Best Way To Start Vallisneria?

[JenTheDroid]

I have a 55 gallon. Is it better to buy one plant and put it in the corner and let it take off or is better to buy more than one plant? I don't want them crashing into each other, I guess. I don't even know if that matters. Maybe starting in the middle is best? I don't know. That's why I'm asking. 

[Cory]

Placement shouldn't matter much. Once val gets established it really flourishes. I find that can take up to 3 months. How many to buy really just depends on how fast you want that instant gratification.

[JenTheDroid]

On 5/21/2022 at 4:31 PM, Cory said:

Placement shouldn't matter much. Once val gets established it really flourishes. I find that can take up to 3 months. How many to buy really just depends on how fast you want that instant gratification.

I have some now but was thinking of starting over because they don’t look like they are doing well. I started with 2 chains (one had 4 the other had 2) and probably have 20 now but they look a little see through and yellowish and brownish. The very first one is starting to melt now. The main reason I wanted to start them over was because I was worried both sides were kind of fighting with each other for space. 
 

Sorry for the dirty glass. I was mid cleaning it when I took the pictures. 

[Odd Duck]

How long has your Val been planted?  It looks like it’s doing a pretty typical, mild melt.  It also looks like you might be getting a new sprout already or is the little guy part of the chains you got?  Unless it’s been at least 3-4 weeks, I would hold tight to what you’re doing unless things take a clear turn for much worse.  Val can and will usually grow quite tight together, and many people will deliberately turn runners back into the group to get it growing denser.  Val can be finicky about settling in, but once it does, it usually rewards you well.

[JenTheDroid]

On 5/21/2022 at 7:39 PM, Odd Duck said:

How long has your Val been planted?  It looks like it’s doing a pretty typical, mild melt.  It also looks like you might be getting a new sprout already or is the little guy part of the chains you got?  Unless it’s been at least 3-4 weeks, I would hold tight to what you’re doing unless things take a clear turn for much worse.  Val can and will usually grow quite tight together, and many people will deliberately turn runners back into the group to get it growing denser.  Val can be finicky about settling in, but once it does, it usually rewards you well.

Since March. 

[JenTheDroid]

Sorry, I didn’t answer the other question. They have been sprouting like crazy! But my tank is starting to smell and I don’t know why else other than the Val. I want to get some shrimp and a snail so maybe that would help with that. 

[keddre]

What are your water parameters like, and are you dosing ferts (preferably root tabs)? Looking at your pics, your tank looks a little too clean for 2-3 month old tank. If your tank is empty, you might want to add root tabs or ghost feed, just to get some gunk for the plants to pull nutrients from

[Odd Duck]

Your tank shouldn’t have any foul odor.  I don’t think it’s likely to be the Val from what I can see.  The Val would have to be a lot more of it and seriously all rotting at once. That’s not what I see.  If you have little sprouts starting, your Val is about to seriously take off.  Need to investigate the odor.  If you have any snails, make sure they’re all alive.  Dead snails are a common reason for foul odors in a tank.

[Corbidorbidoodle]

Usually, when I buy one Val plant, I'm actually getting several. I plant them how it looks good, like, bigger ones at the back or edges, then let it go. 

I've not had any issues with the val competing for nutrients.

When it grows somewhere I don't want it, I just clip the chain and pull out what I don't want.

It's nice looking when it gets going though. I have a tank that's almost all val and I let it go wherever it wants. For now anyway.

[gardenman]

On 5/21/2022 at 2:51 PM, JenTheDroid said:

I have a 55 gallon. Is it better to buy one plant and put it in the corner and let it take off or is better to buy more than one plant? I don't want them crashing into each other, I guess. I don't even know if that matters. Maybe starting in the middle is best? I don't know. That's why I'm asking. 

I tend to buy a lot of cheap jungle val at a time knowing some, maybe most, will die. It's very much a boom or bust plant for me. When it lives, it does great. But getting it to live can be a challenge. And it can be fickle. I've got a thriving colony in one tank now and it's doing great. I'd bought 25 plants though and only one survived, but it's now about fifty plants so I came out ahead overall. 

[Bev C]

 I just got  some  Tota Vals about a month ago with some other plants  all my plants are growing but my Vals and they are at a stall. they are not died but not growing  either   still the same size i  removed all the dead leaves off and I am feeding rootabs and liquid fertilizer   the seller like Cory said  it might take 1-4 months to have the Val’s settle in  the seller  told me to keep up with the fertilizer and lights   hopefully mine will perk up and start growing  

Edited May 27, 2022 by Bev C