downoi

**jerryC** · 4th Oct 2005, 13:37

Jian Yang,

I was having problem posting yesterday, it just reply with DNS error. So I repeated a few time or rather 8 times.

Poh San,

I didn't mean to be rude or sarcastic but you asked a silly question

**timebomb** · 4th Oct 2005, 20:32

Originally Posted by jerryC

Poh San,

I didn't mean to be rude or sarcastic but you asked a silly question

I don't think Poh San asked a silly question, Jerry. In fact, I was just as curious myself about whether your Downoi is genuinely Tropica. This is because the Downoi still sells for high prices over here so it's natural for us to suspect that anything cheaper couldn't possibly be from Tropica.

In any case, I found out recently that Karin Leow of Far East Aquatics sells the Downoi from Tropica for something like Sing $35 a pot. I have never seen the pots myself but I've heard each pot contains up to 10 stalks. It's a good deal, if you ask me.

Loh K L

**Marco Aukes** · 4th Oct 2005, 20:40

Originally Posted by timebomb

In any case, I found out recently that Karin Leow of Far East Aquatics sells the Downoi from Tropica for something like Sing $35 a pot. I have never seen the pots myself but I've heard each pot contains up to 10 stalks. It's a good deal, if you ask me.

Loh K L

That is a great deal!!! I can't wait untill Tropice will start selling these in europe. Untill then I will have to pay that price per stem because off all the import duties etc.....

**ruyle** · 5th Oct 2005, 08:57

Hi folks,
Since this is a "Downoi thread" I thought I'd piggyback on it and show
the downoi KL sent me. These pics are from a friend I gave some stalks
to, some time ago. He says he went through a slump with this plant, but
he believes he has the problem solved:

I hope to get a couple starts a little later from him, so KL, they didn't go to waste after all

Bill

**jerryC** · 5th Oct 2005, 14:29

I don't think Poh San asked a silly question, Jerry. In fact, I was just as curious myself about whether your Downoi is genuinely Tropica. This is because the Downoi still sells for high prices over here so it's natural for us to suspect that anything cheaper couldn't possibly be from Tropica.

In any case, I found out recently that Karin Leow of Far East Aquatics sells the Downoi from Tropica for something like Sing $35 a pot. I have never seen the pots myself but I've heard each pot contains up to 10 stalks. It's a good deal, if you ask me.

Loh K L

I withdraw my statement of silly question, my bad. In most cases I found out that Tropica's plants are rather Economical in volume that works out to be cheaper. Not only Downoi but other plants as well (those rare ones as well).

Tropica will list the availability of Downoi in their new catalog.

**Green Baron** · 5th Oct 2005, 16:10

Jerry,
$35 for 10 stalks quite reasonable. How long is each stalk ? Do you have a photo of it ?

I was at Teo's farm last week and I saw them growing lots of Downoi emersed. Those Downoi are really BIG, the diameter is ~ 6cm (1.5")

I didn't ask the price as I was looking for other plants.

**Stephan K.** · 5th Oct 2005, 17:02

Hi,

Downoi is sold in Europe (Austria) by Tropica at about EURO 7,-.
Ordering number is 053H. The plant is not in their list, but it is possible to order it.

Stephan

**timebomb** · 5th Oct 2005, 20:21

Originally Posted by ruyle

I hope to get a couple starts a little later from him, so KL, they didn't go to waste after all

Well, I'm glad your friend managed to get the Downoi's going, Bill. But to tell the truth, I think those in the pictures are rather skinny

As far as I've seen, no one grows the Downoi better than Karin Leow. She has a few stalks in her display tank and they look really healthy. The leaves are thick and the whole plant is short and sticks close to the substrate. The colour of the plant is very beautiful too. Hers looks like those grown in emersed conditions down in Teo's farm. I'll see if I can get pictures one of these days.

Loh K L

**Marco Aukes** · 5th Oct 2005, 20:42

Originally Posted by Stephan K.

Hi,

Downoi is sold in Europe (Austria) by Tropica at about EURO 7,-.
Ordering number is 053H. The plant is not in their list, but it is possible to order it.

Stephan

Thanks Stephan!!!

That ordering number helped to find that it coukd be ordered with a dutch Tropica dealer to. A bit more expensive (9,75), but I think the plant is worth it.

Thanks again!

P.S.: Do you have the full orderingnumberlist from tropica?

**jerryC** · 5th Oct 2005, 21:13

As far as I've seen, no one grows the Downoi better than Karin Leow. She has a few stalks in her display tank and they look really healthy. The leaves are thick and the whole plant is short and sticks close to the substrate. The colour of the plant is very beautiful too. Hers looks like those grown in emersed conditions down in Teo's farm. I'll see if I can get pictures one of these days.
Loh K L

Loh,

Does downoi require lot of fert?

