# What's wrong with my ambulia?



## revernance (Jun 19, 2008)

Wow, that is rather interesting. I've grown ambulia, but never seen those leaves before. Was the top part sticking out of the water? If it was, it's probably emersed growth?


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

Nope, this plant still has a lot to go to reach to the top of the tank. I was thinking would it be adapting if it was emersed grown? but if it was, what explains the 2 weeks of continuous growth after I got it?


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

starch reserves. all plants store their food. it usually lasts them 2-3 weeks. as far as the plant was concerned, there was some rain and that raised the water-levels of the body of water it was growing in. so it used its reserves to try and grow past the few extra inches, but found that it didnt have enough. it will switch forms now.


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

@[email protected] said:


> starch reserves. all plants store their food. it usually lasts them 2-3 weeks. as far as the plant was concerned, there was some rain and that raised the water-levels of the body of water it was growing in. so it used its reserves to try and grow past the few extra inches, but found that it didnt have enough. it will switch forms now.


Hey buddy that makes a lot of sense to me, excellent answer. Relief that it's not some kind of deficiency, at the beginning I was thinking that wisteria in the same tank is stealing the nutrients away :icon_eek:


So now I should wait a bit and it should recover?


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

sorry to dig back this old post, but as it happens, the old bunch of ambulia have pretty melt away into nothing, even the stems are melting. 

But as I like this plant so much, I had buy them again with other beginner plants back into the tank again, was doing great at first, but after 2 weeks or so, the same thing is starting to happen again. I do dose the macros through EI solution and micros through flourish, with diy co2 and excel, things are still happening. 

I searched through the forum and everyone is saying theirs are growing like weed, and while a little bit of growth is spotted on the plant, the melting is spreading very fast. 

PS. All plants are doing great in the tank except this plant, what can this mean?


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

what ppm is the CO2 at?

the plant dwindles away with bad CO2, unless the tank is low-light.


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

I have 2x 55w PC lights on from 12pm - 7pm on timer, I dose recommeneded excel on the bottle, tank size is 33g, I have 2 2L bottles of diy co2, I am not sure how to measure the co2. 

But if the plant is in lack of co2, wouldn't the whole tank show signs?


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

not neccissarily. i had a high-tech eclipse 6 with pressurized CO2. it had a bunch of plants. when i set up my 20L, i moved samples of each plant to it and put the CO2 on it. i then dosed just excel in the 6 gallon. HM, took off and did amazing; L. sessiliflora died. 

measure your kh, then your ph, then compare them on this chart:








its from aquascapingworld.com

it may say 15-30 is ok. but for L. sessiliflora, id say 20 is the minimum, especially if it was grown emmersed.


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

I think I ended up getting around 10 ppm of co2, (6.8ph and 2kh).

Guess that's not enough co2 for ambulia, didn't know it's such a demanding plant. 
Maybe I should half the lighting and try with just excel.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

excel doesnt do much for this plant. i know, i tried it (see previous post).

how are you diffusing/reacting your CO2?


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

I am diffusing through a mini co2 diffuser bought from ebay, 

it's placed pretty deep in the tank, and when it almost reaches the surface my canister outlet will blow the bubbles around the tank slightly. 

Prior all these, I only started with a bunch of ambulia in my tank, that was before I even changed the original lighting that came with the tank, which was a 2x 18w pc flouro. I was beginning to dose excel then, it was doing just exactly what everyone is saying, growing like a weed, I could cut the new ones almost every 2 - 3 days and replant them. But right after I added the new lighting and wisteria, things start to look bad which pretty much is where I am now. 

This is my first planted tank, I am not so eager to keep this one plant in my tank, but I am just trying to get to the bottom of all these and understand why is this happening. 

Regards


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

lower light = lower need for CO2. it could satisfy its carbon need with excel in the lower lighting, but in this light, it cant.

try adding another bottle of CO2. if you want, you can hook them up to the same diffuser with a Y shaped peice. or if you have a gas separator, put them both going into it and that will do it.
then measure the CO2 after 2 days when the yeast is really starting to work.


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## pandacat (Oct 3, 2008)

Since the diy co2 is so unstable, i am going back to cut half the lighting and going pressured next month. Thanks for the help.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

no prob. the plant is easy. if it dies before you go pressurized, afterwards, buy it again and it should grow like the federal noxious weed it is.


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