hemianthus Callitrichoides 'Cuba' isn't growing too well. Need Help!D

[xNiNELiVES]

Setup:
Tank size: 38 Gallon
Substrates: ADA Powersand special M, ADA amazonia
Heater: Hydor inline 200w heater. Temp of tank at 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Co2 System: Aquatek premium regulator with solenoid. 5lb pressurized co2 @ 2-3 bps. Using a Green leaf aquarium inline co2 diffuser. Seems to be working great, have a massive amount of mist.
Lighting: Odyssea Quad T5 HO fixture. Using two Giessman Midddays and two Giessman aquafloras. 156W total.
Lights are on for 9 hours a day.
Dosing with flourish potassium, iron, and nitrogen. Every 2 days each at prescribed beginner level.

Problem:
Not getting any growth, many bits of the cuba are looking brown and yellow.
[WILL PUT PICTURES UP ASAP. Aquarium light hasn't turned on yet.]

Solutions?

I was thinking of dosing my nitrogen because of the amount of plants I have in my tank. Last time I checked for nitrates I had 5ppm, but that was after a 40% water change...

Would this be the solution or what do you guys have to offer?

Thanks

[xNiNELiVES]

Bumped up the CO2 and added phosphorus... Apparently with the amount of light I have CO2 must my increased to compensate. At least this is what I've heard from my LFS.

Again though if any one has any other advice, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[zonkkie]

How long have you planted them? its usual for leaves to turn yellow initially or die off due to the change in emersed form to submersed.

[xNiNELiVES]

How long have you planted them? its usual for leaves to turn yellow initially or die off due to the change in emersed form to submersed.

Its been a month now.

[milk_vanilla]

Some close up photos might help members to give idea


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xNiNELiVES]

How does one edit their posts? As for now the image is here:
IMAG0193.jpg
IMAG0194.jpg

[Urban Aquaria]

I could be mistaken... but judging from the size of the leaves and stalk length, those look more like Hemianthus Micranthemoides (HM) or Micranthemum Micranthemoides (MM). I have them in my tanks too and those resemble the emersed form with roundish leaves, then they will usually melt abit and transition to submersed leaves which are narrower and start growing upwards.

From my experience, HC usually has super tiny leaves and all bunched together very tightly in clumps, the individual stems don't grow vertically like those in your photos either, they creep along the substrate and anchor roots along the way.

Just curious, did you get those plants from a LFS or from a hobbyist?

[xNiNELiVES]

I bought it from my LFS in the bay area: Albany aquarium. It was supposed to be HC and after googling HM, I have so far stinguished that I believe I have HC. They are very similar plants but from what I've seen the HM have thinner leaves.

[thebaldingaquarist]

hi,

Whats your filtration/circulation like? And the height of the tank and age of the bulbs?

From what you have written, i am guessing circulation and probably not receiving enough lights.

[xNiNELiVES]

I have a pump that circulates the water real well. I have a Eheim 250 for my filter. I see CO2 flying over the Cuba. I have the co2 at 6BPS now and I think it's fixed the problem.

[thebaldingaquarist]

I have a pump that circulates the water real well. I have a Eheim 250 for my filter. I see CO2 flying over the Cuba. I have the co2 at 6BPS now and I think it's fixed the problem.

That's good to hear!

[Urban Aquaria]

I bought it from my LFS in the bay area: Albany aquarium. It was supposed to be HC and after googling HM, I have so far stinguished that I believe I have HC. They are very similar plants but from what I've seen the HM have thinner leaves.

Yeah, HM and HC look very similar with small rounded leaves when sold at most LFS as they are usually still in emersed form (sometimes the staff who label them get abit mixed up too)... its only after they are planted in a tank for a while then the noticeable differences start to appear, HC stays closely packed with very tiny round leaves while HM will eventually grow taller with narrow submerged form leaves in its new growth.

Quite often HM is found mixed in with HC too, here is an example with both of them together in one of my previous tanks:





If you notice the 2 different types of plants mixed together... the low growing ones with tiny closely packed rounded leaves are HC, while the ones which grow taller with larger and more widely spaced oval leaves are HM (both looked the same with small round leaves when i first planted them). Just for scale comparison, the substrate i use in this tank is ADA Amazonia "powder" type, which are only around 1mm in diameter.

I guess you'll just have to monitor the ones in your tank and see how it grows out to know for sure.

[xNiNELiVES]

That I could conceive to be true... I probably do have a mix.