Replacing Glosso with HC

[soulfinder78]

Any bro done this before? what is the easiest method?

thinking of cutting off all the leaves of the glosso and plant HC instead

[torque6]

No easy way since from your avatar can see your glosso already well grown.

[fugu_88]

How about up roots them? Is this possible?

[Panut]

Uprooting them may be easier. especially if.. they are all connected by runners.. One pull and hey presto.

[soulfinder78]

Thank you for your suggestions.

But if i uproot them won't it dirty the water by those particles, will it cause a spike of nutrients and algae?

[Verminator]

I regularly uproot/stir up my gravel/plants and i've never had any problems with my water. The only thing i will say is algae growth does occur slightly, but given water changes, treatment and fish that eat it as part of their diet it makes it perfectly plausable to pull it all out of your tank.

HC for glosso is definately a good move. HC grown well and given time can look simply breathtaking!

[soulfinder78]

i see...thanks for the inforamation.

Lastly i will like to know if HC needs cooler water compare to glosso?

[Verminator]

HC thrives best i found in a temp of around 26oC. I can survive in a wide range of temps from 22oC to 28/29oC. Optimum growing is at 26oC though. It may melt in its first month or two, hopefully this should stop and new submersed leaves should replace the existing ones. I hastily threw mine out after a month due to me 'thinking' it had died, but actually it turns out it was replenishing itself. So have patience with it and you'll be greatly rewarded!

[newtank]

To all who has tried HC before, how exactly do you plant them? I just could not get the substrate to hold them down, so end up tying it to a mire mesh......do not know if it will work

[Panut]

take them one by one and bury the whole stalk into the soil, just leaving the top most leaf exposed.

[newtank]

take them one by one and bury the whole stalk into the soil, just leaving the top most leaf exposed.

I have tried this, the stem is so tiny (if there is any) and the roots are so fragile

[Verminator]

If you substrate is fine enough you can separate every small pot you buy into 3-4 small plantlents, you can then get planting tweezers and bury them sufficiently in soil. You'll struggle to get them to stay, it drives me insane because i too struggle to keep them secured down.

I got a small, but substantially heavey enough stone and placed it in the middle of the plant, in between the leaves. Then placed this in the soil, clustering the substrate up tight to the sides of it. After 2-3 weeks it took hold and i just left the stone in it, the HC if it thrives will soon cover it.

[Panut]

Then substrate plays an important role, because when i tried HC i was using dennerle quartz, and i never had to re-plant them. they never floated

[plant talk]

I just got a piece of HC from C328,the base is a sheet of cotton wool.I tied the whole thing into a aluminium plate.Will it work? Or I need to patiently plant them into the gravel?

[fugu_88]

Think shoud be ok, if u press it into the soil.... But you only have that portion to spread. Or make into few pieces, then place them all over....

[plant talk]

Think shoud be ok, if u press it into the soil.... But you only have that portion to spread. Or make into few pieces, then place them all over....

Does HC need base fertilizer?Or just dose liquid fertilizer will thrive?

[Verminator]

Dosing liquid fertilizer should be sufficient. Adding base ferts to it could be really hard due to the roots being so small and making it float is a real possiblity.

Separating each pot into smaller plantelts will increase your stock quicker, as more can spread. This way you get the best out of your plants. The cotton wool (rockwool) can be removed carefully and the roots planted, although planting with the rockwool on is fine, certainly less hassel!