# Can't grow vals



## Rootsman (Oct 19, 2012)

Completed a re-scape in January and replanted. Java ferns, ludwigia, anubius, and frogbit are all going gangbusters. The vals that were planted at the same time melted and have only regrown to an inch or two. I have been dosing with excel and ferts and since there are no fish in the tank yet, I have had the lights on 24/7 for about two months. Why won't the vals grow when everything else is doing so well? 

It's an unheated 30 gal with LED light bar, aquasoil capped with sand, if that helps...


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I don't think a 24 hour photo period is advised. Also, excel is known to melt vals for a lot of people so that is not suggested.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

I agree with free 24 hours is not necessary. Also, excel as free said melts Val's. All vals need is water and light.


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## BulletToothBoris (Jan 17, 2013)

Lights on 24/7?! As in you never turn them off?


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

Rootsman said:


> Why won't the vals grow when everything else is doing so well?
> 
> It's an unheated 30 gal with LED light bar, aquasoil capped with sand, if that helps...


Same here, vals do not do well in my tank, other plants thrive. There is a competition between plants for CO2, nutriments, etc. Some in your tank maybe better at uptaking them then others. This is especially true in a CO2 (no injection) limited tank. There are often plants which do not do well when another species just beside thrives.

Michel.


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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

24 hours per day is possible with very low light. I did two 40W T12 in a shoplight over a 125g once. I left the light on constantly over some swords. They grew very well. 

Get a cheap timer from the hardware store and set it for 12hrs per day on and off. Stop dosing excel and the vals will grow. They grow really slow until they hit the surface. Then with the higher level of CO2 they turn Into a weed.


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## DevilDogDoc (Dec 12, 2014)

Mine get double excel, pps pro ferts and lots of light in 8 hours, I have pulled out half a tanks worth and still have plenty. Trim weekly or half the tank looks green from the shade. Sand bottom with Osmocote easy to grow for me. This is before I pulled out the stuff on the left, runners for days....,


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## Rootsman (Oct 19, 2012)

The lights are on 24/7 since there are no fish in the tank yet and I wanted to get the plants jump started, and it has worked extremely well for all the other plants. Even with continuous light I have no essentially zero algae, so it seems like the excel is allowing the plants to out-compete the algae with the extra light. Once the fish go in the lights will be on a timer. 

Pretty much all of the plants melted when they first went in, everything but the vals have recovered. The vals have managed to send up a few leaves, 1-2" tall, and no further melting, so I don 't think excel is the issue. They just refuse to thrive like the rest of the tank.

I've struggled with vals in other tanks as well, which I find odd since most folks have them growing like weeds. Everything else is growing like crazy, I think the ludwigia is growing a couple of inches each day, but the vals stubbornly refuse to grow. 

Shrug. Maybe just one of those things...


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## Billium (Mar 13, 2015)

I have never had vals before a few days ago. I threw like 5 plants in my 55g and they are growing new leaves already. All I have is a pool filter sand bottom. I also have a big rubbermaid tub in the basement I throw my extra plants in. Threw some vals on top of the water just floating around and they all have runners coming from them. My tanks are unfertilized but seeing some of you guys using osmocote your plants are really nice. Going tomorrow to get some pill capsules and some osmocote.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

33" Val in my 1.75g vase. It grew to 54" before I decided to take it out :hihi:


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Your lucky to have your vals grown an inch or two. I kept them in a planted 75 with eco complete for three months with no growth whatsoever.


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## Rootsman (Oct 19, 2012)

Wow, that single strand is really something! Did you just coil it up in the vase?

I'm starting to think that vals and I are just going to have to agree to disagree. Fortunately, all of my tanks grow narrow leaf java ferns very well, so at least I've got an aesthetic equivalent.


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## ~T~ (Dec 18, 2006)

I've never been able to grow them either.


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## harp (Oct 8, 2014)

My vals keep sending out baby runners, but they never make it beyond about 3" before melting. I have soft, acidic water and I read somewhere that they hate those conditions.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

stop dosing excel. I am almost certain that is the problem. do a trial run for a week or 2 and see.


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## Rootsman (Oct 19, 2012)

I thought that it might be my water too, but they were doing fine at the shop which is just a few miles away and they said they don't treat their water... 

The worst part is that they won't/don't die, they hang on just enough to prevent me from pulling them out and replacing them; hoping that they'll snap out of it, but knowing deep down that they won't. In the meantime I've got a big hole in my 'scape. No closure, you see? Very frustrating.

At least I feel better knowing I'm not the only person who has had issues with vals...



Philipraposo-I'll try laying off the excel and see what happens.


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Excel melted 75% of my crypts and all my Vals in another tank. I was told by members that they dose excel in their crypt/val tanks with zero negative effect. I was doing good for almost a year when I decided to try Excel. 

What works for some doesnt always work for others.




Rootsman said:


> Wow, that single strand is really something! Did you just coil it up in the vase?



yup :hihi:


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## catchthecarp (Nov 22, 2014)

Blackheart said:


> Your lucky to have your vals grown an inch or two. I kept them in a planted 75 with eco complete for three months with no growth whatsoever.


Same here, 125G with Eco, dose PPS daily, 7-8hr photo period, no CO2. I planted 8 bunches of corkscrew val 3 months ago, they're still kicking but very little if any new growth and they look sickly. I just started dosing Excel (10 ml daily) 2 weeks ago to see what happens. So far, no difference either way. The rest of my plants are thriving.


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## karla (Mar 22, 2015)

Valis can use carbonates in the water to produce carbon, they are a true aquatic species so dont like liquid carbon, perhaps a bit of GH booster added once a week would help.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Ive had some corkscrew melt initially with Excel, then bounce right back better than before. The melt didnt happen over night. Started at the tips and proceeded over 3-4 weeks. By the time the old growth was gone there was new growth taking it's place.

I believe it's a matter of adaptation more than anything.


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## ROYWS3 (Feb 1, 2014)

Vals really don't like liquid CO2 supplements but can adapt to them over time. Someone suggested stopping the dosing all together. I would suggest a much lower dose that you can gradually increase over time. They will adapt to that but it needs to be a slow, gradual increase. Do you know if you have hard or soft water?


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## AquaticCactus (Mar 18, 2015)

I have extremely hard water (Arizona), dose excel and my vals grow like crazy. My thought is that they must love hard water. I trimmed two days ago and have new runners sprouting already!


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## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

catchthecarp said:


> Same here, 125G with Eco, dose PPS daily, 7-8hr photo period, no CO2. I planted 8 bunches of corkscrew val 3 months ago, they're still kicking but very little if any new growth and they look sickly. I just started dosing Excel (10 ml daily) 2 weeks ago to see what happens. So far, no difference either way. The rest of my plants are thriving.





ROYWS3 said:


> Vals really don't like liquid CO2 supplements but can adapt to them over time. Someone suggested stopping the dosing all together.


I actually don't do any dosing at all. And I'm not really sure. My PH is usually pretty high though if that makes any difference. Around the 7.8 range I believe.


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## mattjm20 (Nov 2, 2013)

This is easy. Stop dosing excel or reduce the dose. It melts Vals. I use a tiny bit of excel here and there and that is fine, so it appears a small dose is ok if you want.


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