Flowering madagascar lace

[galen]

hi- i bought this 2 days ago at the pet store and i wasnt aware it shot up a shoot to the surface with a bud at the tip. it seems like it is ready to flower. any tips on what i should do? light is 1.5 wpg- left on for 12-14 hours a day. dosing flourish, and excel. 20 gallon tank with aquaclear 70 filter. clean as a bell inside- all nitrite, ammonia and nitarte are at 0. ph is stable; tank is over 2 years old and is very very well established. should i lower the water level to below the tip of the bulb? plus, what should i do after the bud is done flowering? any tips would be appreciated

 

[bkw1982]

are u sure ur nitrates are 0? is this a heavy planted tank? but u really dont need to do anything except enjoy it. never had madagascar lace, but when my plants do flower i dont do anything. I do pull the stalk once the flower starts to die so it wont decay in my water.

 

[galen]

ok. well then, i guess i will have to savor the flower when it comes.
and yes, the nitrates are at 0. i got a sponge filter in there alongside an aqauclear 70. the filter has 4 layers: bottom layer is ceramic rings, second layer is a bag of bio-max, third layer is the sponge block, and the fourth layer is another bigger bag of bio-max. its ultimate biological filtration. its so good, i never have to do a water change while the filter collects what little sediment the bottom feeders and others dont eat first. current is near min. every week i etst religiosly and every time the levels are at 0. all are 0. ph is stable as well kh. perfect conditions.

 

[bkw1982]

i would atleast want some nitrates in my tank if i have plants, but thats just me. What are u testing ur water with?

 

[galen]

i am testing with the red sea master freshwater test kit. i tell you though, i am not concerned with the lack of nitrates. the swords i grow have a thick root system, so much so that inside of a radius around the stem there is no debris of any kind in the gravel bed. none- it is wholly assimilated by the swords while outside the perimeter there is light to barely medium amounts in the typical dead spots next to a rock or the jaguar skull ( my little algae gauge).