# Opinions on Ambulia



## gremmy (Nov 17, 2005)

I am thinking about planting Ambulia (Limnophila indica). I'm wondering what your opinions are of this plant and whether or not I can expect it to get leggy, make a mess, or go dormant after a cutting (like Cabomba tends to do to me).

I'm running 96 Watts PC over a 46 gallon tank, for just over 2 watts a gallon. I am not injecting CO2 but I am dosing Flourish Excel daily as a carbon supplement. Other plants in the tank include Pygmy Chain Sword, Telenthera, Anubias, Java Fern, and various crypts.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

It's a complete and total weed. Sometimes it grows leggy and sometimes the stem right next to it is as compact as all get out.

I find it does much better with higher CO2 levels. 

It has never gone dormant on me after cutting.


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## gremmy (Nov 17, 2005)

Do you find it to be attractive in large bunches? Also, how would you compare it to Cabomba, which I have some experience with.

Also, is there a lot of "clipping and replanting the tops" as there is when Cabomba goes leggy?


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

I like it because it is a much lighter green than most plants. It looks great when planted in groups, but as Rex said, it is an absolute weed. I had 40 watts when I was first starting out in a planted tank over a 37 gallon. Sheesh, I know. One bulb was even 20,000K. Yet that ambulia would add at least half an inch or more every day. Ever since it got bad hair algae and I removed it, I have been wanting to find some more in the LFS just to see how fast it grows with CO2 and 130 watts of 6700K. It can be clipped an replanted but it will also send out side shoots like crazy. It gets to be one dense bush.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

I currently have ambulia in my tank. All the stems that I have are different in thickness. When I first got this plant I had 98 watts of light and it was all useless light over 12000k and some was actinic. It grew very slow under this type of light maybe about an inch a weak. 

I recently upgraded my lights about 2 weeks ago to 150watts of 6700k lighting. This plant has TOOK OFF. With 30ppm of CO2,micro and micro dosing the side shoots it is sending off are SUPER bright green and the old one are much darker with fuzz and bba on them. 

It has taken me a while to like it, but when I made the right upgrades it is looking much more apealing and I like it. I cant wait for the algea to clear up this plant will look great.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

It's a very attractive plant. You will get a bunch if you start with one stem as it throws runners all day long.

I have to clip it at least every 10 days in my high light tanks or it takes over.


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## gremmy (Nov 17, 2005)

Rex Grigg said:


> I have to clip it at least every 10 days in my high light tanks or it takes over.


Do you just clip the tops off? Or do you remove the bottoms and replant the tops?


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

You can do either or both. I tend to remove the bottoms otherwise they thow out runners and take over the tank.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

Rex Grigg said:


> You can do either or both. I tend to remove the bottoms otherwise they thow out runners and take over the tank.


mine throw out side shoots and every once in a while. Are side shoots considered runners or does different ambulia species propigate differently?

thanks
Ry


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

Rex Grigg said:


> It's a complete and total weed. Sometimes it grows leggy and sometimes the stem right next to it is as compact as all get out.


This wasn't quite my experience. All of my ambulia got so leggy, and grew so ridiculously fast, I ended up getting rid of it. But for the record the plant I had was actually Limnophila sessiliflora. I had planned on replacing it with Cabomba, but still don't have the room.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

jart said:


> This wasn't quite my experience. All of my ambulia got so leggy, and grew so ridiculously fast, I ended up getting rid of it. But for the record the plant I had was actually Limnophila sessiliflora. I had planned on replacing it with Cabomba, but still don't have the room.



Not all the stems have come out leggy for me. A few of the stems are really leggy almost kinking in a spot. But most of the stems look healthy. It is deffinatley weed like though I believe that it grows very differently under different viarables.


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

I can't really recall the time frame as to when mine starting looking aweful. It may have starting getting really leggy in response to repeated, frequent trimming. But anyway, now that you have more light, hopefully your ambulia won't end up like mine did.


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## gnome (Mar 9, 2004)

Sorry, my experience is only with L. sessiflora, too, but I discovered that under POOR conditions, it actually grows compact, almost looking like foxtail. The leaves are wispier and the diameter of the stem doesn't get quite as large, but it grows out lush and pretty and slowly. When I top it and leave the base rooted, it grows out a new stem that's just as beautiful as the first. It also branches nicely, and usually from lower down on the stem. I recently sold some stems and called it "stressed" L. sessiflora :icon_lol: . I should clean up the tank (2.5 gallon) and take a picture of it. In my 20-gallon that's way more rich in nutrients and CO2, the stuff grew very fast but very leggy. I eventually got rid of it. It looked nice in a bunch, but if I didn't keep up on my trimming and replanting, it would shade over the lower plants and create all sorts of problems. 

I think Cabombas need really rich conditions and strong light. It's much fussier than Ambulia, IME.

-Naomi


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