What do you grow in your HOB flow?

[PineSong]

I'm wondering what others have had success with in the area under a HOB?

I have a water sprite in an easy planter a couple inches in front of the filter and it's alive but not really getting any taller even with the flow turned down on the Aqua Clear.

[Tanked]

Usually just Algae and snails.   I have one Anubia Nana Petite which must like the location because it is 4x the size of the parent plant. There is an Amazon Sword nearby, but not under the HOB.  The HOB is actually side mounted and is providing a steady current across the tank and back.  It keeps all of the plants moving.

[Tinyfellows]

I have Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus under my hob outflow and it grows just as well as the Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus on the other side of my tank 

[Patrick_G]

Pretty much anything works as long as the plants are trimmed and the water is topped off. I currently have these plants under or close to the hob flow: Wisteria, Mayaca, Ludwigia, Crypt Spiralis, Java Fern, PGO. 

[PineSong]

Hmmm. Thanks, all. Maybe something other than flow is stopping my water sprite from growing taller if others are able to grow lots of things there.

 I'll try a root tab and if that doesn't activate it I will move it to another tank and try something else in that spot. I'm an impatient gardener!

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by PineSong
Clarity

[lefty o]

anubia's seem to do well for me down near a HOB intake.

[Patrick_G]

On 9/5/2021 at 4:57 PM, PineSong said:

Hmmm. Thanks, all. Maybe something other than flow is stopping my water sprite from growing taller if others are able to grow lots of things there.

 I'll try a root tab and if that doesn't activate it I will move it to another tank and try something else in that spot. I'm an impatient gardener!

 

I can’t get Sprite to grow either. Other similar stem plants are no problem but Sprite will barely grow. 

[PineSong]

On 9/5/2021 at 11:11 PM, Patrick_G said:

I can’t get Sprite to grow either. Other similar stem plants are no problem but Sprite will barely grow. 

Well, it feels better to not be the only one!

[lefty o]

i can kill any stem plant. it doesnt matter where in a tank it is either.😈

[Odd Duck]

On 9/5/2021 at 11:14 PM, lefty o said:

i can kill any stem plant. it doesnt matter where in a tank it is either.😈

Same.  Although I’ve recently been having good luck with wisteria and Ludwigia glandulosa ‘Diamond’.  I just gave up on Alternanthera reineckii ‘Roseafolia’ and pulled it all out of my 100 gallon.  I moved my Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphea lotus ‘Zenkeri’ over there to see if it will do better there.  It was a little too shaded by one of my driftwood pieces where it was.

As soon as I can come up with something else with nice color that will stay smallish (around 8-10”) I’ll pull the AR ‘Mini’ out of the 6 G cube Betta tank, too, and put that something else in there.  I might try some Echinodorus ‘Aflame’ there and see if it likes that spot.  So far the ‘Aflame’ has been very slow growing for me but I’ve still got about 6 or so left to play with from the tissue culture.

[KentFishFanUK]

On 9/6/2021 at 5:14 AM, lefty o said:

i can kill any stem plant. it doesnt matter where in a tank it is either.😈

I am apparently the same! 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 9/6/2021 at 6:34 AM, Odd Duck said:

Same.  Although I’ve recently been having good luck with wisteria and Ludwigia glandulosa ‘Diamond’.  I just gave up on Alternanthera reineckii ‘Roseafolia’ and pulled it all out of my 100 gallon.  I moved my Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphea lotus ‘Zenkeri’ over there to see if it will do better there.  It was a little too shaded by one of my driftwood pieces where it was.

As soon as I can come up with something else with nice color that will stay smallish (around 8-10”) I’ll pull the AR ‘Mini’ out of the 6 G cube Betta tank, too, and put that something else in there.  I might try some Echinodorus ‘Aflame’ there and see if it likes that spot.  So far the ‘Aflame’ has been very slow growing for me but I’ve still got about 6 or so left to play with from the tissue culture.

