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Thread: Requirement for Lotus

  1. #1
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    Requirement for Lotus

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    I have one red and one green tiger lotus and they don't seem to grow well or they just die off after some time.
    Tank : 3ft x 1.5 x 1.5
    Lights : 2x39W T5
    Substrate : Seachem Flourite (no base fert)
    Fert Regime : 4.4ppm NO3, 0.5ppm PO4, 1ml Seachem Flourish (once a week)
    CO2 : Nil
    Kh : 4dkh

    When i dose Excel, it doesn't die off but will grow more new leaves which doesn't grow big and doesn't grow up to the surface. Even when i increase the lights to 3x39W T5 also don't seem to work. I feel so frustrated now....


    What are the requirements for growing healthy lotus?
    Admiring my Fishes calm the Beast within me

  2. #2
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    a fertile base seems to work wonders for lotus. perhaps you could try inserting good root tabs to see if it helps? i'm having the opposite problem from you at the moment. if it's not constantly cut, the lotus threatens to overrun my tank

  3. #3
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    1. Leave them be
    2. Patience
    3. Good overall parameters (as in good enough for average aquatic plants)
    4. Substrate nutrient. Lots of it.

    Seems you are lacking number 4. Try adding quality, growth-boosting substrate supplement such as wonder-gro tablets, ferka capsules or Tropica pills.
    To grow to large size and form aerial leaves, you will need some time. First it has to be healthy and growing. Then it will learn its way to surface when given the chance to. Once it knows the surface, it will prefer that condition and next you will face too many aerial leaves blocking the light.

    Watch this lotus. It used to stay like this for months.


    And after the substrate supplement play the trick. Just WHAM.


  4. #4
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    Yap, I second that, good substrate is paramount. The tiger lotus leaves in my low tech tank are bright red, palm size, and grow like nobody business, in fact too big and dominant for other plants

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    My friend recommended some grey colour ball fert which i bought for growing lotus at a nursery but after some time it just die off. He's low tech tank's lotus grow to become giants in his tank. Frustrated i bought ferka fert tabs and inserted one near the roots and they don't seem to do well either after about 1mth. Than i use seachem excel and after 1mth plus, at least they don't die off or show any sign of dying off.
    Later i inserted Wondergro root tabs, one tab near each plant and they still remain the same after 2mths.

    How many root tabs is needed for each plant? Is there a possibility that they don't like seachem flourite substrate since the substrate has sharp edges?

    BTW they are planted at the back of the tank with nothing obstructing them from the lights.
    Admiring my Fishes calm the Beast within me

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    If all sorts of substrate supplementation does not help (when they are actually proven to be highly beneficial), there has got to be something else wrong.

    I once have a problem doing such in a friend's tank. No matter how he try, it seems to die off. My guess is more like to water parameter related at his house.

    Maybe you can try another thing. Dont dose excel. Try CO2 instead (start with CO2 for a month or two). I do not know if they hate excel, but hopefully a fellow excel user on a good lotus will chime in.

    Onset time for reaction on lotus may be long, over 2 weeks or so. But once they are set, growth will be more than what you ask for.

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    Can you post a picture of your lotus?

    I deduce that you plant is growing after you put excel and base supplement when you said, " When i dose Excel, it doesn't die off but will grow more new leaves which doesn't grow big and doesn't grow up to the surface."

    Lotus needs time to settle down and grow. In my low tech tank, it is about 1 new leaf per ~1.5 week. The size of the new leaf will normally bigger than the previous one until it reaches the maximum size, about palm size? Occationally it will just dash to the surface to form aerial leaf which I normally cut it off before it has a chance to do so. Are you complaining about lacking of aerial leaf, which I think most would rather not having it

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    Quote Originally Posted by aquarius View Post
    Later i inserted Wondergro root tabs, one tab near each plant and they still remain the same after 2mths.

    How many root tabs is needed for each plant? .
    I'm using Seachem Flourite as substrate together with Wonder-Gro Root+. Based on my experience, Root+ produces best result when the tablet is broken into 4 pieces & inserted surrounding the plant. I use 1 tablet/plant/month. Mine is in a C02 injected tank.
    Cheers,
    U.K.Lau

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    Use wonder-gro root tabs or Root Monster. My personal fav is root monster for growing lotus. 1 root monster will feed the lotus to become the giant. I prefer to keep my wonder-gro root tabs for my crypts and eriocaulon.
    Alan
    A plant a day, keeps the doctor away
    http://mygreensenses.wordpress.com/

  10. #10
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    Sounds good enough for the lotus. My feeds off the base fertilisers without adding any additional nutrient.

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