Red plants

[kareen]

Hi All, I would like to put some Brite Red Plants In my 125 Discus Tank is there any out there I can use and were can I find them. Thanks Karen

[Yassmeena]

Hi All, I would like to put some Brite Red Plants In my 125 Discus Tank is there any out there I can use and were can I find them. Thanks Karen

Hi Karen,

Red plants are really beautiful, but they usually are sensitive. I think we would need to know more about your tank parameters to see what red plants you could keep (wpg, nutrient regimen, CO2, etc).

Yasmin

[bs6749]

I wouldn't say that red plants are "sensitive" but rather they may require more attention to become and stay red. Many "red plants" produce green leaves instead of red ones when conditions aren't optimal. Often low nitrates, a nutrient rich substrate, high lighting, and CO2 (or combinations of these factors) are required for a plant to produce red leaves. I'd say that you would need at least 3 watts per gallon equivalent over your tank to have a chance at seeing some red leaves. Also CO2 will most likely be necessary. Some red plants will tend to show red on the new leaves and the leaves closest to the light source while others tend to be green or pinkish and green.

[kareen]

Hi All, My Tank Has T5 Lights /6,700K Plant Bulb/10,000 Colormax Full Spectrum Bulb I Have Eco-Complete Sand and use Flourish Excel and keep PH Around 6.8-6.4 MyTank has two overflows one at each end have two wet/dry Filters I do not have a C02 I use this tank as my show tank for my Discus Thanks Karen

[bs6749]

The substrate should be fine and you may not need CO2 if you have Excel. Do you know how many watts the T5 bulbs are in your setup? Both of the bulbs that you have should be good for growing plants, but you many be lacking in the amount of light if you only have one bulb of each type. You should have at least 4 bulbs total over that tank if you are running T5's.

[kareen]

I Have two 36" T5s Two Bulbs in each light, 21 watts for each Bulb

[bs6749]

So 4 bulbs total if I understand you correctly. That would give you a total of 84 watts and the T5's are about 1.75 times as efficient as T12 (normal output) bulbs as far as lumens per watt. That means you would have about 1.2 watts per gallon equivalent. That's not very much at all. Long tanks like the one you have really stink as far as finding affordable lighting. Even worse is the 5ft 100g that I have. You will basically need to double the amount of light you have now to grow more types of plants. You are pretty much limited to crypts and anubias with that lighting. Don't waste your money on CO2 or Excel until you get more lighting as it won't do much of anything beneficial for the plants as the light they need isn't there. Crypts and anubias don't need it anyway. What plants do you have now? You are most likely going to need 3.0 watts per gallon equivalent for the red plants you want. Here are some multipliers you can use to help you find the best lighting:

T5 1.75
PC/CF 1.35

The multipliers are based on the lumens per watt compared to the normal output bulbs, which is what the watts per gallon rule was based on. If you have a 100w PC/CF fixture you have the equivalent of a 135w normal output fixture. Then just divide by the gallons that you have (125) to get the watts per gallon. This is only a general rule and other things can come into play like deep tanks, type of bulbs, etc. I'd look into additional T5 strip lights as they are better and cheaper IMO.

[kareen]

Thank you bs6749 for all the info I'll check up on geting some more T5's

[Wahter]

bs6749 is right, red plants such as Rotala Macrandra:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27760&d=1189353667

Really like a LOT of light and some CO2 as well. Sometimes even then, they don't grow well.

You could also try:

for stem plants
Ludwigia repens
Ludwigia arcuata
Ammannia gracilis
Rotala wallichii

for sword plants
Echinodorus 'Red Diamond'
Echinodorus tenellus (needle leaf)
Echinodorus 'Indian Red"
Echinodorus Barthii 'double red'

others
Cryptocoryne wendtii red
Nymphaea lotus

and you can always wait until Harriett says she's got too much Hygrophila (but I wouldn't go around broadcasting that).

Hope that helps,


Walter

[Bfreeskier]

Hi All, I would like to put some Brite Red Plants In my 125 Discus Tank is there any out there I can use and were can I find them. Thanks Karen

Just got your PM

It's Rotala Macrandra, it's a fast growing stem plant. I just have have clumped it together to make it bushy looking. My PH is 6.4, soft water, and about 3 Watts per gallon. I also add FE+ supplement. Apperently the Iron makes the plants a more vivid Red. Hope this helps.
Brandon

[yikesjason]

red tiger lotus is the only red plant that stays red in my 125.

[Patr1ck]

red tiger lotus is the only red plant that stays red in my 125.

Agree on the Red Tiger Lotus. Also is a pretty tough plant. I grew mine to 24" tall and about 12" wide in a 90 gallon with same light that you have from coralife, 48" 56 watts total. I didnt have a good substrate nor did I use root tabs. It wasnt as red as some that I have seen but, Ill bet your substrate will keep it more red as it contains more iron.

Pat

[Apistomaster]

Red Dwarf Lilies are one of the best red plants when lighting is modest. They can still grow some large magnificent leaves.
Often listed as Nymphea zenkeri but zenkeri is not a valid name. You may pay more for Dwarf Lilies listed as red or tiger Lotus but they look like the less expensive zenkeri to me once they get growing well

Rotala is not the easiest of red plants to grow and does best under intense light with CO2 supplementation. I suck at growing any Rotala spp.

Ludwigia hybrids are available with reddish leaves and pretty easy to grow under modest lighting. They can grow very fast and thick so allow plenty of space between stems, 3 inches or so.

Alternanthera reineckii has some red cultivars which are not too light demanding and can grow very red broad leaves. It is hard to know exactly what you will get when you order it but some good varieties are out there. I found that they needed some substrate fertilizers and place them carefully where you won't have to move them. They can take awhile to become well established but once they do their grow is pretty good. Allow at least 4 inches between each stem because they spread their leave out well. They grow tall so use them at the back of he aquascape.
The hard part is being lucky enough to get a strain that is very well adapted to your conditions but they are otherwise hardy plants.

[Matt in Houston]

Although probably not as red as you might like, you could also try to grow Ozelot swords with fairly low wattage...The new leaves when they form are bright yellow and red...The leaves turn green but the spots pretty much stay a nice dark red color. One of my favorites, Ozelots look great and are very easy to grow.

[TankWatcher]

Alternanthera reineckii has some red cultivars which are not too light demanding and can grow very red broad leaves.That's one of my favourites, but as I have chosen not to have any stem plants ATM, I no longer have any. There are also some crypts with redish leaves. But like people have already said, with low light & without enough ferts (esp iron) those red leaves turn green.