Giant Valis

[markandhisfish]

4x2x2 1wpg temp 30 ( discus tank) 8 hour photoperiod , no co2 , dosed with flourish excel and tpn ( 10ml daily ) , absolute root monster fertiliser tabs at roots of all plants .

plants are
amazon sword
echinodorius ozelot
hygrophilia polysperma
vallisneria america ( gigantea)
cryptokorne becketti "petchi"

had some melt at 1st , particularly with the crypts , but that has settled now and all plants are showing new growth and seem to be settling in well and getting established , except for the giant valis.
no new growth at all , some leaves turning brown at the tips others at the edges and it just generally looks a bit unsightly. its getting to the point now that im thinking about just binning it and trying something else instead.

is there a special requirement this plant needs that im not giving it? can it be saved and if so how ?

any help greatly appreciated .

 

[RadaR]

Vallis doesn't take too kindly to Excel or any liquid carbon products.

 

[ian]

in my experience vallis can take ages to take and start grwoing. It is quite important to have the base (can't remember the proper name) white bit, to be exposed and not buried fully in the substrate.

 

[markandhisfish]

i know the bit you mean ianho isnt it called the rhizome? i will check it but im certaini made sure it was exposed. maybe its just not going to thrive if im using flourish excel. perhaps i need to have a rethink on plant choiuce regarding teh valis .

i really want to continue using the flourish excel as it is really does seem to be helping my other plants

 

[RadaR]

I think for rosette plants the correct term is crown? But I may be wrong.

i really want to continue using the flourish excel as it is really does seem to be helping my other plants

Try half a dose then instead of a full dose and see how it goes.
Alternatively, you can use plants like vallis such as Crypt Balansae or Cyperus helferi.

 

[Rlon35]

When I was a true beginner, I had no problem with vals in regular gravel and a low tech setup, even when dosing excel rather heavily at times. Subsequently, I have not been successsful with vals in my higher tech setup, as well as another attempt within the lower tech tank. I do not bury the crown, but they just seem to melt away and not come back. The low tech failure may be attributed to the play sand substrate and very powerful waterflow I had going in that tank. For the life of me, I don't know why I had problems in my high teck setup. Others seem to have vals multiplying all over their tanks. I think it is a more difficult tank than people realize. Vals and watersprite sometimes do nothing in tanks,as I have experienced and read...but when they do take, they seem to go crazy. I think it's wrong to list them as being so easy, at least based on my experience to date. I know I may be embarassing myself with some of the experts here by posting this...lol.

 

[ian]

I think you're right Rion, I know plenty of people who can't grow vallis and IMO should be a intermediate plant.

 

[markandhisfish]

ok any suggestions for alternatives? i need something very tall ( in the region of 2 foot) very fast growing and very easy , but also pleasing to the eye . that will thrive in a discus tank

 

[markandhisfish]

right i think ive decided what im going to do . im having good results with the hygrophilia polysperma and the swords so ( from pic as it is now )

i like the wood where it is a a centrepiece so im thinking lose the valis , move the polysperma to where the valis is growing up from behind the wood , leave the echinodorius ozelot where it is as it seems to be doing well where it is and i think its such a gorgeous plant i dont want to disturb it . then get another large amazon sword to put where the polysperma is at the moment. i also have a small amazon sword which i seperated from the large 1 which is coming along well , so i will put that at the right hand side near the large sword to make 1 massive thicket of amazon sword.and i will probably get some moss for the smaller piece of wood , maybe the large piece too.

 

[ian]

what about putting 1 aponogeton ulvaceus in there as a center piece plant. They are so easy and you get at least 6" of growth a week, if not more! They also throw flowers out like theres no tomorrow.

 

[markandhisfish]

i will deffinately take a look at that , when you say they flower a lot i take it thats only if they break the waters surface in an open aquarium?

edit: just took a look at that plant , i really like it , similar to the sword but with much more interesting leaves . i must say im very tempted to get 1 altho having read about it im not 100% sure if it would handle 30 degrees?

 

[ian]

yeah, the flower breaks the water in an open aquarium, have a look in my journal and you'll see how quick it grew. I reckon you'd get away with one at 30 degrees, some websites say 30 max.

 

[markandhisfish]

i rekon i may well order 1 at the weekend , i do like the look of it .

 

[RadaR]

Alternatively, you can use plants like vallis such as Crypt Balansae or Cyperus helferi.

 

[Teephphah]

I seem to have missed the boat with regard to the Valis discussion, but for my two cents (or however you phrase that on the other side of the pond), keeping the crown above the substrate is key with valis. Pull it out even further than you think you should. They HATE when bits of sand, grit or gravel get in between their leaves. (Chaffing I guess?)

I've re-scaped since my jungle val heyday, but back when my JV was growing like crazy, I was dosing a capful of excel every other day. Too much may not be a good thing? I also think I had a longer photo-period than you're using. And, if memory serves, the stuff didn't start to REALLY go crazy until it had some length floating horizontally at the top of the tank. I'd have to trim that part down every week, but once it got that long . . . it was just going nuts.

I'm currently trying to re-grow a baby from the plants I had back then and it's been VERY slow going. But one leaf has finally reached the surface, so I expect it to be full speed ahead soon.