# LF Bolbitus heudelotii Tips



## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Post up your tank specs, I understand it can be effected by easy carbo/excel.


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## loachlady5 (Dec 9, 2007)

dissident said:


> ...pricey plant.


If it doesn't work this time but you want to try again, Petco has it cheap. Mine turned black but never melted. My water is fairly hard. I don't know if that was the problem or not.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

wait, are you planting it or attaching it to something?


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

I have grown this plant with what I'd like to think "success" for a few years. Here it is in an earlier incarnation of my 75G aquarium. It is the dark green plant on the right hand side:










It is a great plant, with the potential to be a real "tank-buster" . That particular plant reached a size of 24" in length from side to side.

Key to this plant in my experience is good water flow. Get the plant in the direct line of the out flow of your filter and you are going to really improve your chances of success with _Bolbitus heudelotii_. If you can get the plant in the direct line of CO2 enriched water, then you are really going to make the plant happy.

Good fertilizer and CO2 levels are a given. I'd also trim out the older fronds on occasion to prevent the plant from choking itself out. If it is too thick, water will stagnate between the thick fronds, and you may develop some algae issues.

_Bolbitus heudelotii_ grows on laterally moving rhizome. Don't forget that, and plan accordingly. While it will mature and throw smaller rhizomes off of the fatter major rhizomes, the plant will want to do most of it's growing along those rhizomes, so it will really expand laterally as it matures.

Hope that helps!


Mike


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

I grew it in a low-tech tank. No CO2, No ferts, roughly 1.5 wpg in a 38g. I kept it right in front of the spraybar. I believe I recieved it as a RAOK from Mo about two years ago. I have medium water hardness with a ph of 7.6ish.

It grew like mad. Faster then any other fern I have kept and outgrew my 38g I believe three times in 2 yrs. A very striking plant if you can scape it well. IMO it is very difficult to scape in any aquarium smaller then a 50g. You really need 18" or greater depth and 20"+ of height. 

I agree that you may need to thin out some leaves to prevent stagnation within the leaves, I did develope bba in the thickest portions.


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## dissident (Oct 15, 2003)

Thanks for some of the pointers. I think i will take the extra power-head I have and have that pushing water over the driftwood i have it attached to. There is a total of about 10 rhizomes, in the past the leaves went darkgreen to brown to dead and the rhizome would rot out attached to driftwood in open water. It would never bounce back in my old 65gal planted. However I did dose Fe fairly heavily in that tank which from reading could be the culprit? 

I do not have much of a choice for water temp, the discus prevent me from lowering it below 82F.

The current planting is ~ 1week old


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## loachlady5 (Dec 9, 2007)

Sounds like the general consensus is to keep in in an area of water flow. I am planning to try it again, and I will do this.


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

when the bolbitis came from a different environment from your tank's, usually the leaves turn black and look ugly, but it will bounce back with good new leaves. i guess the plant is adapting. don't cut the ugly leaves until the new leaves are big enough though, as did this before leaving the rhizome without any leaf. it took like forever to grow back.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> when the bolbitis came from a different environment from your tank's, usually the leaves turn black and look ugly, but it will bounce back with good new leaves.


If I remember correctly, I *believe* that can happen when the plant moves from one level of pH to another.


Mike


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## ikuzo (Jul 11, 2006)

that explain it all, thanks for pointing that out Mike. a few friends here and myself have great bolbitis in a tank and suddenly they turn black by itself. so i guess the city's tapwater is not stable. 

now i'm keeping bolbitis in a less / no water change tank. i hope this won't happen again since bolbitis here is very expensive.


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## dissident (Oct 15, 2003)

Momotaro said:


> If I remember correctly, I *believe* that can happen when the plant moves from one level of pH to another.
> 
> 
> Mike


Mike,
Doesn't PH fluctuate just by us injecting CO2 into the tank (rhetorical question)? I have not tested my PH swing in a while. I guess the question is what would be dramatic enough (PH swing) for it to melt the plant?


Been one week since planting of the Bolbitus and I have added a small 175GPH power-head to add some extra current over the driftwood and I directed one of the outs of my FX5 filter to add some additional current to the area of the tank. Some new leaves are poping out of the rhizome but I am sure that is from old stored energy. Still hoping for the best.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> Doesn't PH fluctuate just by us injecting CO2 into the tank (rhetorical question)? I have not tested my PH swing in a while. I guess the question is what would be dramatic enough (PH swing) for it to melt the plant?


I believe it needs to be a more drastic change, not a swing.



> Been one week since planting of the Bolbitus and I have added a small 175GPH power-head to add some extra current over the driftwood and I directed one of the outs of my FX5 filter to add some additional current to the area of the tank. Some new leaves are poping out of the rhizome but I am sure that is from old stored energy.


*Excellent!* roud: 

Plant is growing and throwing off new fronds because you are making it happy! Keep it up...I can hear it growing all the way in NJ!!!


Mike


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