Glossostigma stretches upwards

[Bozhkov]

An aquarium was started on February, 11. Size: 60cm x 30cm x 36cm. Substrate: Power Sand M 4L, Aquasoil Amazonia 9l, Amazonia powder 3L. Lighting: 2 x 36 Watt NA Lamp Twin placed within 10cm from water surface.
Lights period:
- first two weeks - 8 hours,
- third week 9 hours,
- fourth week 10 hours.
Co2:
- in the first week one bubble per six seconds 24/7 through inlet of external filter
- from the second week one bubble per three seconds.
- Durig last three dates I use Dennerle glass diffuser, three bubbles per second during daytime with off on night.
Temperature:
- the first week was 23, with the second 25.
Water changes:
- First ten changes - four times per a week for 50%.
- Now every three days by 50%.
Ferts:
- Due to ADA recommendation first time I did not add ferts at all but was obliged to start three days ago, as nitrates fallen down to 0. (Im adding NPK+MICRO+FE)
More than month passed after the start of aquarium. Glossostigma replanted three times. it does not want to creep on soil by a dense carpet as a “fish scale”. Stretch upwards and stems and leaves become long. What do I do wrong, that Glossostigma not such, how in most Amano`s tanks?

 

[Bozhkov]

It's my glosso

 

[Superglue]

When I first got my glosso, half of it was dead. What I did was I cut off each and every rooted portion that was still alive and planted those with tweezers. I made sure that the water parameters were ideal for glosso, because it requires high light and high CO2. Eventually the plant took off, and now I have more glosso than I want. According to other sources that I have seen, glosso will only carpet under ideal conditions. Make sure you are giving the glosso enough CO2 and good light, and it should take off like a madman.

 

[Bozhkov]

That, you consider that ADA produces bad lamps. Or is the recommended amount of their lamps for the aquarium of my size wrong? Water at water changes is mixed up with RO. There is CO2. And does Co2 can to pin glosso, or it influences only on speed of growth and size? Would like to hear opinion of administrator of this forum.

 

[SuperColey1]

IMO it isn't the light that plants stretch up to see at all!!!

I think it is the plants reaching for higher levels of CO2 which increase as you move up the water column!!!

Therefore when we put higher light on the tank, we also improve CO2 by adding more and also more often than not improving flow.

This is the key IMO. Making sure that there is enough CO2 at the substrate level and then the 'carpet' plants will carpet

AC

 

[bibbels]

I completely agree with Supercoley. IME, glosso doesn't require high light. It does , however, seem to know when it's being shaded by other plants.

I have a 6 foot x 10 inch lawn in my 125gal with PAR ~40 micromoles at the substrate. I think getting glosso to carpet is mostly CO2, flow, and repeated trimming close to the substrate.