Dragon Flame

I had come across a plant called Dragon Flame(Hemigraphis repanda) in a LFS and I had bought some because it didn't cost much. I usually let the plants sit in a large container of treated water for a week to make sure there are no parasites on them and during that time, I had looked up some information on this plant and I don't know what to believe.

Some sites say that it's an aquatic plant that is a bit difficult to grow yet others say that it's not an aquatic plant and it should be put in a flower pot instead. Which one would you believe? During the time when it was in the container of water, it started to form roots but after hearing about it possibly not being a true aquatic plant, I had planted it in a flower pot and it ended up dying on me. I had also heard that true aquatic plants will droop when they are out of water.

So what should I believe and is it true that all aquatic plants droop when they are out of water?

 

well I believe the proof is in how it acted with you..It is quiet possible it's two different plants with the same common name...If it worked for you in the tank but no in the pot I believe that is your answer

 

This is not a true aquatic plant. It will root, and then lose its leaves and die(been there done that). Most plants that have been kept in water then moved to a pot will die(been there done that too).
Most plants of this nature are terrarium plants(they would have more moisture but not submerged.
carol

 

I guess that's why it would grow for me then! Even though I had noticed roots from it, I didn't want to take the chance of adding it to the tank because if it had died, it would've polluted the water in the tank, especially when I read on some sites that it wasn't an aquatic plant.

It's a shame that it's not an aquatic plant. That dark purple would've looked nice in any planted aquarium.

 

I guess that's why it would grow for me then! Even though I had noticed roots from it, I didn't want to take the chance of adding it to the tank because if it had died, it would've polluted the water in the tank, especially when I read on some sites that it wasn't an aquatic plant.

It's a shame that it's not an aquatic plant. That dark purple would've looked nice in any planted aquarium.

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/105764/. Solid proof!

If you want a dark purple/red - Ludwigia glanduosa is aquatic and a lovely red colour.

 

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/105764/. Solid proof!

If you want a dark purple/red - Ludwigia glanduosa is aquatic and a lovely red colour.

x for that link.

I've looked at pictures of L. glandulosa and it's a very beautiful plant but doesn't it need a lot of CO2 to grow well? My tanks aren't CO2 injected.

 

x for that link.

I've looked at pictures of L. glandulosa and it's a very beautiful plant but doesn't it need a lot of CO2 to grow well? My tanks aren't CO2 injected.

It's for high-tech planteds only sadly. There aren't many/any red plants that can tolerate low lights. Yay for people like me with high tech planteds!drool

EDIT: I've been succesful with Ozelot sword (red version) for a few months in a low light now. I here ech. 'Red special' is low light, too. So, if you are looking for low light reds maybe check them out.

 

It's for high-tech planteds only sadly. There aren't many/any red plants that can tolerate low lights. Yay for people like me with high tech planteds!drool

EDIT: I've been succesful with Ozelot sword (red version) for a few months in a low light now. I here ech. 'Red special' is low light, too. So, if you are looking for low light reds maybe check them out.

What exactly do you mean by "low light"? Is it the amount of time you leave the lights on for or how many watts are used? High tech planted tanks are nice but I like the simplicity of the low maintenance/low tech tanks that I have.

I'll definitely check out those plants you mentioned. It would be nice to have another color aside from rusty red/browns(my crypt) and greens in the tank.

 

What exactly do you mean by "low light"? Is it the amount of time you leave the lights on for or how many watts are used? High tech planted tanks are nice but I like the simplicity of the low maintenance/low tech tanks that I have.

I'll definitely check out those plants you mentioned. It would be nice to have another color aside from rusty red/browns(my crypt) and greens in the tank.

'Low-light' refers to any tank which have a low Watt per Gallon ratio. Pretty much 99.99% of all lighs that come with the tank are only enough to grow 'low-light' plants that I talked about just then. So, something like Glossotigma elantinoids is a 'high-light' plant - meaning it must be grown in high tech planteds. A lot of plants are 'medium-light', so they must have a minimal of about 2 WPG. Low light and medium light plants can be grown in high light as well as their minimal. The length of time you keep your lights on does not decide what light your tank is - the number of watts decides that. So, if you started leaving your tank lights on, say, 14 hours, you would not be able to grow any plants form higher light, but it would make algae growing easier (Plants only photosynthesise part of the day - giving them a more lengthy period of time with the lights on will let algae take over, as the plants are 'asleep'.)

I love crypts! I guess you have crypt wendtiI 'Tropica'? I have that one, it's lovely! If you want to know some other low light plants, check out: Java moss, Java fern, Crypts, Hornwort, Java moss, Anubias and there is also a green version of Ozelot sword. Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica' is also low light... Check out tropica for more useful info on plants - it has a really good encyclopaedia of them if you need quick info on a particular species, or just good for browsing.

