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Apon. mad? (Lace Plant) Update - 12th month



Much of this is a repeat of my last update at 9 months.  But given the flurry 
of messages associated with this species, I thought I would reiterate the 
information for those of you who may have missed that post.

I have had this lace plant since August 1995.  It is unclear which species it 
is since flowering has yet to occur.  

Originally, growth of new leaves was rather slow but this could have been due 
to either transplant shock or high aquarium temperatures during summer (82-86 
F).  With the beginning of fall, through winter, and early spring, rate of 
growth of new leaves accelerated. Temperatures during this period generally 
were in the 76-80 F range.

The plant continues to grow well without any signs of possible onset of
dormancy.  The other Apon. species in the tank have already been removed
since initiating their dormant phase.  The only down side to the lace
plant is it is literally taking over the 35 gal. tank where it resides to the 
detriment of the other plants in the tank.

Conditions in this 35 gal. tank:
 -  laterite-inserted-balls in the gravel.
 -  DIY CO2 yeast system injected into the inlet of a 350 Magnum.
 -  4-30 watt bulbs. Two are on for 15 hours the other two 10 hours.
 -  minimum 50% water change each week (ok, sometimes I don't it).
 -  supplements used on an alternating basis Seachem's Flourish, Kent's
Freshwater Plant Nutrients, and Schoeler's Liquid Gold.  I try to add a
little of the selected product each day.
 -  other plants in tank include Sagittaria, Bacopa, Ludwiga,  two
species of Hygrophilia, two other species of Apon., and one Echinodorus.
 -  fish in the tank include ten Congo tetras, one thirteen+ year old (do
these guys ever die?) pleco, and an ever changing assortment of platies
and other tetras.

I don't test the water for any chemical constituents (basically too busy
or lazy), although I may start checking the iron levels just to see what
is going on, and the water used for weekly changes is right from the tap
with a chlorine remover added.  Everything seems to grow quite well.

While I thought the gradual increase in tank temperatures that occur during 
summer might have any effect on plant growth, no change has been noted this 
summer (water temp. 80-86 F).  As a final note for those of you who may want 
to try growing this plant, you need a LARGE tank.  IMO, Anything less than 50 
gal. is to small. Ummm... good excuse for new larger tank.  Next update at 18 
months.

-- 
Bob Hoffman
Huntington Beach Orchids
http://www.deltanet.com/users/bhoffman/hborchid.htm