atmmachine816

i finally figured out my plant it is a camboda i think thats how you spell it also a buch plant but when you cut it to replant the top should you cut it at a 45 degree angle

thanks

Isabella

You need a very high light output for a cabomba. It's a beautiful plant but it won't grow under a standard light, not even under moderate light. It needs a lot of WPG's.

atmmachine816

well its growing well in my tank but how do i replant it when if gets too high

Isabella

How long have you had this plant so far? It will probably die with time, or otherwise won't do well in the long run. I mean, I wish you best of luck with it and I hope it will grow very well for you. I am just telling you what I have read about this plant. If the plant gets too high, you can cut it off at the top. Here is the information about cabombas and their propagation: http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_sear...ba&type=Search I don't know what kind of cabomba you have, so here are a few types. Each is described.

atmmachine816

o according to that site maybe its the carolina fanwort i had looked at another site and it looked like camboda

Isabella

This is cabomba: http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=43 (click on its picture on the left, you'll see it clearly then)

This is what PlantGeek says about cabomba:

Difficulty: Very Difficult
Lighting Requirements: Very High
Tank Placement: Backdrop

atmmachine816

ya i think its the fornwort

Isabella

Well then, it says Carolina Fanwort kind of Cabomba needs a medium high light. Perhaps it will do well? I hope it does. But I wouldn't be surprised if it faded away with time. What is your tank size and what light do you have (wattage-wise)?

Jon

what type of bulbs do you have... wattage isnt everything when you compare different bulbs...

Marc

You could also see how your fish handle leaving the light on a little longer each day.

Jon

plants dont benefit from additional light after 10-12 hours

atmmachine816

my light is on for 6 hours its a 20w flourescent bulb so .66 approx. watts per gallon and some of them have grown over six inches since i got them a little over 2 weeks ago tank 29 gallons

Jon

i reccomend having your light on 10-12 hours... your plants are already starving if you've got a .66 wpg set up. If your plants are doing well im happy for you but i suggest bumping up your light time slowly as not to shock your fish.

Isabella

20W in a 29G tank won't do for Cabomba in the long run. It may stay fresh looking in the beginning though. The only well-known plants that will live under low light are anubias and javas. You could try and get these for a low-light tank.

Isabella

And Jon is right on - plants don't use the light after 12 hours. Leaving the light on for 6 hours is too little for a planted tank. I leave the light on in my tank for around 10 hours a day.

atmmachine816

i know they also are in direct sunlight all day long and the light is on at night so they still are getting a lot of light and in case you didnt know angels like subdued light and i have figured out my plant i talked to the G.M. at my LFS and its hornwort and i just picked up some corksrew/twisted val dont think it will live but you never know 1.50 is worth a try

Jon

lol no wonder its doing well then hornwart has very low light requirements... GL

atmmachine816

yes now i need to figure out how to cut it and it to still grow after i cut it

Jon

do you have demersum or submersum hornwort?

atmmachine816

no idea

Jon

if you go to plantgeek.com, and to the plant guide, then to light requirements, then to low light, then to page 2, you will find both types with pictures to help you identify which one you have.

Isabella

No artificial light is better than natural sun light. If your cabomba is in direct sunlight all day, then it should grow. But if the sun's rays are obstructed by anything, that's not good. Another problem associated with direct sunlight is that you encourage your algae to grow - and algae grow fast and well under direct sunlight (as do plants! lol). And one last thing - if your plants receive full sunlight during the day for, say, 5 hours; then turn the artificial light on for the remaining 5-7 hours. So that the plants receive 10-12 hours of light per day. Do not leave the light on at night. The plants need to rest from light just as fish do.

atmmachine816

no its horwort and it look closet to submersum but not quite like it so maybe its a different type but so far i have tried cutting it two different ways one straight across and the other at a 45 degree angle and neither of them seem to grow back so i guess when you want it at a certain height you just need to cut it

as for lighting the sun gradually comes up around 7-8 and the tank is exposed the light is naturally introduced into their tank then its in the light all day until 3 when artificial light comes on then goes off at around 10 and i go to bed and its dark in my room so 14 hours of light artificial and natural combined and 10 hours of darkness

Jon

make sure your stems are around 3-6" before you cut or the stem wont grow when replanted

atmmachine816

i know

Jon

k well if your doing everything right and it wont work i guess you could try to increase your lighting and add some fertilizer if you dont already use it... it doesnt seem like it should be too difficult... gl

Butterfly

one note on using natural sunlight. Sunlight can cause the temperture of your tank to rise to an uncomfortable level so keep an eye on that.
Carol

Jon

yeah or if you use powerful bulbs like compact flourescents or metal halides... i doubt you do but just in case

atmmachine816

the plants are doing fine and the light doesnt raise the temp at all i need to do some triming this summer though

Jon

k gl hope ure plants propagate.