Re: [GSAS-Member] I am looking for HC Hemianthus Callitrichoides

["Clifford Miller" <clifford@clevergeek.com>]

In my (very?) limited experience the vast majority of aquatic plants on
the market are grown hydroponically via NFT.  This is because so many of
the aquatics we grow are really "boggy terrestrials" that just happen to
also be able to survive underwater (usually in order to survive seasonal
flooding in their native range).  More often than not they grow much
(much, much) faster emersed or out of the water completely.

When a hydroponically produced plant gets dunked for aquarium life, the
plant gets a double shock, the first because it made it's foliage on the
assumption it'll be exposed to the air, and the second because it usually
has far less nutrients available in the tank (even if you're adding
ferts).  If you have algae or fauna that attack it at that point, it's
fairly vulnerable.

If it's sat at the shop long enough it may have already made the
transition and will be producing foliage better suited to submersion, but
it's most likely recently dunked.

Once it adapts it should shoot out plenty of new growth.  The key to
"carpet growth" for me with dwarf chain swords, hairgrass, gloss and HM (I
haven't ever had much luck with HC...) has been keeping the substrate well
fertilized with something cheap like ozmocote, and some additional
supplemental iron.

Cliff



> Are you sure it will not transfer well to the aquarium? I have seen
> posts on APC and the plantedtank.net that show people growing it emersed
> first and then flooding it in a tank. If that works, would not the
> hydroponically grown HC work?  I think the main issue is getting it to
> root in the substrate.  I suppose buying a submersed grown mat of HC is
> what you are looking for?
> I ask these questions because I am looking for HC too.
>
> K. K. wrote:
>> I am been hopeful until now that perhaps somebody would possibly bring
>> this
>> in but no luck so I will just go ahead an ask.  Is anybody have any
>> HC/Hemianthus
>> Callitrichoides to spare I would be more than happy to pay for some.
>> I've
>> tried getting some from the Fish Store on Roosevelt but with the way
>> they
>> grow it (Hydroponics/Areoponics) it doesn't transfer well to the
>> aquarium.
>> Thanks again
>>
>> Kevin Kim
>>
>>
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