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:-[ <---- Cookie hanging his head in shame...
Bacopa Caroliniana is in the basket...!!! Also, a second Ludwigia Repens Rubin (already recently planted one) plus of course the Echinodorus 'Red Diamond' ;D
Still considering a Lagenandra meeboldii 'Red' too, more for the midground though... :)
(http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantdetails/Lagenandrameeboldii'Red'(103)/4759)
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Order has gone in...!!! :D
Ludwigia Repens Rubin, Bacopa Caroliniana & Echinodorus 'Red Diamond'
More planting fun to be had later this week... ::)
Probably won't replace the rear stem plants with these... Thinking more to plant the Ludwigia RR alongside the existing one, the Bacopa Carol where the Bacopa Compact is currently and the beautiful looking Echinodorus 'Red Diamond' over on the right hand side... Depending on how they get along, some more may well get ordered for use at the back there...