# Pogostemon helferi



## benny (Feb 4, 2004)

Hi guys,

Here's a close up picture of a single stalk of "Downoi".










It's an emerse form taken at a local plant farm.

Cheers,


----------



## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Beautiful picture. Any aquascapes containing this wonderful plant out there?


----------



## zig (Jul 3, 2005)

Tropica are now propagating this plant it was added to their website list about 6 weeks ago i will have to keep an eye out for it at my local plant seller, i dont think i have seen any aquascapes with it as a foreground plant either.

Nice pic btw.


----------



## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Art_Giacosa said:


> Beautiful picture. Any aquascapes containing this wonderful plant out there?


Art,

Oliver has an interesting setup with this plant.

http://www.pbase.com/plantella/cubestgt


----------



## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

I've been growing P. helferi as a foreground in my 125G African Rift Lake Cichlid tank. It does not grow nearly as quickly in the hard water and still has some filling in to do, but it does seem to become a bit richer green than it does in my soft water tank. It also provides excellent cover for fry in a tank full of predatory males 

The left side of the tank:










A holding female Pseudotropheus demasoni come out of a thicket of Elatine triandra that obscures her cave:










A group of very young Ps. demasoni fry looking for tidbits of food in the foreground:










A full tank shot showing the full extent of the not-quite-complete foreground:


----------



## zig (Jul 3, 2005)

Both really good examples but i prefer travis's tank super healthy looking tank, it will look fantastic when the P.helferi fills in fully especially at the right hand side, definatly a great looking plant for a foreground.

Btw travis do you have any problems with the cichlids trying to nibble on the plant, i heard some fish were partial to feeding on P.helferi.


----------



## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

My Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Labs) will nibble on the leaf tips if I don't feed them as much as they like to have. It's not like I starve them or anything, they're simply pigs


----------



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Beautiful tank Travis.


----------



## Grendel (Apr 11, 2005)

Your tank is looking sweet, Travis - it's been a while since I last saw a picture of it. Very nice.

Also, where did you get your hands on that much p. helferi? I thought it was pretty difficult to find, even in small amounts...


G


----------



## Pseud (Oct 19, 2005)

Wonderful looking tank, Travis.


----------



## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

Thanks guys. I've been cultivating it since I received my first specimens and also had a friend make a very generous donation to my foreground effort. I've been told that this foreground would have a very high "street value"


----------



## leah114 (Dec 16, 2005)

Hi, beautiful tank! What is the trailing plant in the bottom left corner with the single round leaves? I've seen this in a few tanks and really like it. 

Leah


----------



## zig (Jul 3, 2005)

leah114 said:


> Hi, beautiful tank! What is the trailing plant in the bottom left corner with the single round leaves? I've seen this in a few tanks and really like it.
> 
> Leah


I would say it is Hydrocotyle verticillata.


----------



## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

Yes, it is H. verticellata. You can usually find it on Aquabid.com if it isn't available locally.


----------



## mlfishman (Apr 4, 2005)

travis your tank is butter...


----------



## thaiaquaria (Feb 1, 2006)

It's a beautiful tank.


----------

