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Short Val



After being away from the hobby for 20 years or so I got back in and one 
of the few plants that would grow for me was corkscrew val.  In most of 
my tanks it grows over three feet long and I have measured some old 
plants at four feet.  Of course these tall plants block light and are 
awesome to some but become a pain in the but.  

I asked Mike T. of Delaware Aquatics about the problem.  He said I surely 
had the Asiatica variety.  He sold me some Americana variety.   Problem 
is I put them both in the same tank but as time goes on I pitch the 
taller specimens.  This would allow rapid convergence to the short stuff 
but I should explain that it is a "higher" tech tank with MH, co2 etc.  
Under those conditions the Asiatica doesn't get as tall as it does in a 
lower light, no co2 tank.  So the difference between extra tall and short 
is less in the high tech tank.

Bottom line, get ahold of Mike at Delaware Aquatics and he can help you.  
My advice is don't put the two varieties in the same tank or you may 
never know for sure what the heck you have.  From what I could tell the 
Americana max out at about 12 inches.

--Earle Hamilton from Michigan where the temperature is supposed to get 
to 80 next week for the first time this year.