Welcome to ScapeCrunch

We are ScapeCrunch, the place where planted aquarium hobbyists come to build relationships and support each other. When you're tired of doom scrolling, you've found your home here.

Journal 22 gallon long bookshelf

I have a good handle on the ludwigia. It’s the rotala I’m trying to tame this time. I’ve never seen a stem try to become a carpeting plant so bad. I have some H’ra I’m working on at the moment. Fortunately the ramoisor ‘Florida’ just grows straight up. I’ve had to trim and replant the tops already. Staying more consistent on the water changes this time has helped a lot too, and having dry ferts to mix small batches and test has been a game changer.

Starting to clear out the 10 and 5 gallon plants to give to a friend who runs a local shop.

IMG_3210.webp

IMG_3211.webp


Culling the pond plants to make room for some Ammania Senegalensis I’m picking up this weekend.

IMG_3197.webp


IMG_3200.webp

Something is gonna have to go, and I feel like it’s gonna be the L. Arculata.

IMG_3224.webp
 
So, the 60cm light on a 90cm tank was starting to bug me, both in plant growth and coloration. Stems near the ends were reaching and bending; spent the better part of Sunday afternoon trimming, and installing the spare M450 over the tapered end of the tank. Easier said than done, since effectively I had to overlap 105cm of two lights evenly across 90cm of tank. Aesthetically it’s not that appealing, but the lights aren’t really the focus. I’ve since rearranged the overlap so the P600 is above the M450 and it looks much better.

Brought my stockpile of plants to a buddy and traded for a heaping of Ammania Senegalensis and red root floaters.

Still adjusting my fertilizer. My original mix is a little too lean with the amount of co2 I’m pushing, and especially with the extra light. I think I may go back to a richer macro mix alternating with CSM+B and save the all in one for grow-out tanks. It’s really interesting getting into the details of dry fertilizers and adjusting on the fly. You can see nearly immediate results. I dig it.

IMG_3318.jpeg

IMG_3320.jpeg

IMG_3319.jpeg

IMG_3322.jpeg

IMG_3316.jpeg
 
Takeaways from Ammania Senegalensis so far:

Way more challenging to grow than expected (I love a challenge).

Very slow to transition from emersed to submersed growth, and emersed stems are seemingly filled with helium.

Emersed leafs transition very minimally and only in the top 1/3 of the stem. Best to remove all emersed leafs, top the upper 2/3 of the stem and plant that only. Submersed leaf is very thin in comparison, so removing leafs encourages node growth.

Like most Lythraceae, very temperamental with any change. Especially GH and co2. I’ve learned to remineralize the RO water before adding it. I also try to not look at it without smiling. It’s that finicky.

Presumably why they do fairly well in low tech tanks using consistent tap water, as those are pretty stable in a low tech setup, albeit the coloration is probably less striking and more olive than orange.


IMG_3671.webp

IMG_3661.webp



IMG_3672.webp

I impulse bought Ludwigia “repens” while at the LFS because the leaves were way larger than typical repens and had alternating nodes. It’s not repens, and I’m hoping on a very rare chance it’s glandulosa. Please advise if you know what I’m looking at.

IMG_3673.webp
 
Takeaways from Ammania Senegalensis so far:

Way more challenging to grow than expected (I love a challenge).
That looks good so far. Way better than any ammania I’ve tried in the past.
It’s not repens, and I’m hoping on a very rare chance it’s glandulosa. Please advise if you know what I’m looking at.
That does look like glandulosa based on the google images I looked up out of curiosity. That’s one plant that never even tried to grow for me, instant mush in 48 hours the two times I tried it.
 
With all alternating leaves it about has to be glandulosa. Rubin would be the next closest but it has both alternating and adjacent

Ammania sp are unique even among Lythracaea in needing low water column nutrients. They're not hard to grow. Fresh soil and no dosing, or maybe a little K and they'll be four or five inches wide with stems like a sharpie, fat weeds. The only reason theyre considered difficult is because the hobby spent a decade frying them with EI. Not a knock on EI, these plants just dont like much nutrients in the water. Even mid level dosing is usually too much. They wont grow in my tanks either
 
Last edited:
With all alternating leaves it about has to be glandulosa. Rubin would be the next closest but it has both alternating and adjacent

Ammania sp are unique even among Lythracaea in needing low water column nutrients. They're not hard to grow. Fresh soil and no dosing, or maybe a little K and they'll be four or five inches wide, fat weeds. The only reason theyre considered difficult is because the hobby spent a decade frying them with EI. Not a knock on EI, these plants just dont like much nutrients in the water. Even mid level dosing is usually too much. They wont grow in my tanks either

Well that’s promising. Here’s a day 4 update on the transition and growth. It’s developing a tight rosette pattern as well.

IMG_3749.webp

And that makes sense on the Ammania. I experienced exactly what you described with pedicellata ‘golden’ and thought maybe it was specific to just that type. I have one tiny stem of that hanging on still and it’s not dead, not not thriving either.
 

Top 10 Trending Threads

Back
Top