This is a two part post.
The first part is about red plants. Alright, I tried to find a thread regarding this part, but obviously wasn't using the correct keywords. Wife talked me into mosaic temple plants (ludwigia sedoida, I believe), and I don't think I got enough information from the LFS (my fault for not paying enough attention probably, new to me store, and my attention was wandering) about them. When we brought them home, they were beautiful, red and green, and made a great addition. In the weeks since, the red has faded, and it looks like they're just not doing well. Research that seemed vaguely familiar indicated that they need tons of light (I'd say I'm good for moderate) and dosing of nutrients. I have been pretty low tech with my plants, but want more information before taking the plunge. Red plants? Supplement with iron? I know all the supplements won't help insufficient lighting, but I'm still curious.
The second part is admitting defeat on these beauties doing well in my tanks. What else would you folks suggest that has the some of the following characteristics: stem plant that can grow tall, provide shade at lower levels, good with low to medium light, and doesn't need a lot of supplementation? I guess I could learn to supplement, but that hasn't been on the agenda thus far. Previously, I had java fern, peacock moss, and bacopa (not caroliniana, but a very fast growing kind) and a crypt (I can't remember what variety). They all went the way of the dodo with a lighting issue that I wasn't motivated enough to address properly until it was much too late for those plants. Now, I have java fern, java and peacock moss, anubias nana, bacopa caroliniana, the mosaic temple plants, and a banana plant. I really liked the mosaics' ability to grow to the top of the water and provide shade.
The first part is about red plants. Alright, I tried to find a thread regarding this part, but obviously wasn't using the correct keywords. Wife talked me into mosaic temple plants (ludwigia sedoida, I believe), and I don't think I got enough information from the LFS (my fault for not paying enough attention probably, new to me store, and my attention was wandering) about them. When we brought them home, they were beautiful, red and green, and made a great addition. In the weeks since, the red has faded, and it looks like they're just not doing well. Research that seemed vaguely familiar indicated that they need tons of light (I'd say I'm good for moderate) and dosing of nutrients. I have been pretty low tech with my plants, but want more information before taking the plunge. Red plants? Supplement with iron? I know all the supplements won't help insufficient lighting, but I'm still curious.
The second part is admitting defeat on these beauties doing well in my tanks. What else would you folks suggest that has the some of the following characteristics: stem plant that can grow tall, provide shade at lower levels, good with low to medium light, and doesn't need a lot of supplementation? I guess I could learn to supplement, but that hasn't been on the agenda thus far. Previously, I had java fern, peacock moss, and bacopa (not caroliniana, but a very fast growing kind) and a crypt (I can't remember what variety). They all went the way of the dodo with a lighting issue that I wasn't motivated enough to address properly until it was much too late for those plants. Now, I have java fern, java and peacock moss, anubias nana, bacopa caroliniana, the mosaic temple plants, and a banana plant. I really liked the mosaics' ability to grow to the top of the water and provide shade.
