Wolfden Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 I love this tank. It is a ten gallon, well established but as you can see the water Sprite is taking over. There are two clown plecos, white clouds, and currently about 15 shrimp. I let the water sprite float as it seems to do better that way. It is blocking the light from getting to the plants at the substrate level. I have a couple of anubis and Java fern that are struggling. How heavily can you trim the water Sprite before it harms the main plant? Also how often do you trim it to keep it in check? I did pull a good three or four handfuls out about a month ago just keeping the main plant. What's in the tank now is all new growth. There are shrimp in this tank as well that love grazing on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 you shouldn't be harming your anubias or java fern as they are low light plants. but they may not be getting enough ferts. are you using a good all-around fert, like the easy green? I do hornwort instead of water sprite. I assume it's close to the same? just pull chunks off and toss? if that's the case i don't think you can harm it much. it looks very resilient. and really looks very good actually. i may have to switch to water sprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfden Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 On 6/11/2024 at 7:44 AM, Tony s said: you shouldn't be harming your anubias or java fern as they are low light plants. but they may not be getting enough ferts. are you using a good all-around fert, like the easy green? I do hornwort instead of water sprite. I assume it's close to the same? just pull chunks off and toss? if that's the case i don't think you can harm it much. it looks very resilient. and really looks very good actually. i may have to switch to water sprite I do use easy green in this tank and have actually had to up it to twice a week as the water sprite is devouring the nutrients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 On 6/11/2024 at 9:57 AM, Wolfden said: the water sprite is devouring the nutrients. same with my hornwort. that's one of the reasons I use it. it's a nitrate destroying machine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 I have water sprite floating in one or two of my tanks. It often throws off baby plants, so when one gets too large I just remove the whole thing and compost it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 @Wolfden you might have the perfect setup for the new easy potassium product. as it advertises it's good for both java fern and anubias Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfden Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 On 6/11/2024 at 9:50 AM, Tony s said: @Wolfden you might have the perfect setup for the new easy potassium product. as it advertises it's good for both java fern and anubias I was actually looking at that this morning lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 (edited) Rather than pulling new growth off and throwing it out and keeping the main stem, at some point you might want to do the opposite. on my Ludwigia repens and cardinal Lobelia I pull them, snip off the bottom 4 inches and replant. With my Hornwort I pull off the lush new growth and throw out the old… I believe that over time plant age starts to matter… Edited June 11 by Pepere 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 On 6/11/2024 at 3:06 PM, Pepere said: With my Hornwort I pull off the lush new growth and throw out the old… yep. that's what i do. keep the best parts going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelplessNewbie Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 I would love some cuttings from your water sprite! Not sure if you are anywhere near Georgia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfden Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 On 6/11/2024 at 1:43 PM, HelplessNewbie said: I would love some cuttings from your water sprite! Not sure if you are anywhere near Georgia. Unfortunately I live in Colorado On 6/11/2024 at 1:06 PM, Pepere said: Rather than pulling new growth off and throwing it out and keeping the main stem, at some point you might want to do the opposite. on my Ludwigia repens and cardinal Lobelia I pull them, snip off the bottom 4 inches and replant. With my Hornwort I pull off the lush new growth and throw out the old… I believe that over time plant age starts to matter… That's actually a smart idea. I have noticed the stems of the main plant getting very thick. Tomorrow is tank maintenance day so I think that is what I will do. If there are any off shoots which know there are I will separate them from the main plant and let them grow on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfden Posted June 12 Author Share Posted June 12 (edited) After maintenance. I did remove the big main water sprite plant. Separated a bunch of the smaller bunches that had decent amount of roots and they are now in the tank. I'm pretty sure the anubis has a potassium deficiency going on. So that will definitely be on my next order from aquarium coop. Or I may be taking the 1hr drive down to the store in Pueblo that is supposed to carry coop products 🙂 Now you can see what's in the tank. Edited June 12 by Wolfden 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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