# Calling all Vallisneria experts!



## Hunter P (Aug 6, 2013)

my nana hasnt grown taller then the surface


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

Hunter P said:


> my nana hasnt grown taller then the surface



Thanks for the quick reply. How tall is your tank and how long have you had them in there.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

What about corkscrew val - (val. tortifolia) - doesn't generally grow over 10", normally only around 6". But do you actually want some Vals that will grow to 28" & nothing more ? Tall order.


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

discuspaul said:


> What about corkscrew val - (val. tortifolia) - doesn't generally grow over 10", normally only around 6". But do you actually want some Vals that will grow to 28" & nothing more ? Tall order.



LOL about the _*

But do you actually want some Vals that will grow to 28" & nothing more

*_No that's not what I'm looking at all. I'm just looking for something reasonable. 

My only experience with Vals was in my other tank (20 inches high) and the stuff grew over a meter in length, covered my tank and looked terrible when I cut it down. 

I started this thread because I read "on the internet" guys saying that no matter what kind of Val you have they just keep growing and growing....(length wise that is) 

If someone can offer me a suggestion of a species that would work good as a background plant....something that would reach the top or maybe a foot more would make me smile. 

I don't want to trim it....just thin it. :tongue:

Thanks for all the input so far.



discuspaul said:


> What about corkscrew val - (val. tortifolia) - doesn't generally grow over 10", normally only around 6".



That's nice! I will consider that for a mid ground placement. Thanks


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

In my experience vals will grow to the size of their tank. When I had a 46 gallon tank (around 2 ft tall) the tallest ones bent over at the tank's surface for like a foot. In my 15 gallon tank they stay the height of the tank (1').


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

Axelrodi202 said:


> In my experience vals will grow to the size of their tank. When I had a 46 gallon tank (around 2 ft tall) the tallest ones bent over at the tank's surface for like a foot. In my 15 gallon tank they stay the height of the tank (1').


1 foot I can handle! My tank is 22 inches wide so that would be perfect. Any particular species? My one time experience wasn't like that, the whole top of my aquarium was covered with super long, non stop growing Val. I eventually pulled it out and gave it away.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Mine are jungle val. However I've noticed their growth in the shorter tank is not as vigorous as in the larger one. Smaller plants overall.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Correction:
The Val. tortifolia I mentioned above is not the so-called true corkscrew val, although it looks just like it. The true corkscrew is Val. asiatica, which grows to around 15".
Another val though, that grows to 24", (usually as a max.,) is Val. Spiralis, which you might like. Looks like a grass. Googling it should produce an image.

Another plant I can suggest is Jumbo Grass, which look like Vals, just like mine in the pic below. Unfortunately I don't know the scientific name of it, but that tank is 24" tall, and the grass didn't quite make it to the top, as you can see:

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/IMGP1657-1.jpg


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

@discuspaul: Thanks so much for your suggestions. Spiralis looks like it will be perfect if indeed it stops growing at the 24 inch mark.

Spiralis owners are welcome to comment on this.



@the community: Thank you so much for the input. I appreciate it very much.



discuspaul said:


> Correction:
> 
> 
> Another plant I can suggest is Jumbo Grass, which look like Vals, just like mine in the pic below.
> http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/IMGP1657-1.jpg


Does anyone know what the scientific name is? I'm googling jumbo grass but not finding anything.


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

I believe i have spiralis and it comfortably outgrows my 24" tall tank. Funny thing is that I have brought it over from a 10g in which it grew a little less robust, leaves slightly narrower, but still just as long, in excess of 3' - 4'.

You can see it in my 90g in my sig. It virtually covers the entire left side of the tank.


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

gt turbo said:


> I believe i have spiralis and it comfortably outgrows my 24" tall tank. Funny thing is that I have brought it over from a 10g in which it grew a little less robust, leaves slightly narrower, but still just as long, in excess of 3' - 4'.
> 
> You can see it in my 90g in my sig. It virtually covers the entire left side of the tank.



Nice Tanks and a good read. I love reading tank journals because I learn so much. I'm planning something very similar to your 90G. I don't want to say a S.A. biotope....but rather a king of S.A. biotype, or just South American looking. Really I just want a nice plant scape to showcase a school of Angels. :icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:


Question to you: Does it stop growing in length at about 4 feet? I could handle that.

Thanks


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

Axelrodi202 said:


> In my experience vals will grow to the size of their tank.
> 
> Guess they're quite unlike goldfish then :biggrin:
> 
> Anyhow, my sister has a val in a 20 gallon high. Its leaves reach the water surface and bend to it. It looks rather nice, in all honesty.


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## Frank158 (Oct 1, 2013)

Grah the great said:


> Axelrodi202 said:
> 
> 
> > In my experience vals will grow to the size of their tank.
> ...


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## gt turbo (Sep 13, 2012)

Frank158 said:


> Question to you: Does it stop growing in length at about 4 feet? I could handle that.
> 
> Thanks


I have been trimming mine but I've pulled out 5 footers before while rescaping. Can't honestly say if that's the exception rather than the rule. Will take a more in depth look this weekend.


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

Sadly, no. All I know is that it has the typical grass-like val leaves (I.E it's not a corkscrew val) and she got it at our local lfs.


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## crystalpalacebadger5 (12 mo ago)

Frank158 said:


> I have a love hate relationship the humble Vall. :icon_smil I love the look of the long and slender leaves but hate what happens to the leaves once you trim it.
> 
> Question to the Vallis experts. Is there really a species that won't grow out to 5 feet?
> 
> ...


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## mourip (Mar 15, 2020)

I ended up pulling all of the Val out of my tank. It grows too tall and, because of the prolific and invasive runners, will eventually take over the tank. I always liked the look but it will become a weed and is not low maintenance due to it's fast, invasive growth. Also if you think that you will ever use Excel/Glut then forget it as it will melt the Val.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I read a lot of the replies! I had corkscrew Val's in a 75g and a 125g. They hit the surface and stopped, generally. My jungles went the entire length of the tank. My 125g had jungle vals that would dwarf me when I trimmed them. Trimming in different lengths at different times would help the look. I've never really minded the appearance though. 

Have you thought of swords as a background plant? They get huge and fill a ton of space, up to that 2' mark. I had one in my 75g that took up about 1/3 of the tank. Looked awesome!


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## crystalpalacebadger5 (12 mo ago)

I envy you. My Vallis do nothing. Literally. I mean like my other plants they survive...but they neither grow nor spread. A mate of mine with a slightly smaller tank has the same problem as you lads....he reckons it's down to my mistake of putting sand in my tank over some of the gravel. I even put some clay in one area to aid my amazon swords...if anything worse! 🙃 He has plain washed gravel and his plants go mad. We talked about a total re-substrate, but that would be a major exercise, and I 'd fear for my fish. Trying to gradually overlay the sand/clay with gravel.


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