Will a Lotus survive GF?

[Detritus Mulm]

I just ordered a Red Tiger Lotus bulb to try something different. I plan to cage the plant (not sure how) until it gets big enough to survive the GF. Maybe I'll grow it in a tub until it gets to a good size. It was cheap, so it's no great loss if it fails.

Any thoughts on survivability or grow out? I assume it's a light hungry plant?

 

[Biollante]

Caging?

I just ordered a Red Tiger Lotus bulb to try something different. I plan to cage the plant (not sure how) until it gets big enough to survive the GF. Maybe I'll grow it in a tub until it gets to a good size. It was cheap, so it's no great loss if it fails.

Any thoughts on survivability or grow out? I assume it's a light hungry plant?

Hi,

I am not sure I understand the question, if this makes sense, great, if not, then someone else most have written this and used my name.

Red Tiger Lotus, Nymphaea zenkeri, they grow well, I like them in rich substrate, yet I have several that started as probably a seed hitchhiked its way into a sand only substrate and are growing like crazy. Under 3 watts per gallon they go crazy. Under 1.2 watts per gallon, they go nuts, though less flowering, larger leaves, really impressive. I have some in ‘food grade’ garbage can type containers in ambient light they grow and flower.

I have managed to keep some growing low by pruning and messing with them. I have had a couple grow low and stay small for months, with no effort on my part only to erupt suddenly, almost violently.

I have them in 12, 18, 24, and 36 inches of water, the Lotus don’t seem to care.

The big things they like are lots of nutrients and in particular potassium, true I think of most flowering plants.

I think they like rich substrates, I have some I started a couple of weeks ago in that worm poop substrate of Tom Barr’s, man they have launched. I know we are not supposed to tinker but I do add bone meal, vitamin B1, and stinky fish fertilizer. I think big heavy plants need big substrates.

{Nutrient Type Alert}I am sure I will be corrected on this, but they really do seem to suck up the CO2, iron, nitrates and mainly potassium, it seems these guys get holes in the leaves whenever the potassium drops, I target like 25 ppm. In fact if I were growing these without fish I would be tempted to go 3 or 4 times EI dosing.

I am not sure about caging, some variation on the ‘bird cage’?

Biollante

 

[Detritus Mulm]

Yes, very helpful. Nutrients are not an issue with the GF. I was originally thinking 'bird cage' as you suggested, but I'll likey grow it in a tub to start. My GF tank has no soil, so I pot all of my plants in this tank. I've read a small pot can help keep the TL dwarfed, which suits me as I don't think I'll let it flower.

Lighting is about 128W on a 75, I'd love to go to 300 so I can grow more algae

 

[hydrophyte]

I'm sorry I'm ignorant. What does GF mean?

I have couple of different lotuses. I don't inject CO2 but they are easy plants for me. I have also found that they are heavy feeders.

 

[Detritus Mulm]

I'm sorry I'm ignorant. What does GF mean?

I have couple of different lotuses. I don't inject CO2 but they are easy plants for me. I have also found that they are heavy feeders.

LOL, sorry, GF are Goldfish. Normally treat all plants as salad bar, but I found they tended to be outgrown by the large Swords. So I thought a large Lotus might survive too.

 

[Biollante]

Oh yeah forgot the main point!

Hi,

Sorry whoever posted that under my name, foolishly forgot to mention the goldfish.

As you may know the loud creature of exceeding evil that shares space with me insists (as a condition of not dumping herbicides on me) that I keep goldfish. Though I think the tiger lotus in general prefers warmer water of course here our ‘coldwater’ systems here tend to be warmer than most.

We keep principally Ryukens and Orandas and such.

I have no noticed any real problems; we do keep our fish well fed and routinely offer a variety of cooked and raw vegetables. I have noticed with most fish that strong plant growth, high filtration and alternative veggies minimize the problems.

Biollante

 

[hydrophyte]

I just picked up a really handsome orange and white comet at the LFS (local fish store). I have him provisionally in a ten-gallon for now, but I'm stoked to set him up with maybe a companion or two in a real display. I want to do something gawdy you know with blue gravel and some fake plants and maybe a resin castle.

Goldfish are most often maligned as dull, pedestrian fish, but active individuals have pleasing, personable characters.

 

[Detritus Mulm]

I always found the GF amusing, the begging is something to behold. They've come to recognize their foil pouch and get quite excited when they see it. My largest GF (died at 8 yrs at last December) like to be 'petted'.

You might get tired of gawdy; my original tank had an oriental pagoda and black gravel with fluorescent bits. That is now the Tropical tank and I kept the Pagoda for the creatures to hide in. Most of the black puke got replaced with Flourite.

I do like a mono coluored tank for effect though.

 

[Biollante]

Rant Alert!

Hi,

I hate to admit it but I really do like the loud creature’s Goldfish, some of them have great personalities. We have a fair group that like head scritches and a couple like belly rubs. One even likes to have the loud creature kind of ‘cradle’ her; it is rather sweet, in a pathetic kind of way.

I too love color object and so forth in the tanks.

{Rant Alert} In my most humble plant opinion, anyone who has kids around ought to have a few interesting items in at least one of their tanks. Continuing my own humble plant opinion/rant, I think people who are so scared someone is going to make fun of them because they have blue and red gravel and/or the occasional pirates treasure chest ought to be ashamed of themselves. This is how kids learn to participate, start taking some responsibility, and learn a little at the same time. {Rant Concluded}

I like all kinds of tanks.

Sorry about your Goldfish.

Biollante

 

[Detritus Mulm]

Lotus update

The Lotus arrived a few weeks ago without much sign of life. (A few hairs). So I dropped it in my office tank to grow out a bit before putting it in with the GF. It finally settled behind the Anubias and as of yesterday has a few good sized leaves and is pearling nicely. It's probably getting a bit too much shade, but seems OK considering it's original state. Once I get the BBA out of the GF tank I'll move it.

 

[Biollante]

Lotus, Loti, Lotuses?

Hi,

Lotuses (Loti?) are resilient.

Biollante