# Blyxa Japonica and soft/acidic water



## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Curious if anyone knows if this plant has any adversion to very soft acidic water. I have a ph of around 6 to 6.4 and a kh of 2. I've had this plant for over a year now and it doesn't die, but it doesn't really spread either. I have very high co2, ei and eco complete. Is anyone growing it in conditions similiar to those mentioned above?


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## imatrout (May 12, 2005)

Very similar to my conditions except my ph is 6.6 and KH of 4. Mine grows like a weed.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

Mine does the same as imatrout.....but when I had it with eco-complete it barely stayed alive and looked like crap doing it.


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

I am growing it in my 29 gallon with Flourite subtrate and my 10 gallon with ADA Aquasoil with PH in both tanks about 6.4 and KH in my 29 gallon at 80 ppms (I buffered with baking soda). KH in my 10 gallon if very low, somewhere around 2 ppms, I have not checked it in a while. This plant is doing fantastic in both my tanks.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Thanks for the feedback, interesting about the eco. Imatrout is this your 150G with the Eco. BTW - I've also tried putting in some root tabs and I've seen nothing. I know people that grow it in inert substrate so I can't imagine it's the eco.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I think there was something negative in the Eco that made it die off cause previous to that it was growing beautifully in inert sand and seachem root tabs. 

Now it's in AS and it's a whole new plant!


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

eklikewhoa said:


> I think there was something negative in the Eco that made it die off cause previous to that it was growing beautifully in inert sand and seachem root tabs.
> 
> Now it's in AS and it's a whole new plant!


That's why I want to find out if IMAT is growing in Eco, I'm pretty sure he is.


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## riverrat (Sep 6, 2005)

My kh is 4 and I have it planted in eco-complete. Grows like a weed for me.



river


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## Marauder (Apr 17, 2006)

Interesting...

My B. Japonica is neither living or dying. Right now I wish it would do either.

My Kh=14 and Gh=11. In my 75g I have Flourite, pressurized C02, and have nearly 3wpg (110CF and 3x36NOF). My ph=7 (tap ph= 8 )so I have lots of C02.

So it must be my Kh and GH that's holding back my B. Japonica?


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Blyxa japonica is a funny plant. I know some very good plant people who can't grow it at all. Other times it grows so quickly that it's a pain. I have it in two tanks. One is GH 5, KH 3, pH 6.0 in eco-complete, the other is GH 15, KH 8, in SMS. It grows well in both.

I think it sometimes suffers from lack of light in many tanks. It's pretty close to the substrate and pretty far from the lights after all.


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## aquasox (Sep 11, 2005)

I'm growing it in identical conditions (Ecocomplete and same parameters), but it is in a 10 gallon....its growing like crazy. It's only at 2.8 Wpg PC...of course tank is quite shallow.

I think it may be a light issue as guiac boy eluded to.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

I have found that when my nitrates get low, my japonica doesn't do well, otherwise, it does well. FWIW, I have hard water.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Thanks for all the response. I think I like this comment the best, since it doesn't make me sound inept.



guaiac_boy said:


> Blyxa japonica is a funny plant. I know some very good plant people who can't grow it at all. Other times it grows so quickly that it's a pain. I have it in two tanks. One is GH 5, KH 3, pH 6.0 in eco-complete, the other is GH 15, KH 8, in SMS. It grows well in both.
> 
> I think it sometimes suffers from lack of light in many tanks. It's pretty close to the substrate and pretty far from the lights after all.


BTW I didn't say this in the beginning of the thread but my light is 260w over 72g or 3.6wpg so it's not my light and it's not the eco, but as most things in life it's not black or white, but some shade of gray that is not easily distinguishable. Maybe I'll try pushing my nitrates up based on Bert's comments about.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I agree with guaiac_boy. I always found light to be the biggest key. In nature it grows in very shallow water. It flowers only when the leaves are at the waer surface. A plant like that needs a lot of light to grow in deeper water.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Robert Hudson said:


> I agree with guaiac_boy. I always found light to be the biggest key. In nature it grows in very shallow water. It flowers only when the leaves are at the waer surface. A plant like that needs a lot of light to grow in deeper water.


Robert,
Just confirm are you saying you don't think my 260watt over 72g is enough or did you not see my post above yours?


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## Leonard (Mar 4, 2007)

I also have Blyxa japonica, in 0.8-1.2mm black sand. KH: 4 pH: 6 (with CO2) For me, it doesn't grow well. I have a 160l, 40cm high, 4*30watt t8 lightning tubes, not bad PUR on them. I use PMDD and TMG and pressured CO2, it doesn't grow much, but a little. I also confirm guaiac_boy! Other people, who don't live far away from me (about the same water valvues), make it grow as h*ll  Really a funny plant!
Mine also get N shortage easy, pink-red tops.


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## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

houseofcards I personally think that is more than enough light for this plant, I have some in a 75, with the same amount of light and it grows fine. However as was mentioned earlier if macors are allowed to run lean, espically N growth slows considerably. IME this plant grows massive root systems and is a heavy feeder, its one of the plants that doesnt thrive for me unless conditions are on the "rich" side.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

MrSanders said:


> houseofcards I personally think that is more than enough light for this plant, I have some in a 75, with the same amount of light and it grows fine. However as was mentioned earlier if macors are allowed to run lean, espically N growth slows considerably. IME this plant grows massive roots systems and is a heavy feeder, its one of the plants that doesnt thrive for me unless conditions are on the "rich" side.


Thanks for that info MrSanders. I've placed seachem root tabs under some of the Blyxa and I've upped my macro ferts to see if I could get it going. Leads me to another question. Anyone ever study how long it takes for a plant to show the effects of a change. For example upping no3, if the plant was deficient when can you physically see the change in the plant (i.e. day, few days, week, 2 weeks)


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

You have plenty of lighting there. Mine are growing in a 10 gal with 36W and in a 50gal with 110W, growth rate is about the same in both.


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## Leonard (Mar 4, 2007)

They have quite heavy roots, might it help to put som fertiliz "pill" under the plant, in the substrate? like houseofcards.


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## oblongshrimp (Aug 8, 2006)

i have grown it in eco with both RO water and hard arizona water and in both cases it grows quite quickly.


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## imatrout (May 12, 2005)

houseofcards said:


> That's why I want to find out if IMAT is growing in Eco, I'm pretty sure he is.


My grows like a weed in ecocomplete. I mean I can sell of 40-50 stems per month of lush growth (150 gal tank). I have noticed that it grows best if lighting is not over-powering. I have a 4X96 light on the 150 gal.; plenty of light, but not overpowering. Also, it seems to love potassium and lots of CO2.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

imatrout said:


> My grows like a weed in ecocomplete. I mean I can sell of 40-50 stems per month of lush growth (150 gal tank). I have noticed that it grows best if lighting is not over-powering. I have a 4X96 light on the 150 gal.; plenty of light, but not overpowering. Also, it seems to love potassium and lots of CO2.


Thanks for the clarification. I had 2x92 light on my 72 and it didnt grow, moving up to 4x65 didn't make any change. My co2 is really high, as others have said it's a funny plant. One thing I haven't really dosed is extra K. I pretty much rely on what's in no3 and po4 and the eco.


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## sfcallen (Dec 29, 2006)

I am growing it in SMS, 330 watts of pc lighting, in a standard footprint 75gal. 3 KH, 7 GH, CO2, greg watson macros(N and K) P from fleet, CSM-B, some flourish and a little bit of excel. It grows really nice and compact with some nice coloration.


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