[Rainer]

Two species of vals - corkscrew and natans - almost never reach the surface in a high tech 29g. Instead I find the last 2"-4" of the blades floating around the tank. There's no fauna which would eat the vals, btw, and the tank is EI dosed. GH = 150 ppm/8.4 dGH and KH= 120 ppm/6.7 dKH, so I don't use GH Booster, although I recently tried it for a six week period.

The crinum thaianum (water onion) blades don't have this problem; they'll grow across the tank if given the chance.

This may be a standalone issue or a symptom of a bigger problem. Details here.

Any ideas?

 

[they call me bruce]

What is your subsrate and are you dosing? also if your dosing with florish excel it kills vals

 

[Rainer]

Full EI + 2ml iron dosed with micros, pressurized CO2, no Excel, no current GH Booster. Substrate is inert although I plan to return to root tabs once I have the myrio tuberculatum in place. I last used tabs back in March.

The vals are spread around the tank but always next to the glass. The crinum thaianum is in a more central location.

 

[they call me bruce]

Is this a new thing on an established tank or a new tank-- whats your lighting

 

[Rainer]

It's an ongoing thing with an established tank which has been in use ten months and high tech since March.

Lighting is a dual Catalina T5HO fixture. Photoperiod was 2-4-2 medium-high-medium but is now 1-6-1.

 

[Robert H]

Vals like hard water and a nutrient rich substrate, Plenty of nitrogen at the roots. Light is also a big factor in getting small Vals to take root and grow. Not a low light plant. 12 hours a day, upper moderate to intense.

 

[Rainer]

Okay, I've installed RootMedic tabs in 2/3 of the tank, leaving two dense stands of vals in one corner behind a stump as a control. I'll wait until mid-October and report back.

Considering that the RM tabs contain calcium, it may solve the larger issue in the other thread mentioned in the first post.

 

[they call me bruce]

I use eco complete and my vals took off on day one

 

[Rainer]

My impression from reading this forum - the EI advocates especially - is that while rich substrates certainly don't hurt, they're not really necessary either. All plants should be able to feed sufficiently from the water column.

OTOH, EI hasn't solved my stunted hygro problem (see other thread), although a Ca deficiency hasn't been completely ruled out.

Is there a real consensus on WC-only feeding?

 

[Rainer]

Okay, I've installed RootMedic tabs in 2/3 of the tank, leaving two dense stands of vals in one corner behind a stump as a control. I'll wait until mid-October and report back.

Returned and found three of the capsules had worked their way out of the substrate and dumped their load in the water column. Nitrate is ~30 ppm now; luckily this was the day to dose micros. Guess I'll leave it alone, monitor it, and adjust tomorrow's EI dose accordingly.

No breaches in the RCS tank. Whew.

 

[they call me bruce]

nitrates at 30 ppm maybe time for a water change when mine got to 40 once BBA showed up and u dont want that in a EI dosing tank

 

[Craigthor]

Haven't use H2O2 in your tank have you. Just like Excel, Peroxide will cause Vals to melt I just had most of mine completely melt off when I dose some Peroxide to treat the fish.

Craig

 

[Higher Thinking]

nitrates at 30 ppm maybe time for a water change when mine got to 40 once BBA showed up and u dont want that in a EI dosing tank

The entire purpose of EI dosing is done is such a way as to prove that an excess of nutrients in the water column does not cause algae. If 30 ppm doesn't cause an issue, then 40 certainly is not. Furthermore, if 40 somehow caused algae, then why wouldn't 30? Or 20? Or 10ppm? Excess is excess. While I only have one tank with this dosing regiment, it seems from every other experience that at total excess of nutrients, algae should be quite minimal.

 

[Rainer]

Haven't use H2O2 in your tank have you. Just like Excel, Peroxide will cause Vals to melt I just had most of mine completely melt off when I dose some Peroxide to treat the fish.

No, I've never used it there.