# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Opinion's on my Hygro



## Philster (Mar 20, 2004)

Hi folks, I was hoping to get some of your expert opinions on my Hygro. It is growing quite well with new runners and roots appearing constantly but it's just not real green like others. This is a new tank, set up about 3 weeks ago. My water parameters are:
Amonia 0 ppm
Nitrite .1 ppm
Nitrate 7 ppm
Phosphates .1 ppm
PH 7.7
GH 8.96
KH 8.96
Substrate is 50/50 flourite and I add 90ml of Sera Florena after each weekly 25 gallon water change and vacuum along with my dechlorinator. Lighting is 160w 3 6700K bulbs and 1 Blue bulb seems actinic in color however. The lights are on a timer for 12 hrs per day.



















Thanks,
Phil.


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## Philster (Mar 20, 2004)

Hi folks, I was hoping to get some of your expert opinions on my Hygro. It is growing quite well with new runners and roots appearing constantly but it's just not real green like others. This is a new tank, set up about 3 weeks ago. My water parameters are:
Amonia 0 ppm
Nitrite .1 ppm
Nitrate 7 ppm
Phosphates .1 ppm
PH 7.7
GH 8.96
KH 8.96
Substrate is 50/50 flourite and I add 90ml of Sera Florena after each weekly 25 gallon water change and vacuum along with my dechlorinator. Lighting is 160w 3 6700K bulbs and 1 Blue bulb seems actinic in color however. The lights are on a timer for 12 hrs per day.



















Thanks,
Phil.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

The H. polysperma that I put into my 150 when it was new looked a bit like that. The plant grew well, but its color was a washed-out pinkish brown. In my case it also grew faster outward then it did upward.

I don't care for H. polysperma, so I just threw it away as soon as I could. I think the problem was probably caused by a combination of bright light and low trace levels.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## Philster (Mar 20, 2004)

Thanks Roger, I agree it doesn't have a great look to it but I was told to use plants that grew fast at first to out compete algae while things get settled in. Would you have any other suggestions for low light 1.7w/gal plants. Do you think I need to remove the actinic bulb and replace it with a standard T8 so all 4 are 6700K? Thanks.

Phil.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

As far as the actinic goes, I would never consider using one on a planted tank. I don't know that they cause any problems, but they ruin color rendition and I suspect that they are inefficient.

H. polysperma is a great plant for your purpose. If it's growing and healthy why not just ignore the looks for now and leave it there until the tank settles. That should take 6-8 weeks.

I like Rotala rotundifolia as an alternative to H. polysperma. I also like Bacopa caroliniana, but it is more slow-growing and doesn't usually offer the color that you can get from R. rotundifolia.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## Shlappy (Jan 19, 2004)

Philster,

Just to give you an idea.. look at my green hygro in the photo gallery..

Link

Mine is alittle more green then that.. I do notice it does turn somewhat the same colour as yours when it reaches the surface..

But yours does look to have some sort of deficiency.

How are the sera products you use?? I see them here locally but the container does not list what is in it so I am hesitant to use it.

its a 10 gallon tank and I have to trim the hygro once or twice a week to keep it in check.

=Cory=

PS: I forgot to mention that I have a non planted tank (55 Gal) and I decided to throw some of the hygro in there and the color is much the same as your hygro.. It grows slowly under really low light levels and the leaves are much smaller.. but it does grow and colour looks similar to yours.

Hope this helps..


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## Philster (Mar 20, 2004)

Thanks Roger and Shlappy. I will look for the Rotala Rotundifolia today and I will change out the actinic bulb. Schlappy here is what it says on my Sera Florena bottle.

Ferric Chloride 0.89000% 
Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetate 0.83100% 
Manganous Chloride 0.00400% 
Magnesium Chloride 0.00020% 
Boric Acid 0.0020% 
Sulphuric Acid 0.00016% 
Aqua Purificata 98.27444% (probably a fancy name for distilled water)

As for the Sera Products, this is the only one I've been using. This tank is only 3 weeks old and I'm waiting to try some Yamato Green when it arrives so I cannot tell you how I like the Sera just yet. This 90 gal tank is 24" high but I don't think 1.7w/gal is burning the leaves? I'm really new to this science and would hate to be shorting my plants on what they need. BTW, your 10 gal is looking excellent. I also am using 3 Nutrafin Co2 kits but I have to wonder if they do anything at all as I've heard you really don't need Co2 at less than 2w/gal? It sure is hard determining just what to add. My substrate is 50/50 flourite and natural walnut gravel.

Phil.


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## Philster (Mar 20, 2004)

Roger the sunset and the green hygro are growing but how does one tell that the plant is healthy other than it is growing. It would seem to be about 5 to 6" per week so far in growth but its the yellowing of the leaves that has me? 

Phil.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Fast growth is a good indicator of overall health. Other considerations are whether the plant is retaining older leaves and whether the unshaded older leaves are in good condition.

If the odd color indicated a serious deficiency then the plant wouldn't be growing so fast. If you want to keep the plant around past the break-in period then you might want to solve the color problem, otherwise just let the plant grow. Get rid of it once it is no longer useful.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## Philster (Mar 20, 2004)

Thank you Roger, I just came from the LFS and they told me to only add the amount of fertilizer (Sera Florena) based on the amount of my water change. I have been dosing each week 90 gallons worth even though I am only removing about 25 gals each week. What is your opinion on this method? They also were quick to mention that the yellow leaves generally indicates a lack of Iron? but were confused also as I have been dosing a full 90 gals each week.

Phil.


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## Brucifer (Feb 3, 2003)

My H. polysperma faded out worse than yours. I started dosing iron and phosphates every other day. I never used to add either of those before. Instead of .75 mL of Flourish once a week, I now dose 4 mL every other day. All the new H. polysperma growth is green and the leaves are bigger than they've ever been before. The old yellow/brown leaves remained the same. I don't know what exactly fixed the new growth, maybe it needed all of that. Who knows? I just know that my tank exploded with green growth.

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20 gal; 50/50 Flourite/Tahitian Moon sand; AH Supply 1x55 W kit in custom canopy; pressurized CO2 w/ DIY external, inline reactor; Fluval 204 w/ FilterMax III prefilter; Pro Heat II


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