Bacopa Caroliniana and trimming.

[Ferris]

I tried to do a little research about this before I did it, and then I just kindof went with my own assumptions from what I read, but I'd still like some opinions.

I'm pretty new at keeping my own tank. The one I have is just about a month old, and tank/guppies inside of it are doing great. My dad has kept a fish tank for the majority of his life, so I can get a lot of pointers from him, but he's never had great luck with live plants. The one time he got them, snails apparently hitch-hiked in and took over the place. However I like the look and added benefits of using real plants, so I've been researching and doing what I can to learn what I need to know. I started with Bacopa Caroliniana and some other plant that I don't remember the name, but seems to be doing well. The Bacopa actually did extremely well, and shot up to the light within the last couple of weeks, and started to develop lots of roots on the stem, which I guess happens when the plants is near or reaches the surface of the water.

So today I took out the plant entirely, and cut off the tips about 3'' down from the top, and replanted these into the bottom. I read mixed thoughts on weather or not to pull out the original plant. The original had dead leaves around the bottom, so I kind of just wanted to start fresh. I guess my general question is, amidoin'itrite? Should these ones I cut out live? From my understanding Bacopa is pretty hardy, so I just wanted a little input.

I added an image of my tank and the newly planted Bacopa tips that I decided to split up into 2 groups.

 

[stephcps]

Yes...you did fine!

 

[platytudes]

The thing is that lemon bacopa (so called because if you crush the leaves, they give off a fresh, lemony scent) that you purchased was probably grown emersed, with only its roots in the water. It will have to shed all of its old leaves to adapt to being submerged. The same thing often happens with Amazon swords and Water sprite.

So anyway, the bad news is, the time of transition will probably have your plants looking pretty bad, ultimately...but they should recover! Except I'm not sure that rough white gravel is the best medium to grow plants. I'd probably stick with mosses and plants you can attach to rocks or wood (such as Anubias, Java fern) because you don't really have an ideal substrate for growing rooted plants. Even white sand would be easier on the roots, and you could always provide nutrients with root tabs. However if you want to keep your gravel, I'd suggest you use mainly other types of plants besides stems.

 

[tanker]

You did fine. I always pull out my stem plants, clip the bottom part and throw it away. Then replant.

PS--Stem plants get very little nutrient from the gravel. They pull from the water.

 

[platytudes]

I don't think it's so much the nutrients, as the fact that it's hard for plants to spread their roots in rough gravel vs. smooth sand.

 

[Ferris]

When I got the plants they had no roots, so I'm not very worried. I put them in the substrate and it weathered pretty well, and when I pulled it out it had grown a decent amount of roots for being in there for only a month. Hopefully these cuttings do the same!

We'll see.

Either way, I appreciate the feedback and information!