Need help with my Egeria Densa

[ms]

Hi, I got some Egeria when I first started my planted tank about 5wks ago. I have also planted others like the Glosso, Wisteria, Vallnais, etc..

The rest of the plants are growing well. As for my Egeria, some of them have grown from about 6" to about 18" tall. However, some of them doesn't seemed to be growing and the base of the plant turn slightly yellow and broke off at the stem at the bottom.

Can anyone tell me what's happening?

Thanks.

MS

[juggler]

Likely is that they did not get enough lights. Were they planted close together?

[ms]

They were not planted close together. As for light, they are planted at the rear, both extreme left and right side of the tank. However, the ones on the left is doing better than the right.

Is this plant critical to the orientation of the tank? Or do I need to stick some fertilizer into the gravel? I already have a 10-15mm layer of Sera fert. under the gravel.
I also dose abit of Tearra liquid fert. during the once a week water change of about 25% from the tank.

Can I replant the broken-off Egeria? The rest of the stem looks OK, just the bottom 1" or so looks slight yellow when it was broken off.

MS

[chua]

I think this type of plant requires a lot of light. If not the bottom will rot.
The position of plants also matter. There is usally less light at the extreme left and right back of the tank.

Don't think you need to add in any more stick fertilizer as your tank is new with rich substrate.

As for the replanting, it is a stem plant so you can cut and replant but i believe the same thing will happen again unless you solve the problem.

[wks]

Egeria is a hard water plant. That means it thrives well when you put in lots of coral chips or lime stones.

[Plantbrain]

You have trouble growing this weed?
No, really, it does do better in colder temps.
Hydrilla and Egeria najas are much better weeds for tropical temps.
E najas is pretty nice, looks a bit like the fine leafed Tonia except grows a few inches a day.

All these plants do well with CO2, but Egeria's and Hydrilla can pump protons(H+'s) out one side of the leaf to reduce the hard water HCO3(the KH) to CO2 and take that up.

This is called indirect bicarbonate usage, works only when the plants is in poor CO2 conditions. Otherwise the plant will use the CO2 and only use the bicarb when the CO2 is too low.

Try E najas

Regards,
Tom Barr