Vallis Growth

[Too Fast]

I have vallis in the back of my tank which was growing well. It has been doing very well since I put it in a year ago. In the last month or so it hasn't grown much if any at all. Prior to that I needed to cut it back twice a week as it was growing so well. The vallis has been spreading and the new plants growing however they are spreading to areas where I do not want them so end up pulling the new plants out.

My question is this.....Is my origional vallis past it and in need of replacing? The reason I ask is due to the lack of growth and it lacks the fresh vibrant colours of when in was new - up until last month. Should I grow on the new plants, then replace the origional ones with them? or are they just not growing as they are feeding the new plants?

The tank is a low light level tank and I have been dosing the tank daily with Flourish excel and twice weekly with Flourish. There have been no changes to the tank, the peramiters or my routine in the last year.

 

[lljdma06]

I have vallis in the back of my tank which was growing well. It has been doing very well since I put it in a year ago. In the last month or so it hasn't grown much if any at all. Prior to that I needed to cut it back twice a week as it was growing so well. The vallis has been spreading and the new plants growing however they are spreading to areas where I do not want them so end up pulling the new plants out.

My question is this.....Is my origional vallis past it and in need of replacing? The reason I ask is due to the lack of growth and it lacks the fresh vibrant colours of when in was new - up until last month. Should I grow on the new plants, then replace the origional ones with them? or are they just not growing as they are feeding the new plants?

The tank is a low light level tank and I have been dosing the tank daily with Flourish excel and twice weekly with Flourish. There have been no changes to the tank, the peramiters or my routine in the last year.

What is the waterchanging regimen?

 

[StandbySetting]

I've found Valliseneria spp. to be rather sensitive to Gluturaldehyde (any form of liquid Carbon) when over dosed, were you dosing the Excel when the plants were flourishing also? Even a small over dose is enough to melt Valliseneria in my experience.

 

[Too Fast]

I water change twice weekly 15-20% each time. I dose Flourish excel every morning and dose the Flourish after I have done the water change. I have been doing this routine for a year with no problems - tbh the plants until recently have been far better than I could have expected.

 

[lljdma06]

SBS, I don't think it's the Excel entirely if the OP's been dosing like this for a year and it's had periods where under the dosing it's flourished. Has your city water changed? or do you have wood in the tank? Vallis like hard water. Mine always did well when the mineral content was being replaced pretty consistantly. My local tapwater has very high mineral content. Maybe wood or organic matter is softening it up in there or your city water's changed. Perhaps the waterchanges need to be increased a bit for the reduction in mineral content. Same thing happens to my crypts too.

Now, SBS is correct, typically Excel does damage Vallis. I don't like the stuff personally, would rather use CO2 or none at all. I don't like putting stuff that smells like rotten eggs in my tank. LOLOL