Pogo stellatus

[Nate s]

Just bought some from the coop. Got 2, 1 is going in my 40b with finnex 24/7 and the other is going in 20 tall with a stingray 2. Should I keep them in their pots for a bit until they adjust? Also got some easy green, should I be dosing 1 or 2 days a week? 

[FlyingFishKeeper]

Hi, congrats! Pogostemon stellatus is one of my favourites. I don't think I've had problems taking plants out of the pot as soon as I get them, so either way should work. Just be careful not to damage too many of the roots (a few breaking off is fine though). 

At least in my opinion there isn't a set answer for how much Easy Green to dose, rather you should try to get your nitrates to around 20-50 ppm (at least from what I've read on the ACO website) Best of luck!

[Patrick_G]

Yep, get it out of the pot and plant it. Mine grows like a weed. I’d start out with 1ml of Easy Green per 10 gallons per week and go from there. Your Nitrate level will rise with the amount of Easy Green you add. Like @FlyingFishKeepersaid 20-50 ppm is a good target. 

[Widgets]

I received a single order Jan 6. I immediately took it out of the pot and rockwool. I planted the 6 stems. As of today, I have enough of it in all 3 tanks (37g, 20g long, and 20g), and will have to start rehoming my trimmings. It will grow like a weed. I've been using the low light dosing schedule. 

[josephnoctum]

I've got two pots of that from the Co-Op and it is doing so well. Typically I've got a "Garden" tank that I'll put new plants in to, still in the pots to allow them to adjust to my water and let them go through their melt/conversion periods. I've never had to do that with any of the plants delivered from the Co-Op though, just pull straight out of the pot and go. 

My stellatus is doing so good it's about to have a large trimming that's headed to my porch pond in about 2 weeks. 

[Nate s]

Yay. I have done well with Val in a few of my tanks but have not done all that great with other background stem plants. Have not been able to get it to grow in how I like. Excited about pogo

[Nate s]

So would anyone suggest in a tank with not too many plants start with like half the dose recommended once a week and as they grow in do it biweekly? Like a 15-20% water change and then dose 1 pump in my 20g. Then as it fills in add another pump after 3 days and do it like sundays and Thursday’s? 

[Widgets]

It is best to let your tank tell you what it needs. Use Nitrates as a proxy to tell what is happening. As your plants fill in they will consume more Nitrates. You fish waste will increase the Nitrates. Water changes will reduce Nitrates. Fertilizer will increase the Nitrates. It is a balancing act, and the equilibrium point is constantly changing as the tank evolves.

Now, using Nitrates as a proxy can lead to deficiencies of other plant needs. If your plants start showing signs of deficiency, you will possibly need to increase water changes and increase fertilizers. There are plant experts, much smarter than me, who can help you identify the problems and what to do.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/12/2022 at 4:07 PM, Nate s said:

So would anyone suggest in a tank with not too many plants start with like half the dose recommended once a week and as they grow in do it biweekly? Like a 15-20% water change and then dose 1 pump in my 20g. Then as it fills in add another pump after 3 days and do it like sundays and Thursday’s? 

very likely you're talking about an anubias or java fern type of a setup.