Rotala question?

[hani]

Hi, after few years keeping plants, i found stem plants are difficult to keep in the tank for long time, the plant i like Rotala, grows well for 3-4 month, i keep trimming and replanting (grows fast) but after that time, it becomes kinda week, leaves get smaller and smaller, i thought might be light issue, never the case since i do pull all the plants out and replant the tops, its not fert since my EI # are good.
i decide to experment, i removed the plant and replanted it in new tank ( all my tanks with amazonia 2) it did the same grow in lengthe but leae never recovered their size,. then i decide to buy new pants and but them in the old tank, thewy grow well for the same period of time (2-3) then the same thing happened again.
one thing i learned , if you trimm and leave the main stem , it will send 2 branches or so, but the look smaller than origina, repeat the trimming agaiin and they will become verey small.
any thoughts?
thanks

 

[Tom Barr]

Try allowing the plants to grow to the surface, creep along for 1-2 weeks, then trim.
Also if you have a lot of a single species, say 50% of the tank, that species tends to do quite well, there's little competition.
With a dozen or more different species in small groups, this becomes harder.

More CO2........

With ADA AS + EI, you know it's not nutrients.........so then it's "what else is there"?



Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[TheKillHaa]

i dont have that kind of issue, im a rotala fan, and keep several os those spp for long time, the first and only bunch of rotundiolia i got it since 2007. And keep groeong and growing...

it could be something else... (sorry no give u a solution, just my facts)
regards

 

[chad320]

I have 200+ rotalas that ive had for 10 years. When you trim a rotala, if you want fatter stems, you have to eliminate one of the offshoots. I only get about 10-20 thick stems after trimming if I dont. And PS dotn listen to ThekillHaa, Have you seen his outdoor tanks video? Its amazing and hes the only one in the world like that so of course he doesnt have any problems with them. Ill look for a link to his video.

 

[chad320]

Hers his link. WOW!!! http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/7432-The-Lions