Hi all 
I was passing by a small aquarium store close to home a while ago, and decided to go in and see what type of plants were in stock. The plants are being kept in dingy tanks and some looked quite sick. I asked for some Egeria densa from the healthiest looking tank, and the owner actually didn't want to sell it to me, insisting it would just fall apart in my tank. I disagreed; the plants' roots were white, and the leaves and stems looked mostly ok - no transparant spots or holes. I offered to pay him 50% of the asking price ($4) and take my chances, and he agreed.
The plants have been in my tank for a week now, and they're putting out new growth - they've got longer, redder leaves on the bottom, short, compact, green growth above that, and the leaves they're putting out now are larger and redder again, but the growth isn't as leggy as at the bottom - I'm guessing the differences in leaf shape and colour are due to the conditions before the store, at the store, and now in my tank.
They still look small and sickly and they're growing very slowly, but I'm hoping they'll adjust and take off like the weeds they were born to be. I'm definitely not going to move them or take cuttings from them until they're much larger and healthier, but I'm at a loss as to how to help them recover.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on nursing weak or mistreated plants back to health, other than a tank with adequate light, CO2 and fertilizer, which hopefully I'm providing?
I was passing by a small aquarium store close to home a while ago, and decided to go in and see what type of plants were in stock. The plants are being kept in dingy tanks and some looked quite sick. I asked for some Egeria densa from the healthiest looking tank, and the owner actually didn't want to sell it to me, insisting it would just fall apart in my tank. I disagreed; the plants' roots were white, and the leaves and stems looked mostly ok - no transparant spots or holes. I offered to pay him 50% of the asking price ($4) and take my chances, and he agreed.
The plants have been in my tank for a week now, and they're putting out new growth - they've got longer, redder leaves on the bottom, short, compact, green growth above that, and the leaves they're putting out now are larger and redder again, but the growth isn't as leggy as at the bottom - I'm guessing the differences in leaf shape and colour are due to the conditions before the store, at the store, and now in my tank.
They still look small and sickly and they're growing very slowly, but I'm hoping they'll adjust and take off like the weeds they were born to be. I'm definitely not going to move them or take cuttings from them until they're much larger and healthier, but I'm at a loss as to how to help them recover.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on nursing weak or mistreated plants back to health, other than a tank with adequate light, CO2 and fertilizer, which hopefully I'm providing?
