# H. zosterfolia advice



## EcleckticGirl (Jul 26, 2005)

I am having trouble with the H. zosterfolia in my 20 gallon. It's messy and it just isn't growing back well from the whole moving the tank deal after sitting on Matt's table w/out CO2 or light for 3 days. I did get some more stems from Matt to supplement what I had, but it's still rather a mess. Each time I trim it just seems to damage the leaves and look worse with all the blackened leaves too. My water change routine with a bucket doesn't do the foliage any favors either. 

Am I doing something wrong when I trim? or is it just that sensitive a plant? If it's going to be this picky I don't want to mess with it. I am tempted to either keep only the very tops that look nice or phase it out altogether and just keep the anacharis I have had in the tank while things grow in.


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

To me, it has alwasy been a picky plant. Very delicate. I resorted to replanting the tops rather than keep the raggedy bottoms. "Raggedy" is that a word?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Is the H. zosterifolia getting ahded at all. I noticed you have placed some floating plants in the tank. In my experience, if it gets shaded much at all, the leaves turn blackish grey and look horrible. 

I have had this plant be either a true "weed" or just languish along. Unstable CO2 levels seem to make it look the worst. I have grown it with good CO2 and without any CO2 in the past. The only time I get the nasty leaves is when I either let my CO2 levels drop off or let the NO3 get too low.

The stems I gave you weren't in top condition  It was severly shaded in my 30g if you remember and some of the plants were black and others were disintegrated already! The ones I gave you may have already been on their last leg when you got them, but hey, the price was right  I think they will pull through as long as they get enough light and nutients.


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## EcleckticGirl (Jul 26, 2005)

Pretty much the only thing shading it is itself. I do have a few things floating, but not much. I also keep the anacharis trimmed back so that it doesn't shade stuff and so I won't have a problem phasing it out later. It looks nice and bushy really. I am learning a lot from trimming it to get good branching growth.

I think I will go with Art's suggestion and just keep the nice tops since the gray and black bottoms are looking so poor. I will keep my fingers crossed on the algae outbreak and maybe change out the CO2 early to give everything a boost there.


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## EcleckticGirl (Jul 26, 2005)

OK, the trimming is done and it looks loads better without all the raggedy gray foliage showing.  It would take someone with more patience than I have right now  to pick out all the plantlets from the mess of raggediness (now _that _I am pretty sure is not a word) and put them in groups for the plant weights. Too bad there's not a GCAS meeting this month or I could get HAP points.


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