# Blyxa japonica



## disvegas (Oct 10, 2008)

New to the planted world. I would like to know whether the Blyxa Japonica has to have both co2 injection and medium light or not? Would med light alone do the trick along with good substrate?


Collin,


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

I haven't tried it as you ask, but I've grown it in medium light without CO2 but with the addition of Excel.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You will need at least medium light to grow it well. It's more important to add fertilizer to the water column then to have a good substrate. So medium light, with added ferts & carbon source will work well.


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## disvegas (Oct 10, 2008)

Thanks for the advice. I plan to collect some for my shrimp tank and chemical fert is not good for the invertebrates. So my next question is: no fert, no co2 but have med light and rich substrate (soil based diy) would do?


Collin,


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You will get different opinions on this, but ferts in small amounts will not hurt shrimp. Especially the hardier species. The thing you need to watch out for is copper, which can also be found in foods that are feed. 

Plants get nutrients from the water column, with the exception of swords/crypts which obtain a majority of their nutrients from the substrate. So Blyxa will need the addition of liquid ferts added to the water. If you go with low light/low tech tank, then very little will need to be used.


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## The old man (Apr 12, 2008)

I am growing Blyxa Japonica in a fairly high light tank using a good substat and using the seachem line of ferts and excel.
It does seem to be doing fine although it seems slow growing and no additional plants have shown up yet. (about a month). Color is good and seems healthy.
I also use the line of ferts in a small lowlight tank with a few shrimp and they doing well. Planning on adding pressurized co2 later this month. Wil see if the Blyxa grows faster.


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## disvegas (Oct 10, 2008)

trenac said:


> You will get different opinions on this, but ferts in small amounts will not hurt shrimp. Especially the hardier species. The thing you need to watch out for is copper, which can also be found in foods that are feed.
> 
> Plants get nutrients from the water column, with the exception of swords/crypts which obtain a majority of their nutrients from the substrate. So Blyxa will need the addition of liquid ferts added to the water. If you go with low light/low tech tank, then very little will need to be used.


thanks again and glad to know that co2 is not a must (not a fan of co2..yet). any advice what is the frequency of dosing of excel/flourite;once a week, once every 2 weeks in small amount, etc...?

Collin,


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## The old man (Apr 12, 2008)

excel and iron are daily. Flouish, nitrogen, postassium and perhaps trace is about twice a week. You get to skip a day if you do about 50% water change one day a week. There is a schedule on a link somewhere here that you can adjuist for your size tank. For a 50 gallon tank the dose daily for iron and excel is 5ml daily. Except the day after a water change and then it is 20 ml for excel. So you can see it is quite a demanding scheule.


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