Anyone have experience with R. wallichii

beviking

beviking

Senior Member, Sophomoric Attitude
Feb 16, 2002
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Still contemplating my plant purchase and was thinking of using this as a back corner filler. I'd have it surrounding a cave (with a J.fern on top) and a length of driftwood diagonally in front of it planted with J.fern.
I'm also thinking of mixing in some Anacharis with the wallichii. Or, should I just go with R.indicta in place of the wallichii? Mix Anacharis with indicta?
I don't know if 6 4'bulbs over my 90g will produce enough light for the R. indicta to develop red coloring. Will the wallichii shed it's fine needles easily? Most sites say no.
I will be injecting pressurized CO2.
 
I agree with 'most sites'.
The only way I've seen R. Indica get red is in my tank that has a 5watts/gal. ratio. L. Repens is another stem plant that I've had the same results with. These plants seem to color up better in intense lighting that doesn't have to travel to far to strike the leaves.
You might see some orange-red on the top 25% of the plants with what you have, but the rest will probably remain green and the bottoms, unless good light can get down to them, will probably lose much of their foliage.

I've also had some luck with R. Wallichii, but only as a foreground plant where I was able to keep it short. I found it to be much more difficult to work with than the Indica.

Note: All of the above color up better with low nitrates, IME.

Len
 
I've found both repens and indica very easy plants to grow. I have seen them grow in under 1 wpg. The indica is still pink in this light and the repens has a very intense pinkish red on the higher leaves. With your lighting I think either would look pretty good.

Also consider Alternanthera reineckii ''roseafolia''. I've heard it's one of easiest red plants to grow and am planning on getting some soon myself.
 
Thanks for the replies.
I'm going for the small/fine leaf plant behind the J.fern so I don't think I'll use L. repens. On the same note, the other end will have Hygro (sunset and polysperma) and I think the A. reineckii has too similar leaf shape.

djlen, "I found it to be much more difficult to work with than the Indica." ...I'm not a mind reader;) Care to be more specific?
 
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