# "Hi-tech" plants in the low-tech aquarium



## BiscayneBoulevard (Nov 18, 2006)

At the lfs today I bought two unlabelled plants... when I got home I was able to identify them as pogostemon stellata and rotala wallichi - from what I've read online, they need strong lighting (something like 3 watts per gallon) and co2 to do well. At the moment they are in a 6 gallon el natural hex tank, and I have a small 20w halogen lamp lighting the tank. Is this too much light for el natural tanks? Will I have to dose with fertilisers, and if so, will this mess with the soil underlayer? This tank is for my betta Heironymus, so there won't be a particularly high fish load. I could add a few cories if that is a problem - I'd like to try and do it el natural. Also, does anyone have experience with these supposedly difficult plants?

One piece of my rotala wallichi appears to be pearling...


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

I dont have experience with those plants....

But I will say that quite often High tech plants will do just fine.... maybe showing a different growth form.

Good luck 
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

I'll back up what Onemyndseye said. I have several "high light, difficult plants" growing nicely in El natural tanks. They tend to show different growth characteristics with the different conditions.


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## sb483 (May 29, 2006)

BiscayneBoulevard said:


> pogostemon stellata and rotala wallichi - does anyone have experience with these supposedly difficult plants?


Rotala wallichi is doing fine in my 55-gallon el-natural tank, with only a heater and filter (no filter media) to keep the water moving.
Here it is in the center and to the right:









When the sunlight hits the tank in the morning, rotala wallichi pearls a bit.


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Yep, I'll chime in and say the same. I've had Rotala macranda 'green' going too - its listed as "Moderate" on PlantFinder. Its fine. I also have Glosso going in my rather strongly lit 15 gal. 

You may find more demanding plants get a bit leggy, or the lower part of the stems lose their leaves more easily, but I'd say don't hesitate to try some of the more "high tech" plants - they can and will grow in an El Natural setup. Recently, I put some Mayaca fluvial...(sp?) into a tank, and pushed tiny bits of an iron-rich root tab into the area of their roots. Typically, I think even well fed Mayaca looks chlorotic normally, and have not been a fan of it. But, this is actually looking pretty good - I think the supplementation really helps it! For the first time for me, its growing nicely, and my opinion of it is changing. I think it looks a bit stouter, though, than when I first put it in. I know it came from a fellow hobbyist who uses high light, plentiful CO2 and ferts. Its not as feathery as when it first went in, but I like this slightly less waifish look, LOL!

For just about any plant, I'd say try it, if you like the plant. I've got several plants that are typically thought of as more high tech. It really is surprising what can be grown El Natural!
-Jane


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## Lawrence Lee (Jul 17, 2004)

How about Eriocaulons. Has anyone attempted this expensive plant in an NPT with success?


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Well,

I've killed both Tonina sp. 'Belem', and Tonina sp. 'Manaus' a few months ago. The T. 'Belem' seemed to actually grow for a little while, then dwindled away. It was in my 15g with 65w Coralife fixture. Its the most strongly lit tank I have, as its shallow, and I've got a decent amounts of watts for the size. Also, that's my Endler's tank, so I keep the pH around 7 (the other tanks are usually about 6.8-ish) and add a little CaCO3 to keep a bit more hardness than the others, too. I knew the parameters were not in the "recommended" range for the Toninas, but I thought I might give it a shot, as at the time, I even had Cabomba furcata doing well in that tank (its since also dwindled to nothing - I probably need to put in a fresh CF bulb, too). The T. 'Manaus' melted remarkably fast, but I'd thought the T. 'Belem' might have a chance. I guess it just took longer to croak. But, I got them knowing it was a long shot, so I wasn't too disappointed. The Belem HAD put out a bit of root growth (when I pulled the stump out) but probably was not photosynthesizing fast enough to meet its needs. 

Using PlantFinder as a guide, I'd say NPT can often grow the plants rated "Moderate" in difficulty, and sometimes have success with the "Difficult" plants. But, alas, those rated "Very Difficult" are simply too demanding to sustain in an NPT setup. Heck, those are tough for even a high tech setup, so I'm not surprised.

But, really, some of the "Moderate" ones on PlantFinder are listed as "Difficult" elsewhere. Plus, I'm a kind of I-like-to-see-for-myself person, so I'll give most anything a try.
-Jane


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