I had some AR mini that started doing really well in my tank and looked gorgeous then very quickly started dying off and is now gone completely, any tips? I want to get some more but not sure where I went wrong. Until it died it was putting out new leaves and had a great colour, then just melted.

At the time it might have been a little bit shaded by some floating plants (though not completely) and all my plants had some algae on (have oto's now that seem to do a great job keeping leaves clear) so would that be enough or do you think it's something else? 

[Odd Duck]

On 9/6/2021 at 1:05 AM, KentFishFanUK said:

I had some AR mini that started doing really well in my tank and looked gorgeous then very quickly started dying off and is now gone completely, any tips? I want to get some more but not sure where I went wrong. Until it died it was putting out new leaves and had a great colour, then just melted.

At the time it might have been a little bit shaded by some floating plants (though not completely) and all my plants had some algae on (have oto's now that seem to do a great job keeping leaves clear) so would that be enough or do you think it's something else? 

I’m pulling all mine out because it just looks terrible.  It grows for a while, then gradually looks worse and worse.  Don’t take advice from me on stem plants in general!  😆  Especially not AR!  I really wanted to like it, but I just don’t.  I’ve been sorely disappointed by both AR varieties I’ve tried.  I didn’t buy the ‘Mini’.  It was a mistake by one of my local plant suppliers.  I was supposed to be getting Crypt. undulatus ‘Red’ and instead they sent me the AR ‘Mini’.  😞 😡  

I do just fine with Crypts, generally, I have all kinds of crypts.  Ask me for advice on Crypts, I might actually be able to help with those.  Or swords, I can grow swords (although, ‘Aflame’ might be beating me).  Or Buces.  Or Anubias.  Or Java ferns.  Or funky mosses.  😆

AR, not so much.  😂 I still have some AR that’s currently in a dish that got moved to a bucket out of the 29 G for the reboot.  I’m going to try it in a different grow out tank and see what it does.  Last chance for the AR!  😡  

It’s like my Bad Pea Daddy of plants - crosses me at every turn and scoffs at all my efforts to make it part of a happy community.  They should come with black leather jackets so we know to be on our toes around them.  Oh, wait, I have a black leather motorcycle jacket.  🤔🥴

[KentFishFanUK]

On 9/6/2021 at 7:32 AM, Odd Duck said:

I’m pulling all mine out because it just looks terrible.  It grows for a while, then gradually looks worse and worse.  Don’t take advice from me on stem plants in general!  😆  Especially not AR!  I really wanted to like it, but I just don’t.  I’ve been sorely disappointed by both AR varieties I’ve tried.  I didn’t buy the ‘Mini’.  It was a mistake by one of my local plant suppliers.  I was supposed to be getting Crypt. undulatus ‘Red’ and instead they sent me the AR ‘Mini’.  😞 😡  

I do just fine with Crypts, generally, I have all kinds of crypts.  Ask me for advice on Crypts, I might actually be able to help with those.  Or swords, I can grow swords (although, ‘Aflame’ might be beating me).  Or Buces.  Or Anubias.  Or Java ferns.  Or funky mosses.  😆

AR, not so much.  😂 I still have some AR that’s currently in a dish that got moved to a bucket out of the 29 G for the reboot.  I’m going to try it in a different grow out tank and see what it does.  Last chance for the AR!  😡  

It’s like my Bad Pea Daddy of plants - crosses me at every turn and scoffs at all my efforts to make it part of a happy community.  They should come with black leather jackets so we know to be on our toes around them.  Oh, wait, I have a black leather motorcycle jacket.  🤔🥴

Haha! Oh well at least it's not just me then. Don't know whether to give it another go or not, it did briefly look beautiful to the point of being the centrepiece plant in the tank... until it disintegrated!

My other stem plants aren't going so well either but my java fern, anubias, crypts and another couple I can't never remember the names of are doing ok. 

