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Post by HaruShin on Feb 10, 2014 17:08:13 GMT -5
Hey Forum, The 3 strands of aldrovanda I got from Bonfield has completely taken over a 5gal aquarium! The aldrovanda population has also eradicated all the algae population that attempted to dominate the place. The days when I used to shake algae off the plants with forceps only seems like yesterday A few strands have been trying to bloom for the past few months, but it always declined probably due to moving water from the filter. I've had my filter off for a few weeks, and look what's happening! An open flower. A wilting and a declined bud The flowering bud a few days ago. A general view The tank I've read that the flowers of Aldrovanda are autogamous, so I hope to get some seeds later. I was really quite afraid to try and grow aldrovanda as I've heard many failure stories and their picky nature, but I guess things turned out pretty good They're growing like weeds, so I'm planning to distribute some around the forum when the warm weather comes. Cheers, Ray PS: I found out that the flow of water from the filter also stresses out the plant and makes them lose their red color. They regained their deep red coloration after I off'd the filter.
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Post by lloyd on Feb 10, 2014 18:11:22 GMT -5
I added some Daphnia eggs and for whatever reason, mine died. Your's are amazing. Any ideas why they're doing so well? I only used a small plastic container. Maybe too small. Also my temps probably were around 16C when the lights were off. Maybe too cool?
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Post by HaruShin on Feb 10, 2014 18:45:50 GMT -5
I added some Daphnia eggs and for whatever reason, mine died. Your's are amazing. Any ideas why they're doing so well? I only used a small plastic container. Maybe too small. Also my temps probably were around 16C when the lights were off. Maybe too cool? Thanks Lloyd, I'm not sure if there's a specific reason behind their thriving, but here's how I set my tank up: For the substrate, I used boiled peat, which I grabbed out of the water, so their grain size is pretty big. Then the mandatory leaf litter, which I mostly got from Bonfield, and a few cattail stalk I found in a pond. For the water, I only used tap water filtered with brita. I never change the water, just refill when it evaporates. There is a water hyacinth I also got from Bonfield, as you see in the photo. The lights are two 24w T5HO, and I also have a simple fluval CO2 injector used for planted aquariums. I inject the CO2 at random intervals, when I observe the tank every few days. The temps I think peaked at 28-28.5 degs and I'm guessing it went below 20 when the power outtage happened. There used to be a mass of string and fungus-like algae for a few months before disappearing completely. With them was some parasite-like small worms, also gone now. Actually, now that I think about it, I think it might be the CO2 injector that could be the secret to success. Hope it helped!
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Post by lloyd on Feb 10, 2014 19:39:25 GMT -5
Thanks. I think you're right about the CO2 injector. Good idea. I was wondering if there was enough gas exchange in my little bowl.
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Post by Devon on Feb 10, 2014 21:03:49 GMT -5
Wow, those look incredible! Well done and thank you for sharing pictures and information.
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Post by Maiden on Feb 11, 2014 0:05:09 GMT -5
Hey Forum, The 3 strands of aldrovanda I got from Bonfield has completely taken over a 5gal aquarium! The aldrovanda population has also eradicated all the algae population that attempted to dominate the place. The days when I used to shake algae off the plants with forceps only seems like yesterday A few strands have been trying to bloom for the past few months, but it always declined probably due to moving water from the filter. I've had my filter off for a few weeks, and look what's happening! An open flower. A wilting and a declined bud The flowering bud a few days ago. A general view The tank I've read that the flowers of Aldrovanda are autogamous, so I hope to get some seeds later. I was really quite afraid to try and grow aldrovanda as I've heard many failure stories and their picky nature, but I guess things turned out pretty good They're growing like weeds, so I'm planning to distribute some around the forum when the warm weather comes. Cheers, Ray PS: I found out that the flow of water from the filter also stresses out the plant and makes them lose their red color. They regained their deep red coloration after I off'd the filter. Wow, your setup is very nice. Pretty cool :-) Well done.
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Post by shoggoths on Feb 11, 2014 11:59:37 GMT -5
Wow, you're doing really well Ray.
My set-up is almost like yours but like Lloyd, success is not at the rendez-vous and I have low in the 16C at night and the temp is in the 24C in the day. Can you tell me the distance between the light and the water top please ?
I almost loose all my aldrovanda but the remaining one are doing better since I add an homemade CO2 injector. I'll replenish it and see if the plants will continue to thrive.
My aquarium is still full of ligneous algae. Really hard to get ride of.
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Post by HaruShin on Feb 11, 2014 16:01:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the nice words, guys Shogg, the lights are about 15cm above the water, but my house is really hot due to the apartment having the radiator on almost nonstop. I've always manually removed any algae I could before they disappeared.
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Post by shoggoths on Feb 11, 2014 19:59:27 GMT -5
Ok, thank you.
If summer temp is beneficial, I'll make some modifications next year (I have a water heater somewhere).
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Post by bonfield on Feb 12, 2014 8:21:02 GMT -5
Great job, they've really developed that nice rubescens red! These are from the Okavango Delta, Botaswana, so temperatures up to 40C will have them flourishing, even though I have seen these plants survive light icing.
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Post by H2O on Feb 17, 2014 15:52:27 GMT -5
It's awesome to see others having such good success, you'll be selling plants in no time!
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Post by Apoplast on Feb 20, 2014 14:42:38 GMT -5
Hi Ray - They look great to me too! I didn't get any flowers on my plants grown outside this summer, so you've got part of the formula down.
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