 

'Low-light' refers to any tank which have a low Watt per Gallon ratio. Pretty much 99.99% of all lighs that come with the tank are only enough to grow 'low-light' plants that I talked about just then. So, something like Glossotigma elantinoids is a 'high-light' plant - meaning it must be grown in high tech planteds. A lot of plants are 'medium-light', so they must have a minimal of about 2 WPG. Low light and medium light plants can be grown in high light as well as their minimal. The length of time you keep your lights on does not decide what light your tank is - the number of watts decides that. So, if you started leaving your tank lights on, say, 14 hours, you would not be able to grow any plants form higher light, but it would make algae growing easier (Plants only photosynthesise part of the day - giving them a more lengthy period of time with the lights on will let algae take over, as the plants are 'asleep'.)

I love crypts! I guess you have crypt wendtiI 'Tropica'? I have that one, it's lovely! If you want to know some other low light plants, check out: Java moss, Java fern, Crypts, Hornwort, Java moss, Anubias and there is also a green version of Ozelot sword. Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica' is also low light... Check out for more useful info on plants - it has a really good encyclopaedia of them if you need quick info on a particular species, or just good for browsing.

Would my tanks be considered as low light then? My 10 gallon has two ten watt CFL bulbs and my 2.5g has one 9 watt CFL bulb and both tanks get sunlight first thing in the morning.

The Crypt in my 10 gallon is called Cryptocoryne Walkerii(lutea) and the one in my 2.5g is a bronze wendtii. The WalkeriI always has a rusty red/brown color when the leaves are new and get a lot of light. They only look that way in the Spring and Summer when the sun comes in on them in the morning. I just love the looks of these plants! I've used that Tropica site when I was first about to set up my 10g. It's very helpful especially when you want to find plants that can handle certain water hardness, etc. I did check the site for the Ozelot plant you suggested and I think that my be too big for my tank. Most sword plants are much too big for a 10 gallon.

 

Would my tanks be considered as low light then? My 10 gallon has two ten watt CFL bulbs and my 2.5g has one 9 watt CFL bulb and both tanks get sunlight first thing in the morning.

The Crypt in my 10 gallon is called Cryptocoryne Walkerii(lutea) and the one in my 2.5g is a bronze wendtii. The WalkeriI always has a rusty red/brown color when the leaves are new and get a lot of light. They only look that way in the Spring and Summer when the sun comes in on them in the morning. I just love the looks of these plants! I've used that Tropica site when I was first about to set up my 10g. It's very helpful especially when you want to find plants that can handle certain water hardness, etc. I did check the site for the Ozelot plant you suggested and I think that my be too big for my tank. Most sword plants are much too big for a 10 gallon.

Well, the 2.5g is at last 3WPG. That's high light, you can grow almost anything in that! The 10 gallon has 2WPG, which, if I remember rightly, is medium light. What does the CFL stand for? Sunlight isn't good for tanks, as it encourages algae growth. I'd find a way of shielding them from the sun if you don't want algae. Echindorus 'red diamond' is a nice medium light sword. I believe that high/med light plants would want CO2 though - but I am by far no Planted tank guru so I'm not 100% sure.

 

Well, the 2.5g is at last 3WPG. That's high light, you can grow almost anything in that! The 10 gallon has 2WPG, which, if I remember rightly, is medium light. What does the CFL stand for? Sunlight isn't good for tanks, as it encourages algae growth. I'd find a way of shielding them from the sun if you don't want algae. Echindorus 'red diamond' is a nice medium light sword. I believe that high/med light plants would want CO2 though - but I am by far no Planted tank guru so I'm not 100% sure.

CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Lighting. I don't use bulbs that are made for aquariums. I just use fluorescent bulbs from hardware stores because they are much cheaper. As for the sunlight, it's actually a good thing for the type of tanks I have because what you're doing is creating an ecosystem and many aquatic ecosystems get natural sunlight through the day. My 10 gallon has been set up for almost a year now and even though I did have a bit of algae when I had first set it up, I no longer have any because of my Zebra nerites. I found that I had gotten a lot of algae when I had cut down the lighting time from 10 hours to 8. Once I bumped it back up, it started to die down. The only type of algae my 2.5g has ever gotten is diatoms but those are common in new set ups.

I'd bump my 10 gallon up to 3wpg but I don't know if my betta would like it being that bright in there. He's fine with 20 watts but I think 30 would be a little too much for him.

 

CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Lighting. I don't use bulbs that are made for aquariums. I just use fluorescent bulbs from hardware stores because they are much cheaper. As for the sunlight, it's actually a good thing for the type of tanks I have because what you're doing is creating an ecosystem and many aquatic ecosystems get natural sunlight through the day. My 10 gallon has been set up for almost a year now and even though I did have a bit of algae when I had first set it up, I no longer have any because of my Zebra nerites. I found that I had gotten a lot of algae when I had cut down the lighting time from 10 hours to 8. Once I bumped it back up, it started to die down. The only type of algae my 2.5g has ever gotten is diatoms but those are common in new set ups.

I'd bump my 10 gallon up to 3wpg but I don't know if my betta would like it being that bright in there. He's fine with 20 watts but I think 30 would be a little too much for him.

