Re: anubias - How do they do it?

[Laura Wichers <cellostix at wtw_waveform.net>]

Roger Miller: 

> The coffeefolia was from a rift lake tank.   The plant was rooted in a 
> blasting grit substrate (still attached to the roots when I saw it) and grown 
> under moderate light, The tank had a pH of 8+ and fishfood was the only 
> fertilizer.  The plant's leaves were completely algae-free. 
>
> I once had some A. nana in a sunlit, unfertilized aquarium with guppies and 
> ghost shrimp.  The pH in that tank would get very high during the day.  The 
> plant grew slowly, but it's leaves always remained deep green and they never 
> showed a spec of algae.  It always looked like a plastic plant straight out 
> of the package :)

I kept Malawi cichlids for a number of years, and while pretty much any 
plant I attempted was deemed salad, A. nana managed to thrive.  I think the 
high pH, combined with the relatively low light I had at the time, had 
something to do with the success.  I had no knowledge of plants at the time 
so the plant was basically neglected.  It grew very slowly, maybe a new leaf 
every month or so, but always had a wonderful deep green color, and no 
algae. 

The A. nana I have in my planted tank now grows quickly, but doesn't have 
that great color.  Could the lower pH (6.5ish) have anything to do with it? 


Laura Wichers