Elodea Growing Well But Stringy?

[Ethan040]

ive got a elodea plant its growing fine tbh it grows too much atleast 6 inches in a week when i cut it back but when it grows it goes stringy the leaves are further apart up the stem it sort of gets better if i leave it to grow.. is this normal?

 

[three-fingers]

Yep, it's normal.

The way to get it growing nicely (the way you see it in pictures and how you buy it) is to keep it in cool temperatures and provide it with more light than stock tank lighting.

 

[Ethan040]

Thanks for the info, my tanks at 26 at the minute and my light is 11w and my tanks a ten gallon.. what sort of temp should i have it at? ive got crypt, morimo moss and vallis in there also would the drop in temp affect them? there all growing fine.

 

[three-fingers]

To notice a big difference you'd need to remove the heater and keep the tank in a cool place. Just let it go as low as your fish can live at healthily.

I'm growing mine at 10*C and I grow it outdoors spring-autumn.

What type of light is it and what are the tanks dimensions?

I grow mine indoors with an 11w compact florescent in a 3gal, and outdoors it receives direct sunlight at times during the day.

 

[Ethan040]

Its a arcadia arc pod 11w the tanks a square i haven't got a tape measure to hand though.

 

[three-fingers]

Well, on my 5gal cube tank I needed two arc pods to get decent growth out of Egeria densa (elodea), but even then it will still look stringy if kept warm. Right now I use that 1 arcpod over the 3 gal, about 3 inches away from the plant...so a lot of light.

 

[Ethan040]

Ah right well would you recommend another tall growing plant like elodea that would grow in my setup?

Thanks

 

[three-fingers]

Hygrophila polysperma should thrive in your tank, and is a nice tall growing plant.

Under that lighting, Bacopa australis should grow fairly tall,.

There's also Bacopa caroliniana, which grows larger and taller than B.australis but is slower growing.