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RE: Wallichii

>Hello everyone,
>
>
>FWIW, I am Just getting around to recovering from a disk crash.  I was not
>surprised to hear rumors that the AquaJournal was being discontinued.  My
>sources actually indicated that English version was being discontinued.
>Maybe someone at VectraPoint could give us a clue? I received AJ#38 I guess
>back in Sept maybe??  At this rate my substrate will expire before I get all
>12 issues (and gosh with under gravel heating cables this could tank 10
>years!;))  -Oh well I can lean Japanese in the mean time and read Diana
>Walstad's book over and over again in between AquaJournal Volumes?

Look up some references that she provides. Some are very helpful reads!

  Thank
>God for Dave G's new publication, (no pressure Dave).

He needs the pressure<g>!

>Question: My R. Wallichii has taken a nose-dive for no apparent reason, and
>four of my larger SAEs have developed a taste for it's less than vibrant and
>typical grown.  The SAE yank the needles off the plant in the middle 2
>thirds of the stalk.  Top portions are still growing and green/red in color.
>They seem to nibble the darker needles the most.    I remember a thread
>going about this, did anyone figure this one out.

I've played several rounds with SAE's eating wallichii. At first "no", then
"maybe" and now
without any doubt in my mind a certain "Yes".

They might not "eat" the plant but they bother it enough to actually stop
its good growth. I have the same pattern and have heard the same thing from
others as you just described above. At didn't want to think that they were
capable of this action. "One of my favorite fish cannot be guilty of this
crime!" They were innocent! But after some close spying, they are so guilty!
I have removed them from the Rotala tank and have watched the plants come
right back.
Don't add SAE's to R.wallichii tanks as they just are not compatible. The
plants are in a certain area where the SAE's cannot get at them, but some
places they can and the plant always does poorly in the areas were the fish
can get at them. 

  I took a group from the
>huge clump located in one spot and moved it to another part of the tank with
>a little more light thinking maybe it wasn't getting or it had exhausted
>nutrients from it's current substrate location or maybe it was suffering
>from some sort of allelopathic circumstance.  I also added some root-tabs
>(K, Mg, Fe, S) to maybe perk things up....I let everyone know if this
>improves things.  Does anyone know what nutrients R. Wallichii must have or
>is particularly susceptible to shortages of in the substrate or water
>column?  

Does well in general good conditions, well balanced tank etc. No big changes
done to the tank etc. Does seem to do well with snails for a cleaner animal
instead. Snails are about the best cleaners around for fine needled plants
IMO. Add shrimps instead of SAE's and see or try the lowly under appreciated
Gastropods(snails, small ones like pond-football shaped, MTS, and ramshorn)

I can't think of anything I did out of the ordinary to this tank
>that would damage this plant.  Is this seasonal, does it go dormant?  On
>average the night time temperature in my tank has dropped a few degrees
>because of the cold weather?  Typically my tank stays around 81.5F-day and
>79.5F-night but as dropped to 78.5F with these cold nights. Hummmm....

It certainly does not mind cooler temps. The bio cycles sometimes slow down
at lower temps but the plants should all slow down, not just one plant as
you mentioned. Some plants maybe but not this one. Seemed to do better at
lower temps for me anyhow. It sure likes Flourite and other RFUG substrates.
Your notions were correct about the fish. IF you don't have a BBA problem
etc you certainly don't need SAE's but I love them anyway. Damn nice fish. 

>Thanks!
>Tom Brennan

Regards, 
Tom Barr