Well, I've got to the point where it's more like pine trees - the ones on the edge have leaves all the way up the stem, but the ones inside the stand have lost a lot of lower leaves - having said that, lots of plants do this which aren't so demanding about light - Bacopa for instance. As long as the stand looks fine, the tank looks fine, so that's the main thing.
Please help ID this plant
- Thread starter Phyroath
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Well, I've got to the point where it's more like pine trees - the ones on the edge have leaves all the way up the stem, but the ones inside the stand have lost a lot of lower leaves - having said that, lots of plants do this which aren't so demanding about light - Bacopa for instance. As long as the stand looks fine, the tank looks fine, so that's the main thing.
What you were telling me is true - I tried having a few stems in my 29g which is medium light (3.3w/g) and several others in my 40G (2w/g). Those in the 40g rotted their lower leaves one by one like you said - a palm tree. The ones in my 29g does not rot any leave since I planted. Is that lighting issue or nutrient deficiency? If nutrient, what would be the right nutrient for the plant?
It's lighting. Leaves generate energy through photosynthesis, but also cost energy to run. If there's plenty of light, then the leaf's net energy balance is positive - it generates more than it uses - so the plant keeps it. If light levels drop, then the leaf costs more than it produces - its energy balance is negative - so the plant drops it. In a stand of plants, the light is obviously diminished inside the stand, so the plants inside the stand drop their lower leaves. In slightly lower light conditions, the shading of the single plant's upper leaves may be enough to cause the plant to shed the lower ones. This is one reason why I spread my four tubes front to back across the top of the tank; it increases the amount of light coming in at an angle and missing the upper leaves. Still lose lower leaves within the stand, however, but as I say, even Bacopa does this. Not seen it in Cabomba, but this might be because in nature it tends to grow like Hornwort along the water surface rather than vertically, so it doesn't really have "lower leaves", and therefore has not evolved/been given by God* this energy optimising mechanism.
*delete as appropriate to avoid argument.
*delete as appropriate to avoid argument.
Thanks KarlTh. I also have the same problem with my hygro. Augustifolia in my 40g tank. I understand that hygro is a medium light plant however I have no choice when I run out of space in my 29g. I am using CFL 6500K on my 40g and I have just built a DIY reflector from stanless steel sheet - look a little bit brighter.
