Glossostigma elatinoides in high temperature?

[aix1]

Just wondering, is this plant suitable for discus tanks? Tropica announces suitable temperature being 15-26C which is too low for discus. Any experience? Thanks.

[prolude006]

In a discus tank it might be hard, it will adapt eventually but it needs high light and co2 to stay dense if thats what your looking for. If its cheap just try some and see.

David

[aix1]

Thanks David! I am adding CO2 and I could use enough light. Just that discus will become very shy in that case :D

[Harriett]

Tends to shed leaves at discus temps. Been there with that.
Harriett

[aix1]

Harriett, did you also use CO2? Do you think it was because of temp? Could not have been nutrients? Or light?

Thanks.
Ailar

[prolude006]

Wow never had it shed leaves, but I did keep my planted discus tank at 82f so maybe cooler than Harriett?
I know Takashi Amano has discus tanks with glosso that do very well, well better than most people can ever hope of. (lots of money, time and materials at his disposal, not to mention starting with only the best specimens)

I will eventually get some of the new LED floodlight fixtures that are just starting to come out and mount a couple like they were metal halides. Then I can spotlight certain areas of the tank and leave it dimmer around the outsides of the tank so the Discus can retreat to shade. Hopefully the high powered LED floods will be out soon.

David

[waj8]

Grows well for me at 84 degrees with CO2 and medium light. Without CO2 it dies quickly.

[aix1]

Wayne, how do you fertilize the tank? As I understand it picks up the nutrients from the water not so much from the substrate?

[waj8]

I only fertilize the water column. I use PMDD plus PO4. Glosso is a bit difficult in a Discus tank. It is very delicate and the roots don't run really deep so it's easy for bits of it to get pulled up. I don't find Glosso to be all that difficult in general but it's quite challenging in a DIscus tank. It is beautiful though, and is my favorite ground cover. One good thing about Glosso is that it stays very low and bits of food don't get stuck in it like happens with grass type plants. H.M. is a hardier and easier plant and looks pretty good too.

[aix1]

I have a feeling that my 2-4mm gravel is not going to work with it :D Like you said roots are a bit too small to really hang on... But since I have it in my tank I will see what happens. If it does not work I put it into small tank for shrimps and try there.

[ExReefer]

It grows fine, but some of my discus would never leave it alone. They kept uprooting the plant so it got annoying and I stopped keeping it.

[Greenheinie]

The breeder I buy my discus from has a massive mat of glosso in one of his display tanks. He said it grows like crazy and he has to pull chunks of it out regularly otherwise it would take over the tank. There ya have it, my two cents.

[aix1]

so basically, like with everything, we all have different experience :D it seems to be growing rather nicely. Only issue is that it tends to come out like Exreefer said when discus decide to become gardeners :D