# corkscrew val problems



## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

are you dosing excel?? I had all my corkscrews (about a sq foot in area and to the top of a 120) completely melt when I tried adding some Excel to deal with some algae problem I was having. Most of mine recovered but I also stopped using Excel.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

true ,excel will melt your valls


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## Hewer_07 (Feb 25, 2007)

no excel, but did use algae killer in my tank around 3 weeks before


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

aw damn i got like a massive BBA and i have vals that means i cant use no excel?


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

that's probably why. "algae killer" will stunt/kill almost all of your plants. especially certain sensitive plants like vals, egeria, and crypts.


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## Hewer_07 (Feb 25, 2007)

it said safe for plants, didnt harm any of them. i put the stuff in 3 weeks before the vals where put in


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

that's what it SAYS.


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## Hewer_07 (Feb 25, 2007)

true, also i have some holes in my java fern too so maybe it is the junk doin it


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## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

I dose excell daily. Not an OD , just the recommended 1ml/10 gal dosage. No problems with my corkscrew vals.

Tommy


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## argblarg (Aug 7, 2006)

I was double dosing Excel for a month and my corkscrew vals were doing great. I think the Italian vals are the ones that have problems with it.


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## essabee (Oct 7, 2006)

15 March 2007, redone, new lights, aquascaped and re-started with all the new features. Size 250 gals.

Ammonia .25 ppm, Nitrite 1 ppm, Nitrate 10 ppm, Ph 6.6 (Tap water Ph 8.0-8.2), DIY CO2 80-100 bubbles/min, + 4watts/G 6700K MH, Temp. 27C, Substrate Laterite clay soil + fine sand + 1:2 CaPO4/CaSO4, topped with Laterite gravel + sand.

Can't get screw vals to grow?!!!!!! Did not use Excel or anti-algae.

Used to be overrun with screw vals before, (no CO2, no MH, 160W florescent only).

I too do not understand the matter.


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## TAF CAF (Jan 12, 2006)

I have heard from some very experienced plant people around here.... and from my own expirience...

KH/PH / Hardness is the issue. Vals melt when they are at low KH/PH / Hardness. That is why they can commonly be growing well in low-tech tanks with moderate to high hardness and KH/PH, and then melt away when you add CO2 and start getting things all right for the other plants.

Of course, your issue could differ, but this has been my experience in several tanks and several times.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

i want to just throw my $0.02 in here...i dose excel and inject CO2 and have no problems with Corkscrew. i have noticed though that if they do not get an adequate duration of unobstructed light (not necessarily high wattage, but duration), they tend to brown up and wilt. This is only my opinion though and I have never really tested nor documented this thoroughly enough to claim it to be true.

however, it may be something to try Hewer...


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## KevinC (May 24, 2004)

TAF CAF said:


> I have heard from some very experienced plant people around here.... and from my own expirience...
> 
> KH/PH / Hardness is the issue. Vals melt when they are at low KH/PH / Hardness. That is why they can commonly be growing well in low-tech tanks with moderate to high hardness and KH/PH, and then melt away when you add CO2 and start getting things all right for the other plants.
> 
> Of course, your issue could differ, but this has been my experience in several tanks and several times.


Yeah, my experience is different: my corkscrew vals do GREAT with only 2dKH and 5dGH, CO2 injection, moderate light. In my experience it is CHANGE that harms corkscrew vals (as well as the Excel problem). Leave them alone, keep the tank conditions relatively constant, give them some root tabs, and within two months (yes, months) you will see them doing fine. Then they will proceed to take over your tank and you will be pulling and replanting at least once a month!

Kevin


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

I am trying corkscrews in my new 90gal. Never had them before. They are slow to start off that's for sure. But in the past week or so they seem to be picking up the pace a bit. I was worried that they were not going to make it for a while. Could just be slow to acclimate....


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## essabee (Oct 7, 2006)

KevinC said:


> Yeah, my experience is different: my corkscrew vals do GREAT with only 2dKH and 5dGH, CO2 injection, moderate light. In my experience it is CHANGE that harms corkscrew vals (as well as the Excel problem). Leave them alone, keep the tank conditions relatively constant, give them some root tabs, and within two months (yes, months) you will see them doing fine. Then they will proceed to take over your tank and you will be pulling and replanting at least once a month!
> 
> Kevin


Kevin you are 100% right. I forgot some of my own experiences with screw vals. It was long time back, about 20 years ago, I had this aquarium on the portico and the sun would fall on the screw val corner at 2 pm every day. The innitial planted screw vals (taken from my indoor tanks) all but melted away. They somehow managed to survive only just and stayed that way without interference from me as this aquarium had only some betta fries growing up. About a month and a half later the screw vals started growing and there was no stopping them thereafter.

Thank you Kevin for reminding me.


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