[Tanked]

It is oddly reassuring to see how many people are having problems with the easy low light plants.  I have the same reoccurring problem where the plant grows great and suddenly dies.   My Water Sprite was the first to go, followed by the Wisteria, and now the PSO.  We know that the individual plants must adapt to the conditions where they live, or die.  I have often wondered if sometimes a stem plant can be rescued by an early pruning to kickstart the process.  

 

 

[Odd Duck]

On 9/6/2021 at 12:11 PM, Tanked said:

I have often wondered if sometimes a stem plant can be rescued by an early pruning to kickstart the process.  

I’ve tried this and either I’ve been too late or I’m just terrible with stem plants which is entirely possible.

I currently have hornwort stems hanging around in a tank because I decided to try again since I have better lights now than I’ve had in the past when I’ve unsuccessfully tried hornwort.  Well, I should probably be more specific.  I have naked hornwort stems hanging around.  I’m trying to give them every chance to start actually growing vs dropping every single needle-like leaf.

Waiting patiently, patiently, patiently . . . . . . . . any time now, hornwort.  Aaaaaany time now . . . . . . .  Still not doing anything.  But I guess nothing so far is better than actively rotting, so . . . . . . . . .  waiting again, hornwort . . . . . . . 

[Torrey]

(no clue why the picture inserted itself at the top of the post🤦‍♂️)

I learned to float the stem plants that aren't looking great.

 

Watch for where the stem starts to root, cut just below the newly emerging 'root ball' once the roots are over an inch long.

 

Frequently, this results in the bundle of 5 stem plants turning into 3 - 15 stem plants 😅

 

Either the plants acclimate and I will have 3 sets of roots on each stem, along with new leaf shoots, or all but one stem plant dies🤷‍♂️

 

I did discover after rewatching Irene's video on plants, that part of my problem is plant food. 

 

I have not yet mastered the hand/eye coordination to see when plants have outgrown the amount of food I am giving them, and then adjust accordingly. Wisteria? Growing great. Water sprite? Multiplying on every leaf. Duckweed? Can't multiply as fast as the turtle eats it.

 

Stem plants?

Hit or miss, and it was starting to feel more like miss.... but the Waldorf tank has restored my plant abilities. 

 

Probably because the soil is doing a great job of nourishing the plants and it's harder for me to under or overfeed the plants 🤔

Plus, a full clean up crew of blackworms, MTS, and amphopods break down waste and return mulm to the soil.

The milfoil? (Not positive on plant ID) in the back is growing faster than the ones mid tank.

 

The rest are recuperating from the immersed/ submerged adjustment melt.

Copepods and amphopods were thrilled to clean up the mess!

 

 

(Guppy photo bombed)

[Torrey]

My favorite part is:

 

I am finally growing and sustaining live RED LEAFED plants!!!

[PineSong]

On 9/6/2021 at 1:11 PM, Tanked said:

I have often wondered if sometimes a stem plant can be rescued by an early pruning to kickstart the process.  

 

 

I would say yes. I would say if you are planting a stem plant that already has an established root system, e.g. grown in rock wool, I would remove it from the rock wool, trim all the roots in half, plant the plant and in 4-5 days cut it back by half or so. In order to boost root growth, if you don't have a ton of established mulm in your substrate, use root tabs and don't let the plant get too tall until the roots have really had a chance to grow. With lots of plants there's a risk of leggy new growth being weak due to being poorly supported by root development when the roots aren't fully developed yet.

Follow up: I stuck a root tab under the easy planter and voila! I got some good growth on two branches and some pretty heavy pearling for a couple of days. The sprite is now very near the surface. That was fast!

[Guppysnail]

The only thing I have luck in that spot on the hobs that create shade is anubias and Java fern. But those due extremely well in that area more so than in others oddly. 

[Tanked]

On 9/17/2021 at 10:21 PM, PineSong said:

With lots of plants there's a risk of leggy new growth being weak due to being poorly supported by root development when the roots aren't fully developed yet.

