What's wrong with my Alternanthera reineckii?

bradlgt21

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May 9, 2009
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Chicagoland, Illinois
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Brad
When I first put this plant in my tank it was doing great. It reached the top of my 29 gallon with ease. I trimmed it down and it never grew again. All the leaves are tiny and grow extremely slow and stay tiny. Then they die and fall off. The larger older leaves turn yellow and brown and die off too. There is more dead on it then alive. And it's like a ball of tiny leaves on the top, its like new ones grow before the other ones can get big enough. Did I kill it by trimming it or can I not keep up the needs of this plant? All my other plants are doing great. I have mostly low light stuff, like swords, crypts, anubias, Ludwigia ovalis. My t5 bulb is only 36 watts and I don't have CO2 is this what is wrong? Does leaves turning colors and getting holes in it mean I am deficient in something? My ovalis leaves do this when they don't get enough light like the bottom ones but the top ones do great.
 
'fraid that's just not enough light for this plant. If you want red in a low light tank, try Tiger Lotus.
 
It just might be me, but I also noticed it does poorly or doesnt grow at all in hardwater, even when I provided copious amounts of light, nutrients and Co2. When I started using R/O it bounced back after I cut the dieing leaves and replanted it.
 
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