Specific plants that require/prefer higher pH ranges?

[Dennis Wong]

Hello folks,
I am updating information in the articles on the 2hr Aquarist website.
While I have tons of data points from acidic/soft water tanks, I have much less data from alkaline setups. I use Seiryu rock quite a bit but I don't grow a huge range of species in such tanks.

The acid tanks seem to grow a huge range of species well but I wonder if I have left some species out that prefer more alkaline/high pH/high KH water.

Are there specific species that prefer more alkaline water and growing them in higher KH makes a significant difference in ease of growth?

 

[Sb1415]

I have high GH (>12)/KH (>12) and PH (>8) in my tap water. The plants that thrived are

• Ludwigea repens
• Crypt srilanka
• Java fern
• Amazon sword
• Vallisneria

 

[SkaleyAquatics]

I have high GH (>12)/KH (>12) and PH (>8) in my tap water. The plants that thrived are

I have similar numbers to this. I can get exact readings if needed. Non co2 that work for me.

• Anubias nana
• Anubias nana golden
• Anubias afzelii
• Crypt crispulata
• Crypt Usteriana
• Crypt wendtii 'brown/red/green/mi oya'
• Vallisneria nana 'yabba creek'
• Vallisneria australis
• Vallisneria jacobsii
• Limnophila aquatica
• Lobelia cardinalis
• Hygrophila corymbosa

I plan to try alot more in the next year or two.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Are there specific species that prefer more alkaline water and growing them in higher KH makes a significant difference in ease of growth?

Id be curious to see the comparisons of the same plant in two separate controls, low kH and high kH. I would guess that even a plant that has genetically adapted to accept bicarbonates more readily would thrive in a more neutral/acidic environment that allows easier absorption of CO2 with less work to reap the benefits.

 

[Jeff Miotke]

Yes, dig deep into this topic please. I have some suspicions but nothing concrete to share right now.

 

[BenB]

This is a great topic. So many people don't want to deal with making their own RO. I am fortunate to live where my water is soft.

Not sure, but I think I recall that Crypt affinis prefers hard water.

 

[Sb1415]

I have similar numbers to this. I can get exact readings if needed. Non co2 that work for me.

• Anubias nana
• Anubias nana golden
• Anubias afzelii
• Crypt crispulata
• Crypt Usteriana
• Crypt wendtii 'brown/red/green/mi oya'
• Vallisneria nana 'yabba creek'
• Vallisneria australis
• Vallisneria jacobsii
• Limnophila aquatica
• Lobelia cardinalis
• Hygrophila corymbosa

I plan to try alot more in the next year or two.

Interesting about the Lobelia cardinalis, i have now switched to RO water with a GH boosted to around 4 - 5 and the Lobelia cardinalis mini TC form is struggling quite a bit. Although i have not tried it in hard water.

 

[BenB]

Interesting about the Lobelia cardinalis, i have now switched to RO water with a GH boosted to around 4 - 5 and the Lobelia cardinalis mini TC form is struggling quite a bit. Although i have not tried it in hard water.

I have it in soft water and it is doing OK except for the diatom algae.

 

[SkaleyAquatics]

Interesting about the Lobelia cardinalis, i have now switched to RO water with a GH boosted to around 4 - 5 and the Lobelia cardinalis mini TC form is struggling quite a bit. Although i have not tried it in hard water.

I have found mini to be much more temperamental then the non mini version. I have my mini in RO at 6 GH and havent had an issue with it minus the notes I posted on my journal in my latest update.

 

[Dennis Wong]

This is a great topic. So many people don't want to deal with making their own RO. I am fortunate to live where my water is soft.

Not sure, but I think I recall that Crypt affinis prefers hard water.

Does it prefer higher GH values or KH values or both?

I find that Crypt flamingo prefers moderate 5+ dGH, rather than super low GH <3 dGH. Its not that it doesn't grow at low GH, but its more delicate, especially for new transplants.

I've grown a lot of the Lobelia cardinalis mini at 3-5 dGH, <1 dKH didn't really sense any difference in my systems. I've heard of folks having some issues with Lobelia cardinalis mini but have not been able to replicate it in my own setups yet

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I find that Crypt flamingo prefers moderate 5+ dGH, rather than super low GH <3 dGH. Its not that it doesn't grow at low GH, but its more delicate, especially for new transplants.

I am experiencing this currently, as I have been paying more attention to dGH when I realized that some issues I’ve been experiencing are a result of it being too low or bottoming out.