Maggie Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Greetings! I've been so busy with my betta tank this week that I didn't notice this little gem creeping up in my 20L danio tank...won't be long now before it breaks the surface! More new growth also coming out the other side. of the bulb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted February 16, 2021 Administrators Share Posted February 16, 2021 I swear they grow so fast that you can see them from in 1 day, like in the morning half way, then at night it's at the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 I desire this plant. Hard to get around here (while the Tiger lily is everywhere). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 It's almost time to get rid of the fake purple plant! Maybe when that new growth takes off a bit more. The danios and shrimp love the refuge it provides right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 Hey @Cory look what broke surface today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorydorasEthan Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Once one leaf reaches the surface, the plant will start sending up new leaves every day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjoepez Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Make sure you want your leaves at the surface. If you want it to fill out more around the bulb clip that surface leaf before it gets there. Once they get to the surface thats all they will do. I LOVE water lilies but i really wish my dwarf aquarium lilly had more leaves around the bulb and now will am waiting to do a full rescape before i trim it and try to retrain it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 on mine, the first leaf only ever went half way up, but its got 5 that broke the surface in my 120. once they start it only takes about 2 days to go up that 2'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 @Superjoepezthanks. I've seen them as lush "bushes" and they look so nice, but I also like to see a couple of lily pads on the surface. Should I clip this one until the base fills out a bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjoepez Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Now i have not personally tested this yet but from what I understand you should trim the surface shoots at the max height you want underwater leaves before it reaches the surface. Do this until its filled out as much as you want since once they hit the surface that is all they will do from then on. I think it is a safety thing, they know danger is at a certain height so they make shorter shoots till they get to the surface and “know the coast is clear.” 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyndi Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Hi Maggie! It's so exciting to see your bulb growing! From my experience, the leaves growing to the surface look different than the leaves growing around the base. That's why it's so easy to remove them as they grow if you don't want them. I always cut mine off because I believe the tall ones take away energy from the base ones. If it were me, and I wanted lily pads on the surface, I would wait until the bulb filled out lower leaves first and then let some shoot up. I also use root tabs and a haphazard application of Easy Green. I'm so glad you are making the foray into planted tanks - I think they are easier than non-planted (when using easy plants) because the plants absorb excess nutrients which can result from occasional neglect. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 Hi @Cyndi, thanks for the lily info! I am only using fake plants for cover for the shrimp and very shy dwarf emerald danios until the real plants fill in a little more, as this tank (20L) was just set up in December. There is also cryptocoryne wendtii, water sprite, java moss, java fern, some sort of dwarf grass, and anubias gold coin in there. The sprite really took off but then I had a bout of BBA which actually killed about half the sprite and started in on the fern; now that's under control and almost gone (Easy Carbon and light adjustment). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyndi Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Oh! You have lots of plants! I thought it was just the fake and the bulbs. I’m sure your plants will recover soon- I’m sorry about the BBA - how annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevefm2003 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 What a great plant. Installed exactly 30 days ago and the first pad just reached the surface in my 29 gal planted tank. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 20 minutes ago, Stevefm2003 said: What a great plant. Installed exactly 30 days ago and the first pad just reached the surface in my 29 gal planted tank. thats cool, and you have another pad on the way up too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 I've had mine since 1/06/2021 and it's still just sitting there and doing nothing. It's not rotting, but it's not growing. I'm still in wait and see mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 So, I cut the first lily pad at the base. Another shoot appeared right next to it shortly thereafter and promptly grew 2" in one day, and I clipped it. Yesterday I noticed a new growth, and it looks like it will stay at the bottom this time! This lily is going to eventually take over that entire section and I can't wait!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjoepez Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 @Maggie That is so exciting! I love hearing someone else getting excited about water lilies in aquariums. Personally I think they are so much better than floating plants. Im planning on testing a bunch of other dwarf lilies as I get more tanks. This actually gives me some confidence to try cutting some of my surface leaves and seeing if i can get more base leaves going. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 Well this little plant is the lily that wouldn't quit. It looks like it learned its lesson quickly not to send a shoot so far up after that second snip! Here is the phenomenal growth as seen from the surface. Up close on the recent new growth. Starting to fill in nicely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 You're lucky yours is doing so well. Mine's still just sitting there doing nothing since I got it on January sixth. The good news is it's not rotting, but it's also not growing. It's just lying there. I'm closing in on eight weeks of it doing nothing. It's not a huge problem, but I did clear a nice big space for it and to have no growth is kind of annoying. Still, it's not rotting so there's that. It may still spring to life, but I'm getting a bit doubtful. I think I may have gotten a dud, but then again, maybe not as it's not rotting. I just keep watching it, rotating it, checking it, and wondering if it'll ever show signs of life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 More leaves, all staying at the bottom so far - it's really filling out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Your lily is growing in so beautifully. Mine don’t seem to get that nice shade of red to it throughout the leaves like yours does. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 The Coop is sending me a new one that's coming Saturday, so I'm hoping that one takes off and grows. My old one is now nine weeks in the tank, well tanks, I've tried moving to another tank in the hopes it would motivate it to grow, but no luck. It's doing nothing. It's not rotting which is good. No smell (other than fishy.) Nice and solid, but inert. It looks exactly like it did when I put it in the tank, just wetter. I've tried it in a cooler tank (72 degrees) a warmer tank (78 degrees) in a darker section, in a brighter section, I've rotated it in every way possible, and it just lies there. I kind of jinxed myself by making the hole for it in the plants already in the tank before I knew it would grow. Maybe bulb Number two will fill that hole. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 @gardenman, oddly the lily in my betta tank has been in so far since February 15 and same thing as yours - not soft, but no growth yet except the fuzz on the outside. The first one sprouted in 5 days. Good luck with the replacement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Just now, Maggie said: @gardenman, oddly the lily in my betta tank has been in so far since February 15 and same thing as yours - not soft, but no growth yet except the fuzz on the outside. The first one sprouted in 5 days. Good luck with the replacement! Mine hit the tank on January sixth and went through the fuzzy stage. The pond snails took care of the fuzz. Since then it's just been lying there inert. It's not rotting which is good, but it's not growing. The snails have lost interest in it. The replacement can't be any worse. It's interesting the various views on them online. Some claim a 50% success rate. The Coop says only 5% are duds. Some places sprout them first to be sure they'll grow and toss the ones that don't, but the sprouted bulbs tend to get damaged in shipping. If nothing else gets bulb one to grow it'll be getting bulb two. Once it knows it's being replaced it'll suddenly decide to sprout then I'll have to find something to do with two of them. If it's still not growing come May (and it hasn't rotted) I'll try putting it outside in some water and see if the direct sunshine motivates it to grow. Sunshine is the solution to a lot of problems. Maybe it's the way to get these bulbs to sprout when they're refusing to do so. It's too cool here until May though so that'll be an experiment for down the road. Though I could try it under my purplish plant lights that I'm using for my outdoor seedlings. That's pretty intense stuff. I think I will try that. Maybe that will motivate it to sprout? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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