Stem plants question

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NowherMan6

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This is something that I've been trying to looking up online but havent really found anything on it. I guess cause it's not something you really think about when adding plants to one's aquarium, but it's become very important to me.

I'm looking for peoples' experiences with stem plants and their tendencies to put out long gangly ugly looking roots. I have hygro. polysperma and asian ambulia in my tank, and I can keep them nice looking for a day or two after clipping and replanting. But within a few days they - especially the ambulia - put out bunches of long roots up and down the stem and it's a complete chore to have to snip at them every few days. Then they go all over the place and get sucked up in the filter etc. Just a mess. Are there any stem plants out there that WON'T do this, or do it less than these? I'm already considering switching over to a sword or two and large crypts for my background plants, because I can't take the maintenence required to keep these two species looking their best. Thanks. :)
 
NowherMan6 said:
This is something that I've been trying to looking up online but havent really found anything on it. I guess cause it's not something you really think about when adding plants to one's aquarium, but it's become very important to me.

I'm looking for peoples' experiences with stem plants and their tendencies to put out long gangly ugly looking roots. I have hygro. polysperma and asian ambulia in my tank, and I can keep them nice looking for a day or two after clipping and replanting. But within a few days they - especially the ambulia - put out bunches of long roots up and down the stem and it's a complete chore to have to snip at them every few days. Then they go all over the place and get sucked up in the filter etc. Just a mess. Are there any stem plants out there that WON'T do this, or do it less than these? I'm already considering switching over to a sword or two and large crypts for my background plants, because I can't take the maintenence required to keep these two species looking their best. Thanks. :)
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From my experience most stem plants will put out roots, some more then others, especially if you've got high light and C02 which keep the plants in a "happy" state. Ive just recently replaced a lot of my stem with Crypts and Bacopa monnieri, because of the hurendous looking roots that come out of this quick growing stems. So far, the Bacopa monnieri have put out very few roots over the last month in my 3.7 watts per gallon/C02 injection tank. They look clean, and grow at a decent rate where weekly pruning is not requires!

They also look very nice in bunches!

How big is your tank any ways? And how much light do you have? Any C02 injection? Do you fertilize regularily?

As for crytps, the look great as a background plant and require almost no mantainance! This is the one i placed all along the back of my 72 gallon this week........

Its called Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae,

http://www.tropica.dk/catalog/images/productcard/varenr125.jpg

Some of my older ones of this variety shoot a new leaf almost every week, and grow to height of about 15-20 inches.
 
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Hi Mooch,

My tank is 46 gallons, 2.4 WPG with pressurized CO2, and I dose NO3 bi-weekly. It seems you've gone through exactly what I'm going through.

I already have about 5 crypt wendtii, one of which is much larger than th eother, so I know how nice they can be. And actually, Moneywort was the one plant I had in mind for replacing the stem plants I have now. :o

I was going to get a few Crypt Balansae, and probably a melon or marble queen and an ozelot sword (don't want anything TOO huge)

because of the hurendous looking roots that come out of this quick growing stems
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That's exactly it! They grow so fast the roots just come out of everywhere. And on the hygro it's not too bad since it's fairly easy to clip them off, but the ambulia is impossible to do anything with, besides clip and replant every three days. Thanks for the input. :)

I like stem plants, just not ones that are so messy...
 
NowherMan6 said:
Hi Mooch,

My tank is 46 gallons, 2.4 WPG with pressurized CO2, and I dose NO3 bi-weekly. It seems you've gone through exactly what I'm going through.

I already have about 5 crypt wendtii, one of which is much larger than th eother, so I know how nice they can be. And actually, Moneywort was the one plant I had in mind for replacing the stem plants I have now. :o

I was going to get a few Crypt Balansae, and probably a melon or marble queen and an ozelot sword (don't want anything TOO huge)



That's exactly it! They grow so fast the roots just come out of everywhere. And on the hygro it's not too bad since it's fairly easy to clip them off, but the ambulia is impossible to do anything with, besides clip and replant every three days. Thanks for the input. :)

I like stem plants, just not ones that are so messy...
Click to expand...


The only way to avoid the roots is to snip and replant weekly, but i mean, who in this insane world has time for that? As a university student dealing with family problems, i sure dont!

:thud:

Anways, good luck bro!
 
I like the Bacopa as well (I think I saw it called "moneywort" somewhere). The fish nibble at it but don't devour it as they do other stem plants. I've had mine for about a month and it's starting to grow a few new little leaves at the top. It doesn't shed and I think it looks pretty in with some other plants.
 
The roots put out by stem plants used to bother me, but I've decide to accept them - they're part of the plants, the fish love hiding in them and chewing on them, and they're a way for plants to take up nutrients from the water so I leave them alone for the most part. Once stems get dense, the roots are mostly hidden anyway. I do tend to take many of them off when I replant a group of top cuttings, but once the stems are established I leave them be :)
 
My gourami snack on the roots, I've never actually seen many dangling so I was kind of wondering about this until i figured it out, but i've seen the female munching once or twice. She does a gr8 job too.
 
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