# Help with Cabomba!!!



## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

It could be a number of things. Cabomba tends to do better in softer, acidic water. Your co2 is probably too low for that amount of light as well. Is it pressurized or DIY? Do you ever dose phosphate? What kind of cabomba is it?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Unfortunately it is DIY. My budget does not have enough for a pressurized system right now. I have (2) 2 liter bottles going. Could I add a third or would it be to much? The Cabomba is the purple and green. The purple seems to be holding up better then the green. I have not dosed phosphates.


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## mpodolan (Mar 27, 2007)

Do you have a drop checker that you could use to measure co2? Sometimes the ph/kh chart isn't accurate. That would be my first suggestion. Get a drop checker and see where your co2 is at. You will likely need to add more to get it at a range that will work with that amount of lighting. This is more of a general suggestion, as algae loves to take advantage when co2 is too low and the light is too high. However, the cabomba would likely appreciate the co2 as well. 

I never had success with cabomba furcata until recently, when I began using RO water, as my water is pretty hard as well. I have pressurized co2, which allows me to keep consistently high levels. It seems to be a somewhat finicky species, so conditions can be pretty important.


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## colinthebassist (Nov 30, 2007)

Your going to need at least 4 bottles of CO2 to make your cabomba do well, unless you dose excel every single day(which will make you poor, and you may as well go for pressurized). I have 3 bottles on my 39 gallon with alright results, a 55 would need 4 for sure. Your KH is also really high, and that could affect it. I would check your phosphates/nitrates, make sure they are at the correct levels as well.


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## RTC 307 (Nov 22, 2007)

Thats a lot of light too. almost 5wpg phew!


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

this sounds weird... camboba is a weed and will grow in any condition. yeah, post the pictures..


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Here are some pics of my Cabomba.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

mistergreen said:


> this sounds weird... camboba is a weed and will grow in any condition. yeah, post the pictures..


Yeah I agree, Whats wrong with it in the pictures? I've grown it in a 10g no co2 no ferts low light and it took the whole tank over..

-Andrew


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

How much Excel are you dosing?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

If you look at the pics, you can see that all the leaves are about off the one and some are turning yellow and mushy. Also one of the stems is turning yellow and the others are a darker color.

Since I just started the tank I have been dosing 5ml per day but I did not dose today. Do you think the excel could be killing it?

I also tested my KH tonight it is was 15, PH was 7.3 which shows the CO2 to be 23ppm which is right on the border of being high. I was going to add a forth 2 liter bottle for CO2 but am going to stick with 3 right now. Will check again tomorrow. The fish seem to be doing fine.

How do you control KH???


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I wouldn't worry about it too much.. Just cut off the mushy part and replant the healthy part.

oh, and yeah, just don't put in too much excel carbon.. It'll melt plants.


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## fish dork (Jan 13, 2008)

I have an 80 gal, with DIY CO2 and 2.8 WPG T5 light, with a drop checker showing good CO2 and EI ferts and I can't grow Cabomba either. I am thinking in my tank that maybe one of the other plants is emitting an allelleochemical (spelling??) that kills it. Every other plant (including some that are supposed to be hard to grow, like Rotala Macrandra) are doing extremely well.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

That is exactly the way my tank is! All my other plants are doing great and look healthy (see pic)..


It could be what you said or it could be the excel or my KH is to high which I have no idea how to control that.


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## CAN_chic (Jan 21, 2008)

Mhmm Im no expert but I think its too much light, which may be causing them to "burn" so to speak, and hence them turning yellow and mushy. It also looks like your lights are on for 12 hours a day! Maybe try cutting back on the number of hours your lights are on, and just use the 260w. In theory it sounds like a great "light cycle", switching wattage, but I would cut back on lighting for 2 weeks and see if there's any difference.

Let us know how you make out!  Good luck.


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## Brot (Mar 1, 2017)

What shud b general dosage of liquid fertilizer for a healthy red cabomba growth?


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