Corkscrew Vals

[Captain Hook]

What is the scientific name for corkscrew vals? A mail-order guy near me (Ontario, Canada) has vallisneria retrospiralis. Is that the same?

[Somethingsfishy]

According to Plantgeek: http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=194

it's Vallisneria americana v. 'Biwaensis'

[RTR]

Tropica gives the same ID

http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

I am not familiar with V. retrospiralis - could it be confusion with Cryptocoryne retrospiralis?

[djlen]

I've seen V. Spiralis but not retro-Spiralis.
Unless you want to shade the tank eventually, you want the variety V. Spiralis or V. Americana var. Biwaensis(especially nice with tight spirals. I regularly restock my LFS with Biwaensis as it can get really invasive.
Most of the others really get too large for most tanks and end up growing over the surface and blocking valuable light.

Len

[Hydro]

Captain, you read my mind (question). I have been researching the same question. It seems that both the americana and biwaenesis have the twisted leaves and they differ in their maximum size and how tight the curls are, as far as I can tell from the book I have (by Peter Hiscock). The pictures show the americana (max height 20 cm) to be less tightly twisted than the biwaensis (max height 35 cm).

However, a confusion for me is that the book also indicates that "V. asiatica var. biwaensis" is also known as "V. spiralis" and "V. tortifolia". Then on the very next page, it lists "V. spiralis" (same name) as a separate plant but with a common name "straight vallisneria", which of course is straight and has no twists in the leaves, and it grows to a maximum height of 60 cm.

Hope this helps.

[RTR]

For me, predicting Val growth (both height and tightness of spirals, if any) is very like trying to predict the growth of Crypt wendtii - it varies from tank to tank even for one grower, much less between different growers.

[Captain Hook]

Thanks for all the help.

I'm going to try to get Vallisneria americana v. 'Biwaensis'. The guy I am ordering from is looking into it. This is the type that is supposed to have the tightest spirals and hopefully stays around 20" in height.

Funny that you mention wendtii RTR. I am also going to be ordering 2 Crypt Wendtii 'Tropica'. Hoping to use it for a midground plant. Are they nice looking plants? Also want to get one Crypt Undulata.

[Seaman]

I swear im almost tempted to try tasting a crypt wendtii because all my fish seem to LOVE it...its usually gone within a week of me buying one!! But they are 1.99 at the LFS for a NICE size one so an ocassional snack is good for them.

[Captain Hook]

That's not good...:shake:

Now you have me worried because my fish are eating my ambulia (limno sessiflora)! Maybe they will eat the crypts too. What kind of fish do you have? I have seen my blue gourami and rainbow shark eating the ambulia, but other could be doing it too. I thought crypts were usually fairly tough and not liked by fish.

[djlen]

Depends on the fish.
I've been growing Crypts for years and never had one eaten or even seen any of my fish nibbling on them other than an Oto or SAE cleaning them. One might 'melt' on occasion, but that has nothing to do with the fish.
Even the occasional Pleco working them has not been detrimental at all.
If you keep Silver Dollars or Goldfish or the like, forget about a planted tank.

Len