Well, I'm not sure about the efficiency of fluorescent lighting from hardware stores, so, I'm not entirely sure how good lighting you will be getting? To be safe I'd stick to low light plants right now. If you're not getting algae from sunlight then that's great! Nerites are brilliant little algae munchers - I've seen photos of a totally green algae wall, but then after the nerites hadslivered over it - you could see the nerites trail on the glass in the photo!
Bettas shouldn't mind more light - in fact they love planted tanks! But, if you want to bump it up - it's advisable to do LOTS of research on planted tanks. is an excellent place to start. There's no point getting a 3WPG lighting system, but then not injecting CO2 or dosing Ferts!

 

Well, I'm not sure about the efficiency of fluorescent lighting from hardware stores, so, I'm not entirely sure how good lighting you will be getting? To be safe I'd stick to low light plants right now. If you're not getting algae from sunlight then that's great! Nerites are brilliant little algae munchers - I've seen photos of a totally green algae wall, but then after the nerites hadslivered over it - you could see the nerites trail on the glass in the photo!
Bettas shouldn't mind more light - in fact they love planted tanks! But, if you want to bump it up - it's advisable to do LOTS of research on planted tanks. is an excellent place to start. There's no point getting a 3WPG lighting system, but then not injecting CO2 or dosing Ferts!

I'd have to look for it but I think there was a test or study done on the fluorescent bulbs that a lot of people buy from hardware stores for their aquariums and the person who did this test found that the bulbs at hardware stores are much "stronger" then those made specifically for aquariums.

I wish I had taken pictures of my 10 gallon before I added my zebras in there. The diatoms on the glass were so thick that I had a difficult time scraping them off with a metal scraper! Just two zebras had all of that eaten up in about two weeks.

My boy definitely loves his planted tank! You know, after thinking about it, he shouldn't mind a higher wattage of lighting since he loves to bask in the sunlight in the morning. The type of planted tank I have is a "Walstad tank" or El Natural. It's a great set up that is very simple to keep and it's low maintenance as well. I had read Diana Walstad's book throughly before setting up my 10 gallon so I know quite a bit about this type of set up but I'll check out the forum you suggested as well.

 

My boy definitely loves his planted tank! You know, after thinking about it, he shouldn't mind a higher wattage of lighting since he loves to bask in the sunlight in the morning. The type of planted tank I have is a "Walstad tank" or El Natural. It's a great set up that is very simple to keep and it's low maintenance as well. I had read Diana Walstad's book throughly before setting up my 10 gallon so I know quite a bit about this type of set up but I'll check out the forum you suggested as well.

I've never heard of a 'Walstad tank' before. I've just googled it - it sounds pretty interesting. How is the water heated? I might have to try a small one for them with some Red cherry shrimp. They can take it down to 4C. It's certinatly something I haven't heard of people trying these days - although I knew about the tanks they had hundreds of years ago.

That's interesting about the bulbs. Goes to show the quality of products made for aquariums these days! You won't believe what horror is on the back of Tetra's EasyBalance. "Reduces frequent water changes so you only need to do them every 6 months!" Ouch.

 

I have kept plants under CFL, and they seem just as efficient, if not more than, normal lights.

 

I've never heard of a 'Walstad tank' before. I've just googled it - it sounds pretty interesting. How is the water heated? I might have to try a small one for them with some Red cherry shrimp. They can take it down to 4C. It's certinatly something I haven't heard of people trying these days - although I knew about the tanks they had hundreds of years ago.

That's interesting about the bulbs. Goes to show the quality of products made for aquariums these days! You won't believe what horror is on the back of Tetra's EasyBalance. "Reduces frequent water changes so you only need to do them every 6 months!" Ouch.

I never knew about it until someone on LiveJournal told me about it last year. I heat my tanks with heaters just like you would with any other tank and I use an AquaClear 20 for some circulation in my 10 gallon and an air operated chest circulates the water in my 2.5g. With Walstad tanks, you only do water changes every six month but that's because the plants are the tank's filter and most people don't actually do water changes unless there is a problem with the tank or if the plants or fish look unhappy. I've heard of someone having a discus tank set up in this manner and they never did water changes for two years and everything was well.

I just looked up that EasyBalance. For the type of tank I have I'd say that it's okay to do water changes every six months but I don't think that's a good thing for tanks cycled with filters, is it? I've never cycled a tank with a filter before.

I have kept plants under CFL, and they seem just as efficient, if not more than, normal lights.

I agree. Many people on some forums that I'm a member of also prefer CFL bulbs as well not just because the light intensity is greater but because the bulbs are also cheaper too.

 

I just looked up that EasyBalance. For the type of tank I have I'd say that it's okay to do water changes every six months but I don't think that's a good thing for tanks cycled with filters, is it? I've never cycled a tank with a filter before.

Tetra make a lot of pretty dumb products - unfortunatly being the biggest fish brand in the UK these silly chemicals like easy balance, 'Nitrate minus' (Not!) or Safe Start (A silly little bacteria supplement with no nitrifying bacteria...:rolleyes often end up in UK newbie's tanks!