I worked for a winery for many years.  Each spring the vines must be cut back to produce the best possible crop that year.  Each cut requires making a decision as to which grapes to sacrifice.  The new people were always told "when in doubt, be cruel".  Best practice for me may be to trim back all new stem plants from this point forward. I can start with the only surviving PSO.

[Tanked]

On 9/6/2021 at 2:43 PM, Odd Duck said:

Waiting patiently, patiently, patiently . . . . . . . . any time now, hornwort.  Aaaaaany time now . . . . . . .  Still not doing anything.  But I guess nothing so far is better than actively rotting, so . . . . . . . . .  waiting again, hornwort . . . . . . . 

Ohhhh you're talking about Hornwort!  I thought you knew something about my Moneywort.  Eight months to produce a pinhead sized pair of leaves.   It only took the Wisteria 5 months.  I guess I should have waited a little longer for the Hornwort.

[Odd Duck]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:08 AM, Tanked said:

Ohhhh you're talking about Hornwort!  I thought you knew something about my Moneywort.  Eight months to produce a pinhead sized pair of leaves.   It only took the Wisteria 5 months.  I guess I should have waited a little longer for the Hornwort.

I have since fully failed at hornwort again.  Fully, meltingly, failed.  It’s gone.  Glad I had a trash can handy for the sad remnants of melting stems.

I can grow swords, Crypts, Anubias, Buces (usually), mosses, Aponogetons, Java ferns, other ferns, even still have subwassertang randomly showing up, still.  But stem plants in general are hit or miss for me, and hornwort has never done anything but make a mess for me.  Several times now.  Over several decades.  🤷🏻‍♀️

[Torrey]

On 9/18/2021 at 10:31 PM, Odd Duck said:

I have since fully failed at hornwort again.  Fully, meltingly, failed.  It’s gone.  Glad I had a trash can handy for the sad remnants of melting stems.

You can grow waßßertang, but not hornwort?

 

Have you ever read Anne Bishop's "The Black Jewels Trilogy"?

You sound like Janelle in the book😅

I would love to get waßßertang, what water parameters and lighting did you find to be the best environment?

[Odd Duck]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:45 PM, Torrey said:

You can grow waßßertang, but not hornwort?

 

Have you ever read Anne Bishop's "The Black Jewels Trilogy"?

You sound like Janelle in the book😅

I would love to get waßßertang, what water parameters and lighting did you find to be the best environment?

Yep, but not on purpose anymore.

I really can’t answer your question.  I will try to give you everything I know about successfully growing subwassertang.

I got 4 huge handfuls cheap from a local guy.  I tossed them in assorted tanks.  They melted like crazy and fouled the tanks.  I removed everything I could.

Starting weeks to months later, little bits have randomly popped up in assorted places.  Absolutely willy nilly, no real rhyme or reason that I can tell.

I’m pretty sure I’ve transferred it between some of my 10 gallons by starting filters in 1 tank to season them before moving to another tank to run.  I’m also reasonably certain I’ve probably transferred some bits with my siphon or fill hose.  And I’m pretty certain I must have managed to transfer some on other plants.

I know it likes to grow on sponge prefilters and sponge filters in general.  No doubt because it catches in the filter and says to itself, “Sure, this looks like a good spot.  Let’s see if I can tick off Sharon again by growing exactly where she doesn’t want me”.  I can’t say it truly prospers there in MY tanks because I yank it off to try to prevent it clogging those sponges.  After it fouled my tanks so badly, I’ve discouraged it from really getting a good foothold again.  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

I’m pretty much feeling the same way about hornwort, but at least I didn’t get enough of that to foul the tank.  But it’s fooled me about 6 times now, over 40 some years, so hornwort won’t be welcome anymore.

Anne Bishop Black Jewels books look interesting.  Hello, rabbit!