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Re: P. stellata



 
> Not long ago I posted that my stellata wasn't doing
> the tip-dying/new-sprouts thing.  Well now it is.
> 
> In fact, the biggest stalk, which is well over 1cm
> diamter at the stalk, has put out 13 (yes, count them
> 13) good sized shoots.
> 
> I'm not sure what has changed in my tank to cause
> this.  It may be that I stopped dosing P.  I'm going
> to start dosing P and see if that changes it back to
> how it was...

Well it's done this to other folks. It seems to be a low P high N type of
plant. So if you practice PO4 limiting, it should do better for you.
I think that might be more of what's happening. I know at high PO4 levels it
never does well. When I do a water change and add PO4 it stunts.
Doesn't matter how good the other nutrients are or are at.
If I let the tank run to 0.00ppm of PO4, it does well(went on vacation for
10 days and it did great). Not sure how much PO4 produces a stunting. 0.5ppm
or less though. But why does this cause stunting?

I've watched newbies do great with it right across the bay while I have a
rough time with it. My water is harder, has PO4 etc. After every water
change I'd get stunting. Sometimes they'd get stunting also. I first
suspected higher hardness(GH and or KH) as a possible cause. I think I'm
leaning more towards PO4 these days and low NO3. It might be both but some
reports of harder water have me more convinced that it is PO4 controlled.

Remember, it's an easy plant for many folks and they do water changes etc.
I'm adding more than enough Trace's, K, CO2 etc. and doing good sized water
changes and adding PO4. I can delete the PO4 out of the water too see if
this helps. It'll hold some plants back I think but I might just add tiny
amounts of PO4 to see if it stunts trying that so that the other plants are
not PO4 limited(and this one also). It seems to be a PO4 sensitive plant.
Something new and weird.
I'm getting some more to try this notion out. I'd like to think there are no
plants that require (GH/KH) soft water.
Other plants that might fall into this group:

Bacopa myriophylliodes
Rotala wallichii

I have grown these very nicely in low PO4 conditions. In higher PO4
conditions they did not fair as well but not to the extent that of P
stellata.
Regards, 
Tom Barr