Rotala Macrandra

[nightlite]

hi all

My rotala macrandra is having problems... I think I have plenty of CO2 and Lights (2x24w) but the stems seem to be rotting away.. HELP

 

[Castellop123]

The plant prefers temperatures of 23 - 27'c... Soft, acid water... Very strong lighting, Co2, Iron fertilization and a rich substrate are all necessary...

Lacking just one of these necessities, and the plant becomes slow growing, less vibrant and nothing like its originally wonderful self...

 

[reiverix]

Also give the plant some space. Don't have stems too close to each other shading each other out.

 

[JamesC]

The plant prefers temperatures of 23 - 27'c... Soft, acid water... Very strong lighting, Co2, Iron fertilization and a rich substrate are all necessary...

Lacking just one of these necessities, and the plant becomes slow growing, less vibrant and nothing like its originally wonderful self...

Mine quite happily grows in inert quartz sand so doesn't need a rich substrate. Have found it likes soft water max GH=8, preferably GH=4 and KH=4. Light is OK at 2wpg and above. Good ferts and CO2 are a must if you want to get the best out of it. Lovely plant but grows like a weed.

James

 

[nightlite]

thanks for the replys... hmmm i'll try to plant them further apart...that might be why..cause i initially planted them closer to get a nice looking bunch...
my KH is 5 at the moment... I don't have a GH tester yet... my ph is a problem ... seems to keep rising form 6.5 to 6.9 currently... sigh

the other thing is.. when do I start to doze the liquid ferts in a newly planted tank... it's only a month old....

 

[dasmall1]

Don't worry about getting a nice bunch at first. After trimming and growing it should do that on its own at its own pace.

As for the ferts, since your tank is a month old, you should be fine to start dosing now.