Growing Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC)

[hencpu]

Hi, light requirement for different plants are different.
Peanut is stating a general fact that applies to quite a range of carpet plants.

Talk about light required.... your not the only one don't worry, here's ,here's ,my Glosso HC test tank. There's abit of nutrient deficiency too.
Sorry about the reflection, their out in the sun for the whole day.

Ic, your Glosso grow nicely. So they are much easier than HC?

[hencpu]

Just sharing some pictures about planting deeply and strand by strand.

Initially saw the Tropica video, cut 1cm by 1cm, trim off the roots and push it into the soil.



Looks nice and neat initially...two days later become like that... having yamatos in the tank didn't help at all... they will dig up the lightly planted HC.



Learn from shifu and a bro here to plant deeply... and strand by strand... pull out all the HC and redid again. Random and backbreaking initially.



2 months later... well rewarded.

Ah, thanks bro for the detailed explanation & damn nice HC you got there. Yeah, I think one of my mistakes is not planting them strand by strand. When planting, I usually push the clump (about 1cm by 1cm) very deeply until only very little leaves exposed. But once they started to grow, the whole clump will be ejected slowly due to buoyancy & the runners can't anchor themselves back into the soil. Yeah, the shrimps are digging them as well.

[hencpu]

That was a chilled setup, think specs will help him.
Did notice hc more mostly do well only in co2 enriched high light tanks (t5ho 4 tube tanks) almost never seen a lawn with low tech.

I thought Shadow mentioned HC also can do well in higher temperature?

[hencpu]

I didn't know your tank was 7G. In that case you can't add in more lights as what you said was right it will invite algae. Now I think the problem would be your temperature and PH. And why is your GH so high?

Given your tank spec..
Lighting: 36W T5HO 6500K over 40x28x25cm tank
Photoperiod: 6 hours
CO2: 2bps
Fert: ADA Step 1 & Brighty K every day
Temp: 28-29c
PH: 7.2
GH: 10

I put some coral chips in my filter initially & some rocks also contributes to the increase in GH. It used to be about 14-15, but I have already removed all the coral chips & slowly reduced the GH to about 5-6.

[Shadow]

Sure, I grow HC many time in 2ft tank without chiller, plenty of CO2 and plenty of NPK. I wondering if my success due to water parameter, my kH is prety much zero, pH is around 6.2-6.4, gH not a clue never measure and temperature typically 28-29C cold day maybe around 26-27C.

Below is one of my latest scape with foreground HC.

[felix_fx2]

Thanks for explaining bro. But what does it help to mix glosso with HC? Won't they grow out to be same during photography moment?

Testing tank... every time glosso out compete HC..

Ic, your Glosso grow nicely. So they are much easier than HC?

Glosso quite easy as it is not a Co2 demanding can grow well without Co2.
HC is very co2 demanding plant.

The above assumes the light is strong enough.

I thought Shadow mentioned HC also can do well in higher temperature?

I am using fan also, i am no rich guy just another low earner.

[hencpu]

Allright, thanks for the feedback & advice, guys. Guess I'll start by replanting strand by strand according to zonkkie's advice. Then I'll monitor the PH & GH, temperature wise, I can't do anything cause I'm not planning to use chiller or fan.

If failed again, guess I'll just switch to Glosso or Marimo carpet.

[felix_fx2]

marimo is algae !~!!! algae carpet~!!

Do glosso, we start tank same month

[Shadow]

.... temperature wise, I can't do anything cause I'm not planning to use chiller or fan.

Try at least fan lah

[felix_fx2]

Try at least fan lah

Now still can see 2.5.5-27.5deg with cool weather...

[Numbskull]

how much CO2/bps do you all blast???

[hencpu]

marimo is algae !~!!! algae carpet~!!

Do glosso, we start tank same month

Haha, maybe the clado Marimo will keep outcompete all the nutrients & keep other algae at bay. Ok maybe Glosso first.

[hencpu]

Try at least fan lah

I had the Mr Aqua Tornado before, but sold it soon after due to the hassle of water top up.

[ralliart12]

...Give it at least 2 weeks, you will know if it will succeed in your tank. Use drop checker to adjust the co2 levels. If requirements not met, they simply melt and its unsightly and hard to clear. Good luck.

May I know why it is necessary to clear the melted HC (in a submerged setup, if this aspect matters)?

Felix, what i meant was that if the plant is grown dry before putting it into the tank, it will still bubble but may not be because its doing well. I tried that before and after awhile it stopped bubbling and then melted...

Qn1a: may I confirm that regardless of how much CO2 one pumps into a flooded tank to assist HC that are grown using the dry-start method to transit into their submerged form, the HC will still melt around after the 1st couple of weeks to aid them into transforming into their submerged leaves-form-factor?

Qn1b: If this is happening, is there really a need to remove the melted HC?

I hope its a new soil because ADA step 1 only contain Fe and K...

May I know, assuming high light & Amazonia (the "new" model) soil & chilled water, along with CO2 is supplied, theorectically, can HC be grown with no further, additional "nutrients" supplement?

...There's abit of nutrient deficiency too...

May I know how you determine that there's nutrients deficiency (with regards to this photo)?

...But once they started to grow, the whole clump will be ejected slowly due to buoyancy...

The buoyancy is intense enough to "drag" the buried clump out of the soil?

[Shadow]

Qn1a: may I confirm that regardless of how much CO2 one pumps into a flooded tank to assist HC that are grown using the dry-start method to transit into their submerged form, the HC will still melt around after the 1st couple of weeks to aid them into transforming into their submerged leaves-form-factor?

Qn1b: If this is happening, is there really a need to remove the melted HC?

My experience with dry start, is whatever you do the emerge leaf will melt and the submerge leaf which are growing on top of them start to float because the root is to short to grab the soil. That is why I stop using dry start, not worth the waiting. This is my personal experience oither may have experience differently or have secret formula to prevent emerge plant from melting when submerge

May I know, assuming high light & Amazonia (the "new" model) soil & chilled water, along with CO2 is supplied, theorectically, can HC be grown with no further, additional "nutrients" supplement?

It will probably will grow fine for about a year before start showing nutrient deficiency.

[ralliart12]

My experience with dry start, is whatever you do the emerge leaf will melt and the submerge leaf which are growing on top of them start to float because the root is to short to grab the soil. That is why I stop using dry start, not worth the waiting. This is my personal experience oither may have experience differently or have secret formula to prevent emerge plant from melting when submerge ...

Oh dear, sounds like another round of heartbreak around the time I intend to flood my tank. I didn't realize the submerged leaves will grow directly at the top instead of "pushing up" from beneath the emersed leaves.

...It will probably will grow fine for about a year before start showing nutrient deficiency.

Good to know.

[Shadow]

Don't worry, you can still enjoy it for a month or two before start melting

[ralliart12]

Don't worry, you can still enjoy it for a month or two before start melting

Previously, when you used DSM, when the emerged leaves melted, what did you do?

[Shadow]

nothing, I can't do anything just see them float away bit by bit .

I did try trimming them with hope new branch grow fast enough and able to hold the soil but it does not work. Probably because I trim after I saw sign of rotting. Maybe it can work if I trim before any sign of rotting.

[felix_fx2]

My grown ones also have some floating up.
Trimming hc is a horror story to me