# Tall plants for soft water



## khudgins (Jan 12, 2008)

Hi! I'm looking for some tall background plants for my tank - I'm currently running a 45 gallon tall tank (about 23" tall) and I'll be moving everything to a 75 gallon soon. I've tried Valisnera Gigantea, and other Vals, but they melt in the soft, acidic conditions I've got. (0ppm kH & gH, 5.8pH).

I'd rather use some grass-type plants if possible, as I like bunch plants better than stems. I've got various swords (mostly Tropica Marble Queen) as mid-height plants, and dwarf Sag that's doing well for foreground.

What tall plants can I keep? I'm injecting CO2 via DIY bottles, so it's not steady, but I can keep about 30ppm most of the time, and my lighting is 4 17 watt CF screw-in bulbs (60 watt incandescent equialent) in a homebrew setup.

Thanks!


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

k,

I have some corkscrew (contortion supposedly) vals that have started growing back after a complete melt down. They are now growing and sending out runners in my 6.0 to 6.2 tank with 1.5 kH and 3 gh. I am trading these in for other plants so if you want them I can send them to you for the cost of shipping. There are about 10 to 12 plants I think. Maybe more. They are only about 4 to 5 inches now but were like 2 inches 1.5 weeks ago. I am using aquariumplants.com Total root tabs.

Jorge


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

I've had success with Giant Hairgrass in soft water. (Eleocharis montevidensis)


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You have 68 watts of CFL bulbs, and since you didn't mention reflectors, I assume they don't have individual reflectors to capture the light from the back of the bulbs. That is very marginal for a 45 gallon tank for growing anything but low light plants. So, you could try Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae, narrow leaf Java Fern, or needle leaf Java Fern, and be reasonably sure they will grow well. If you use those same lights on a 75 gallon tank, you are extremely limited as to plant choices.

Don't forget that even low light plants need fertilizing with NPK and trace elements.


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## khudgins (Jan 12, 2008)

They don't have individual reflectors, although the housing does have a white interior. The 75 gallon tank will have quite a bit more lighting before I set it up.

So did my val melt due to lighting and not water conditions?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

My experience with vals is that they can be hard to start growing. Mine tended to die back to the roots before they finally started to grow. Then they grew very well. I don't think vals need a lot of light, but they do like harder water, since they get carbon from carbonates in the water, so you may either be experiencing the normal reluctance of vals to get started, or the water may be too lacking in carbonates.


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## khudgins (Jan 12, 2008)

Thanks. I'll continue to give them a shot, then. So far, Val has been my second favorite of all the plants I've kept, behind my Echinodorus flavors, and I'd like to continue to keep them.


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