# Limnophila aromatica



## Chris333 (Jul 29, 2006)

Just in case I have the wrong plant name...this is the stem I have:


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## Brilliant (Apr 11, 2006)

Looks like Pogostemon stellatus

Someone please tell us how to get color...lol..mine looks just like that.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

mine grows the same because I keep my nitrate around 20ppm. They say that if you keep your nitrate at 10ppm or lower the crown will produce more red of leaves. I have been dosing much less since one of my ballasts just burnt out and my aromatica is growing more red.


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## BSS (Sep 24, 2004)

Brilliant said:


> Looks like Pogostemon stellatus


If it were P. stellatus, you should be able to see a bit of a purple/reddish ring around the stem where the leaves meet the stem. I'm guessing it is aromatica.

I tend to get more color in mine as it gets closer to the top of the tank. Certainly not the eye popping reds of some of the pictures here, but certainly more than your picture, or my pruned, lower growth at this moment. I too have heard that keeping lower nitrates will really make the color come out. But, the one time I tried that, something (likely the N) bottomed out and I got a nice lush infestation of algae instead of the redder plant. So, take great care should you try the lowered N approach.

I'd guess that certain types/intensity of lighting might be a factor as well.


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## Brilliant (Apr 11, 2006)

My nitrates are nil...
I didnt think aromatica had those jagged edges.
The plants I got had color but they grew in bright green.


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## Chris333 (Jul 29, 2006)

Perhaps I should look for another "red" plant then.


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

The photo is of Limnophila aromatica, it has the jagged edges, Pogostemon stellatus is much thinner leaves and has purple at the nodes, also much harder to grow. To get the aromatica red you need to dose macros and micros. PO4 will help to bring out the color as well as good macros. Light intensity will also help. Check out my 29 journal, I have a few threads about it in there


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

I think I'm getting red/purple out of this plant because of nitrate&phosphate ~5ppm, low ferts and 6700k lighting.


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## banderbe (Oct 10, 2005)

Some folks feel that dosing iron like Flourish Fe helps to redden plants. It was my experience as well.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

Iron huh... i wonder if Greg Watson's CSM+B Plantex has any Fe in it.
I know he sells Iron Chelate, but I'm not dosing any of that now.
I must be getting some Fe+2 from Flourish Excel, but oddly enough
I've been enjoying reds for Months before I started dosing Excel.


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## Chris333 (Jul 29, 2006)

Thanks guys.

Maybe mine just needs to grow a while, right now it is only 4" tall. I did notice the underside of the leaves are red/purple.

If anyone has some for sale please let me know.


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Good thread, and a nice weed for sure. Growing pretty green for me....with colored under-leaves.

What are you dosing for micros, Chris333? I suspect poor Fe levels also, and I'm dosing CSM+B+Fe.


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

spypet said:


> Iron huh... i wonder if Greg Watson's CSM+B Plantex has any Fe in it.


From Greg's Site:
Plantex CSM is the recommended source for micronutrients ... 
Contains:
1.5% Magnesium (MG), 1.5% Magnesium (cheleted), 0.10% Copper (Cu), 7.0% Iron (Fe - cheleted),2.0% Maganese (Mn - Cheleted), 0.06% Molybedenum (MO), and 0.40% Zinc (Zn - cheleted). (more)

He used to have a CSM+B+Fe that had extra Iron.
Actually I just checked his site, and I don't see the CSM+B+Fe there. I hope he brings it back by the time I need to re-order. 

I also got more red on the undersides and bright green on the top, and dosed with the CSM+B+Fe

HTH
Walter


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

Hmmm. I do know that the the closer it gets to the light, the redder it gets. To tell you truthfully, I have no idea what my nitrates/phosphates are right now, haven't tested in quite some time :icon_redf . I am at this point dosing very "lean" however, so I doubt it's much. Even though the tank hasn't had a water change in quite some time either.


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## turbowagon (Dec 30, 2005)

The only red plant I've gotten to look noticeably red is Alternanthera reineckii ''roseafolia."

The bottom sides of the leaves are an amazing bright red/purple.

You might want to give that plant a shot.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Brilliant said:


> My nitrates are nil...
> I didnt think aromatica had those jagged edges.
> The plants I got had color but they grew in bright green.


yes the leaves are jagged like that


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Chris, 
Mine is the same way because I dose NO3 pretty high to keep out a recurring BGA problem from near-window tank placement. If you dose CSM+B you really don't need to dose more iron. You can supplement it once a month with more if you want, but be careful because if you overdo it, you can get a bout of hair algae. I think the key to red aromatica it high light, low Nitrates and PO4 that is a little higher than the typical 1. SOme people dose lean and have enough of a bioload to have a decent amount of NO3 without having algae issues. They are the ones that seem to have red aromatica. The truth is, the greener it is, the healthier it is, believe it or not...but we all like the red color and that is what we are going for, so we have to tweak the deficiency just enough to get it to express it.
Try the A. reinekii or thr macrandra. They stay nice and red if you want reds, otherwise tweak your conditions slowly as to not ignite an algae bloom or imbalance in your tank.


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## banderbe (Oct 10, 2005)

spypet said:


> Iron huh... i wonder if Greg Watson's CSM+B Plantex has any Fe in it.
> I know he sells Iron Chelate, but I'm not dosing any of that now.
> I must be getting some Fe+2 from Flourish Excel, but oddly enough
> I've been enjoying reds for Months before I started dosing Excel.


Yeah CSM+B has iron, but not much.


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## Betowess (Dec 9, 2004)

Chris333 said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> Maybe mine just needs to grow a while, right now it is only 4" tall. I did notice the underside of the leaves are red/purple.
> 
> If anyone has some for sale please let me know.


That is definately L aromatica. Stellata is thinner without the jagged edges like Bigstick said...Yeah if its only 4" tall it's prolly not close enough to the lights. Keeping the nitrates below 10ppm will definately help (I target ~5-7ppm). But that is stressing the plant a little. I also dose extra Seachem Iron occasionally, if some of the plants aren't green enough. But easy on iron or I have some algaes show up.


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