Hi- this is my first attempt at posting a new thread, so please excuse any gaffes...
I'd like to share some recently gleaned information on live plants and how to grow 'em here in FL. The water here is so much different from anywhere else I've been that in my opinion, it has to be treated in some way or other, in order to be successful at growing them, much less propagating them. That having been said however, a tankfull of live plants is so much prettier and healthier than a bare one or one with just a rockpile that live plants become a necessity..
Those plants with which I've been anywhere near sucessful are Amazon Swords, Vallisneria (eelgrasses of various types), Java Fern, and most of all Watersprite- with which I've been so lucky as to ship my excess up to New Hampshire, give it to friends, and sell bunches at auction- two months in a row, and I still have it "comin' outta my ears"!
I would like to state that there are 3 primary rules, or items you must have to grow plants sucessfully- these are sufficient or adequate light, food, and water chemistry/minerals- get those three items right and your plants should start putting out runners (babies)- or in the case of Watersprite, grow to about two ft. tall- I can't bring them in to auction because their stalks are too tender and brittle- one of the few drawbacks is that they snap way too easily. They can't be bent over in a bag--
With watersprite, the more light the better- increase your wattage/lumens by using compact fluorescent bulbs- the kind you use in your lamps to save electricity. You can get these at walmart or home depot or elsewhere, as well as the sockets and brackets you'll need to upgrade your strip lites. Any fool can wire them up in series- if you have any trouble just bring your striplight to a meeting!
NOTE: if you get green algae, either you don't have enough plants in your tank or your lites are on too long, or both. If your algae is a different color, your lights aren't on long enough!
You MUST hold your sprite plants down with either strip lead, a small piece of rock, or fishing sinkers wrapped around the base with fishline- but be gentle/ delicate- as if you were handling thin eggshells!
Watersprite isn't particular about water chemistry- if you have angels or guppies, a grove of sprite will improve it; i.e. make it softer/ more neutral with time. With live bearers it helps to hide the fry too- if "planted" thickly enough!
Another advantage of sprite is that you can grow it in a brand new tank, once the Chlorine and chloramine are gone - you don't have to cycle the tank a bit- well, maybe 24 hours if you don't have a heater..
Java fern is almost as easy to grow as sprite, but you need reduced light, or shade the java fern with full grown or floating watersprite, or it will decline- Don't try to bury the roots on either one of these plants- just weigh 'em downor you'll find the sprite floating and the fern declining--
For the other plants I mentioned just keep the PH neutral or they take a long time to acclimate- and probably will grow quite slowly, if at all!
Note: I found "river gravel" , about the size of rice- to be best as a substrate. If you're in a hurry, add fertilizer to a new setup, but watch out for algae.
-Dave-