# Crooked Rotala 'Indica'?



## CSM84 (Sep 1, 2006)

I have a 75 with 4x65 PC lighting. I use flourite for substrate and have a pressurized co2 system. The CO2 levels haven't changed (according to my cheap co2 monitor) for a while (2-3 months). I dose KNO3 3 times a week (3\4 teaspoon) and KH2PO4 3 times a week (1\4 teaspoon). I dose chelated iron 2 times a week (1/16 teaspoon), and flourish comprehensive 3 times a week according to the instructions on the label. Most all the other plants look good, but the rotala 'Indica' is growing crooked. Instead of growing straight up toward the surface it is curling over and growing more horizontally. Is there something i should be dosing that i am not? how does that dosing schedule sound to you guys? The color on the rotala doesn't look as good as it once did either, it has lost most of its pink. I don't know what is going on  . Any advice would be appreciated.


----------



## dyckster (Nov 28, 2006)

Has your rotala always done this or is it a new development?

I received rotala indica from 2 separate sources about a month ago. One bunch came from a high light tank with C02 addition and the other came from a tank with no C02 and low light. The stuff I got from the low light tank is doing great while the other stuff is doing exactly what you describe. I chalked it up to one of them being 'indica' and the other 'rotundifolia'.


----------



## CSM84 (Sep 1, 2006)

I also believe that i have 2 types because they came from 2 sources and look slightly different. One has large leaves than the other. I recently upgraded my lighting from 2x65 PC to 4x65 PC. At first there was a burst of color from the rotala. They were nearly touching the surface so i trimmed and replanted the tops. I rearranged the tank slightly did a water change and now a week and a half later all the new growth is crooked. Also the color has faded away.


----------



## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I have some that bend over and others that grow straight out the water if it could. wonder why?


----------



## CSM84 (Sep 1, 2006)

so this isn't abnormal? I wonder why too.


----------



## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Many stem plants spread aggressively if given some open space and good lighting. This is normal behavior for _Rotala rotundifolia_.


----------



## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> . Instead of growing straight up toward the surface it is curling over and growing more horizontally


I believe this is normal behavior in a high light environment. A generalization from my observations is that the longer the plant stays rooted the more side shoots are seen. That is, if you up root the plant frequently when pruning there may be less of a tendency for side shoots. However, with high light more horizontal growth will be seen. This behavior is seen in other plants. E.g. glosso has a tendency to grow vertical in lower light environments and horizontal with more lights.

Sideshoots are not a problem just prune those that are undesirable and shape the plant to your desire.
Perhaps nutrient levels in the tank can affect this behavior but my observations have been that light is the dominant factor.

The plant coloration tends to have more pink color with more light. I have seen that this plant has alot of red coloration growing towards the top of the tank and will remain green if it receives partial shading from other plants.

Another factor that may result in more pink coloration is to limit the nitrates. This does not make the plant healthier just pinker. This can also be seen in other plants. E.g. Cabomba furcata will grow reddish in low nitrates but with higher nitrates the plant grows faster has thicker stems and is mostly green.

Note in this thread, http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquascaping/35463-35-gallon-hex.html, that the initial plant coloration is more pink and the plant has gradually began to grow more green. Initially the plant clipping were from a 75 gall with 350 Watts MH and were growing towards the surface. As the plant has grown in this tank it has developed a more green coloration.


----------



## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I think it's cause of the high light focing it to grow low, my stems aren't shootng lateral shoots but actually bending over. 

Also the stems seem to be growing with the water current as well so that might be something to look at.


----------



## CSM84 (Sep 1, 2006)

I have this plant planted with 2-4 stems per bunch. Should i stick more like 6-8 together and have a more bush like bunch. this could maybe prevent the horizontal growth somewhat?


----------



## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> Should i stick more like 6-8 together and have a more bush like bunch.


If you grow and sculpt the plant more as a bush this should fix the problem. Planting more stems in closer proximity should help to form a bush.

This becomes more a question of how to aquascape and less about fertilization.

I would imagine the exact method to achieve a nice bush varies from person to person and from plant to plant. I have not read a really detailed article on how to create a bush. There are many photos in the aquascaping section of nice bushes but I do not recall a lot of detail being given on how they achieve their results. Perhaps patience and persistence are the main ingredients.

Amano provided some pruning advice in an article in TFH. My understanding of the article is as follows:
The first trimming should follow the outline of the driftwood or rocks that are used for composition. This should result in multiple shoots forming. In a week or two trim the plants again about an inch higher. 
The idea is increase the number of terminal buds.

As this is posted in the fertilizer section, in this article he indicates that he adds plant hormone (by adding an ADA supplement) to increase the number of terminal buds. He did not indicate which plant hormone, nor have I read of anyone using a specific plant hormone to achieve this result. This is more of an aside, as I would not run out and purchase plant hormone to correct this issue.

So, I suggest you try different methods and find one that works for you.


----------

