# Trouble with bunch plants



## test pilot (Nov 6, 2010)

I can't for the life of me seem to keep bunched plants. They all rot at the base and float to the top. A local aquarium told me the after I purchase them I should remove the anchor, freshly cut the stems, remove the lower leaves and gently plant. The same thing happens all the time. I have even tried simply restoring the anchor and dropping them in the tank and I get the same results. I have absolutely no problems growing hygro, crypts, swords, sags, anubias, ferns, moss and hornwort. But I can't seem to keep any bunch plants.

Any ideas, thoughts or suggestions are most welcome.


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## cbwmn (Dec 18, 2007)

Almost all of my stem plants get black at the base.
I regularly remove them and trim off the bad parts.
About a month ago I got some Rotala Colorata and “planted” it horizontally.
I put three anchors on each stem and laid it evenly across the bottom.
A root forms at each node and burrows into the substrate.
That makes a nice “wall”, and the stem portion is not buried.
Charles


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## test pilot (Nov 6, 2010)

I haven't thought of lying the plant on its side before. I'll give it a shot.

Thanks!


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi test pilot,

Specifically what species of "bunch" plants are you having trouble with. What lighting, fertilizer, and CO2 are you currently doing?


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

the lower end of my rotala usually brown and die but that's because i shove them into my flourite... could you list out your specs? also i usually just tie a rock to my bunched plants and sink them, wait till them form roots and then plant.


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## test pilot (Nov 6, 2010)

It doesn't seem to matter what the variety of bunch plant is. I've tried simply wrapping an anchor and placing them on the surface of the gravel but the result is always the same. I have recently purchased hornwort and this seems to be growing like crazy but that is about it.

My 20 gal tank has a 10,000K lamp. This is the tank I'm having the problem with. The 10 and 5 gal tanks have the standard fluorescent that came with the tank. I use a homemade co2 bubble system in all tanks and dose with flourish excel daily. I use flourish comprehensive fert in the 20 gal when doing water changes. I use fluorite substrate in the 10 and 5 gal. It seems the plants like this environment. The 20 gal was my first since returning to the hobby so I was not up on substrates at the time. I used some random commercially available gravel.

I've attached pics of my 10, 5 and 20 gal tanks.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

could you post a picture of the dead stem plants? you should really be using 6500 k bulbs which i think is the problem.


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## test pilot (Nov 6, 2010)

I don't have any in the tanks at the moment but they rot at the bottom and end up floating at the top of the tank. Each time I make a fresh cut and before you know it there is nothing left. How does a 6500K differ from a 10,000K?


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

the numbers  6500 is daylight and 10,000 is not daylight...


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## test pilot (Nov 6, 2010)

After I read your reply I searched for more info. From that I'm reading the higher the 'K' the cooler the light (meaning more towards the blue side of the spectrum). The 10,000K seems to have too much blue light and not enought red or yellow.

-Thanks Neil!


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