Ludwigia Repens

1565 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by jrman83, Mar 1, 2014

Raymond S.

Discussion Starter · Mar 1, 2014

Will someone who has these tell me what care they need as far as ferts
especially.
I have one (only) that was damaged by excess iron.
The bottom leaves are red from where it came from. The next three layers of leaves are green from the LFS. Then there is one layer(two leaves opposite sides of the plant) of very small leaves that were the ones grown while in the tank/w the excess iron. I changed the sub and then the next layer of leaves looks good but smaller than those grown in the LFS. But the next layer up is slightly smaller and just a small amount deformed. The next layer up is better but smaller.
Since it's a new start for this plant after damage, I expected it to grow very slowly at first but I did expect the leaves to gradually get larger as it added more of them.
Is this like a plant that requires huge amounts of ( ?) fert and is not getting it ?

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Zapins

· #2 · Mar 1, 2014

The best resource for these kinds of questions:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=26

L. repens is one of the easiest red plants to grow in the aquarium, being able to grow in even lower light conditions (down to 1.75 watts per gallon with power compacts). It also makes an excellent candidate for moderately lit, non-CO2 aquaria. When lit well, the plant will grow at an angle over the substrate instead of straight up. To encourage red coloration, L. repens should be kept well lit (2.5 watts per gallon or more) with no shading. Lean nitrate levels (~5 ppm), high phosphate levels (~1.5-2 ppm), and heavy iron/micronutrients dosing will help produce intense colors out of this plant. Some hobbyists have noted that 9325K plant bulbs will also enhance red coloration.

The plant needs to be left alone in good conditions and it should grow back fairly quickly.

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Raymond S.

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 1, 2014

Very low bio-load on tank first so I hardly think nitrates are any problem. The kit I have is no good and needs to be replaced. Could not get readings from it the last time I used it. 3.6WPG T5x2 1x 6700K True Lumen "Flora" and 1x 650nm Aquaticlife.
1/8 tsp KNO3, K2SO4 1/32 tsp KH2PO4 1/16 tsp MGSO4 3ml Pride weekly aft wt change 1ml Flourish Comprehensive weekly aft wt change 1ml Excel daily
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=14289&pictureid=52738
Another thing is that I'm finally getting it through my head that some plants just don't belong in the same tank together, requiring high light(not the Ludwigia) so the others which need low/med light are not a good match.

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SmellsFishy

· #4 · Mar 1, 2014

I have ludwigia repens and I just grow it in dirt. It may not make them a bright red but they still look great!

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jrman83

· #5 · Mar 1, 2014

This plant is one of the easiest to grow. I have kept in in nearly all of my tanks with all levels of ferts and CO2 or not. It has also grown in a tank without a heater over the course of a full Winter and the water was in the high 60s and still did okay. It does not need ferts unless your light is driving it to need it. It will grow in a low-light tank with no ferts, no problem. There is no special requirement. In my high tech tanks it grows 3-5" per week. To get the reds on the top surface to the leaves, it usually only happens in my higher light level tanks.

If the plant has places it looks deformed this is where it was stunted somehow.

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