R magenta and mini not growing

[Axelrodi202]

I have the following plants in my 10 gallon high tech tank:

Eleocharis sp. 'Belem'
Ludwigia arcuata
Ludwigia senegalensis
Riccardia chamedryfolia
Rotala indica (Ammania sp. Bonsai)
Rotala sp. 'pearl'
Rotala sp. 'Yao yai'
Rotala magenta
Rotala mini

The tank has been set up for around a month now. It is lit by 3 100 watt equivalent CFL bulb (actual wattage is 23 watts) in aluminum reflectors. The bulbs rest on top of the tank's glass cover, and lights are on from 2-10 each day. Substrate is ADA powersand and aqua soil. CO2 is 3 bps. I am dosing EI. I do a 75% wc weekly.

The R. magenta and mini aren't growing very well. The mini grows green and stunted, while the magenta just fails to grow. This confuses me because all the other plants on the list are growing well. What could be causing this lack of growth?

[ThatGuyWithTheFish]

Honestly, those are the most difficult plants you have. Sometimes I've found that there are some plants that just do not do well in a tank, for no apparent reason. That may be the case. Try moving it to another high-tech tank or getting some new stems. If that doesn't work, then just get rid of it, you can't win em all.

[herns]

I have rotala magenta and growth are just stunted.

I've heard they like soft water.

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[OVT]

Softer water does help. R. macrandra and magenta like more light then anyone would think is reasonable. You can try to rule the light out by letting one stem float for a week or so. If it starts to look good then you need more light for those guys. If you can, bumping up the co2 (slowly) and double-checking the circulation won't hurt either.

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[herns]

I have re scape my tank and lots of space for the light to go into. I placed few stunted magenta in the middle. We'll see.

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[JoraaÑ]

CO2 is the Key.

[herns]

I am running pressurized and CO2 indicator is already lime green.

Before I re scape, some stems of magenta is already near water surface and they're just stunted.

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[plantbrain]

Originally Posted by OVT

Softer water does help. R. macrandra and magenta like more light then anyone would think is reasonable. You can try to rule the light out by letting one stem float for a week or so. If it starts to look good then you need more light for those guys. If you can, bumping up the co2 (slowly) and double-checking the circulation won't hurt either.

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They both like current, not a huge amount, but gentle swaying is good.

[snausage]

Originally Posted by Axelrodi202

The tank has been set up for around a month now. It is lit by 3 100 watt equivalent CFL bulb (actual wattage is 23 watts) in aluminum reflectors. The bulbs rest on top of the tank's glass cover, and lights are on from 2-10 each day. Substrate is ADA powersand and aqua soil. CO2 is 3 bps. I am dosing EI. I do a 75% wc weekly.

The R. magenta and mini aren't growing very well. The mini grows green and stunted, while the magenta just fails to grow. This confuses me because all the other plants on the list are growing well. What could be causing this lack of growth?

3 bps in a 10 gallon??????? Well you're problem certainly isn't a lack of co2.

Honestly, a 10g with all those stem plants isn't really sustainable.

[BruceF]

FWIW
Growth Characteristics

Rotala macrandra requires generous amounts of light, carbon dioxide, cool water (less than 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 24 degree Celsius), and a healthy substrate bed in order to be successful. Nitrogen limitation is also required to encourage the rich red hues from the leaves.

Preferred water hardness tends to be in the softer ranges, however, it has been known to grow in a KH of 8.
http://www.aquascapingworld.com/plan...hp?item_id=104

[ThatGuyWithTheFish]

Originally Posted by BruceF

FWIW
Growth Characteristics

Rotala macrandra requires generous amounts of light, carbon dioxide, cool water (less than 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 24 degree Celsius), and a healthy substrate bed in order to be successful. Nitrogen limitation is also required to encourage the rich red hues from the leaves.

Preferred water hardness tends to be in the softer ranges, however, it has been known to grow in a KH of 8.
http://www.aquascapingworld.com/plan...hp?item_id=104

I thought the nitrogen-redness correlation was mostly a myth?

[ThatGuyWithTheFish]

Well, I just got some Rotala magenta myself. I'll see how it goes.

[herns]

After about a month my stunted R magenta is shooting new healthy branches. This happen when I change my 2 year old over bulbs.

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[mrkookm]

I've grown this in KH5 ~GH8.

[herns]

Finally, the rotala magenta that I bought last Dec last year has been growing fully! It has been adapting my tank for more than 2 mos. Ive thrown most of them since they had been covered with algae and no growth on top. Ive lyeft about 4 stems and they have been growing nice showing colors.