[YTP]

Hi All,

Can anyone tell if the plant I purchased as rotala rotundifolia red is actually the green variety (Back left in photo)? It arrived in emersed form with round pink leaves, but all new growth has been completely green, not even a hint of red on the underside of the leaves.

It's planted in aquasoil with CO2 at a 1.4 pH drop, with nitrates <10. Lighting is 2x AI primes at full power for 4 hours with a 2 hours of ramp time for a total of 6 hours. The plants to the right are rotala h'ra and rotala macandra red mini. All three of these species are growing like crazy, but there is almost no pearling and hardly any red in any of them. the H'ra and macandra show a little bit of pink on the underside of the leaves but are mostly light green/yellow on top.

I don't think it is a nitrate issue as I was running <5ppm nitrates until a few days ago and seeing deficiency symptoms/melting in other plants such as a.reineckii, s.repens, and monte carlo.

2x AI primes is like 100 watts directly overhead, and the drop checker is pretty much yellow halfway into the photoperiod, so surely it shouldn't be a light or CO2 issue?

I have the H'ra in a low-tech 29 gallon under a Fluval 3.0 at 30% and the tops of the stems are significantly redder than anything in this tank.

 

[finnystar2992]

Usually happens in high nitrogen levels

 

[YTP]

I'm aware it is supposed to be redder under low nitrates, but I've already tried running very lean conditions (like 1/4-1/3 EI) and there was no difference in coloration.

 

[Tinanti]

The green only has leaves in opposite pairs, never in whorls of 3-4. Can't see what your plant has.

 

[YTP]

It has leaves in opposite pairs, along with the macandra mini and the H'ra. The H'ra is trying to grow horizontally along the bottom of the tank. The underside of the rotundifolia "red" leaves are white.