**Marco Aukes** · 5th Oct 2005, 21:57

Originally Posted by jerryC

Loh,

Does downoi require lot of fert?

Yes, and mostly on their roots.

**jerryC** · 6th Oct 2005, 14:00

Originally Posted by Marco Aukes

Originally Posted by jerryC

Loh,

Does downoi require lot of fert?

Yes, and mostly on their roots.

Will solid iron tab help by placing 1" away from the plants? or it is too rich?

**Luciano** · 6th Oct 2005, 17:23

Sorry,
My English is very bad

My Pogostemun Helferi (downoi) after 5 monts....

gH= 8....15, kh= 6....13, pH 6.8<<>>7.2, Po4= 0,4 ppm, No3= 8.....15ppm, Fe3= 0,2..0,4.

tables= JBL....

Link for vision: http://www.acquariforum.com/forum/sh...hlight=helferi

Best regard.

Luciano

**timebomb** · 6th Oct 2005, 17:56

Welcome to the forum, Luciano,

Don't worry about your English. We understand you well enough. I don't know what's being said on your forum though. Is the language Spanish or what?

I went to Teo's farm today and took some pictures of his Downoi's. Teo started off with just one stalk but now he has lots of them. He used to grow them in one of his display tanks but now he grows them in emersed conditions. Here are the pics:

But as I've said earlier, no one grows them better than Karin Leow. Karin's Downoi's are from Tropica which as far as I know, tissue cultures the plant in their laboratory. Here are the pics taken of Karin's display tank at Far East Aquatics.

Karin uses Dennerle soil and Dennerle deponit mix as the base fertiliser. I kind of suspect that's the reason her Downoi's are so lovely.

Loh K L

**Luciano** · 6th Oct 2005, 18:45

Loh K L
Thanks for the welcome to the forum.
Use translation an Internet system Italian-English.

I have begun with little steles taken to the ZOO-MARK of Bologna from Oliwer Knott in May 2005 to stend the Tropica.

Today is still much difficult one to find it in sale on the Italian market.

The substrate of the bathtub where it grows is of earth allofona of the ELOS, fertilized with spheres JBL. The Downoi, is always grown very well and in perfect shape... also to 30 centigrade degrees.

The photos inserted from you are truly beautiful, thanks!!!

Luciano

**Marco Aukes** · 6th Oct 2005, 19:09

Originally Posted by Luciano

Today is still much difficult one to find it in sale on the Italian market.

Just go to the Tropica site, find the Italian Tropica dealer(s) en ask them to order for you. That worked fine for me here, thansk to Stephans ordering code.

P.S. Loh: you're hurting me with those pics!!!

**Robert** · 7th Oct 2005, 08:06

Hi Mr. Loh,
these pictures are amazing. I guess the reason for these short internodia are intensive light. I tried to keep them under different conditions and light seems to be the main factor. They don't need much light but the more light they get, the shorter the internodia are. BTW, my growth problems are gone. At first my downoi grew pretty slowly out of these 3 bare stalks which I got from you. But now I keep about 20 of them and also send the first ones to friends in Brazil and Finland.

regards
Robert

**timebomb** · 7th Oct 2005, 17:57

Glad you like the pictures, fellas. It's a pleasure to show them to you.

Robert,

It can't be due to the lighting. I didn't take the photographs but Bioplast, a local fish shop uses very high lighting in their display tanks and their Downoi's are leggy and tall. You wouldn't believe how tall they grow. They looked like stem plants, more than a foot in height.

I'll try and drop by over at Bioplast one of these days. It's been a long time since I last went there. But they're just walking distance from my house. Just across the main street, in fact.

Loh K L

FC · 7th Oct 2005, 18:07

KL,

I was at Biotope few days ago, the 2 large front display tanks (6 footer?) with MH lightings and chiller do not have Downoi anymore.

(Biotope is a nice, planted tank dedicated shop but the shop just sells too little products. They always promise me to bring more but never did. Please encourag him a little when you meet him.)

**timebomb** · 7th Oct 2005, 18:23

Shucks, I should have taken the pictures when they had the tall Downoi's.
Only at Bioplast, do they grow that way.

I'll see what I can do, Freddy. But Bioplast has their own business strategies, which I must say, have proven to be quite successful in these trying times. They don't sell much equipment but they market their own brand- Bioplast, the name they are commonly known by. It's a good strategy to market a brand that nobody else sells. At least, you don't have to compete with pricing. If you're the only one who sells a particular brand of products, no customer can complain that someone else is selling it cheaper.

As for aquatic plants, Bioplast has a good strategy too. Mostly, they grow their own. They stick to exotic plants which sell for high prices. I was quite shocked when I brought some Thai friends there about a year ago and they bought some stem plants at Sing $10 a stalk!! I was flabbergasted by the high prices so I demanded that they gave me a stalk for free

And you know what, they did

Loh K L

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