# Stupid val will not grow tall.



## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

how tall is it now? an what are u expecting it to get to? if its sending out runners an everything then i doubt its going to get much taller but lets see where its at now size wise.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

HypnoticAquatic said:


> how tall is it now? an what are u expecting it to get to? if its sending out runners an everything then i doubt its going to get much taller but lets see where its at now size wise.


It's only 2"-3" inches.


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Are you sure it's even that you think it is? Maybe you have something like dwarf sag.


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## Patriot (Dec 22, 2010)

My val is covering the top of my tank. Vals like iron and if its not spiraling then its a possibility that its not VALLISNERIA SPIRALIS. There could be a nutrient that the root tabs aren't providing also. do you add ferts to the water column?


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

idk i got some spirals that are only gettin 5-6 tops are they mature plants or still young? hell my dwarf sag i got is much bigger than my spirals the person befor me had the d.sag at like 4inch was the biggest one but not in my tank. id like to see a pic of them if u can post one.


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

My dwarf sag in front and my vals in the back that I MUST cut each week or they will be no shorter than 60". 










If your vals aren't giant vallisneria or vallisneria americana than I wouldn't anticipate a lot of growth. I will admit I continually have to pull vallisneria spiralis out of my tank every week and they are almost 18" tall. 

I can't imagine what you are doing wrong, giant vals are one of the only fast growing plants that I know will completely take over an aquarium. These plants will dominate the top water, the water column, and send runners out that desimate any other plant that competes for light. More importantly they will even do it in a low tech, non-Co2 tank. There has to be a fertilization issue here.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

When I first got the plants they were like 4-5" but have not come back. It is driving me crazy. I will start adding more iron to the water. I am not adding any ferts but the root taps that seem to be helping them send out runners but not grow tall. 

I got these plants thinking they would grow and take over but no they are more like ground cover. 

I'm going to move a few to my planted tank that has co2 and ferts.


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

Sorry, but are you sure these are vals? Can we get a pic?


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

Yes it is I am 99% sure it is. I am at work now But will get photo later. I have had Val before that did great with root tabs. I used excel and it melted away. This time around I am not using excel and it just will not grow tall. 

It's in sand if that make a differance. I am going to add more root tabs and see if that helps. For some reason all plants do poorly in this tank. All but this one sword that Is looking great. I dont think I have enough nutriants I the water. I will start adding iron. Because plants need iron for good leaf growth right? I know they need other stuff too but I will start with iron. 

I just want some nice tall grass like plant is that so much to ask for... I am setting up another tank for plants mainly and will put some of my sad Val in there see how it does.

Could my water be too soft??


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

waiting on that pic


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

same here. My val from petsmart go so slow and wont twist that much...


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Vals take a while to reach the surface even with co2, ferts, N and the right light. On the safe side check your Nitrates, if there are not enough Seachem makes a line of Liq Nitrogen- use it.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

You know what it might be Sagittaria. I remember I wanted some I just can't remember what I got it was Val or Sag but no the dwarf Sag. I don't know. 

Here is a photo. 








Another smaller one.









I have that tall Cryptocoryne you see in the back ground. But I don't like how it looks. It's so much. It grows in all wild. If the plant I have will not grow more then 3" I needs to find a different gass like back ground for my tank.


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

its not sagiteria sabulata, i cant tell from the photo but i dont think its val. tortifolia


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

Well I bought it from a good source not just a pet store. I can't remember what I ordered now but I am pretty sure it was val. When I got it the older growth was long. It looks different then it does now. Wider leaf and longer. I am just going to wait and see if it does better in my other tank.

It's got to be a fertilization issue.


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## Jeffww (Aug 6, 2010)

Sometimes jungle val grows low...there was this one guy who had a carpet of it and he was selling it off.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

it doesnt even look established so that can be a issue and moving it again will just prolong this. i havent seen how long its been in there but with only 1 runner i see coming up id say looks relatively new. also depending on your light vs its previous light as well as other parameters it will change the height color ext ext as each tank will vary sometimes alot from one another just something to keep in mind.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

It's been in the tank since June. So would think I get some better growth. All I get are lots of runners no hight. I just now moved them around.

So I am going to see if it likes my planted tank better. Plants tend to do better in that tank because I focus more on the plants in there because it is my planted tank. The tank I started these plants in is my discus tank not set up for the best plant growth.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

ouch i would die if i had to wait that long for that little of growth, lol i have to take >½ of a 3gal bucket out of my tank every week or so just to keep things in check an look good but it gets me to go to the lfs an get stuff for free at least  id really check on fert an co2 as there not super fast growers but not slow by all means.


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

a lot of iron, light, and Co2... I've never had slow growing vals. They honestly can cover 2" to 4" a day with ferts, Co2, and a 12 hour photo period.


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

My brother has some of my giant vals in a low tech tank that is dosed excel, flourish, and occasionally iron and those vals run almost as fast as mine do. The establishment period was about a week to a week and a half.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I think they will do better in the other tank where I care more for my plants. The 80gal has sword plants that are doing great but has lots of root tabs. it's the only plant that does well. I need to use more root tabs I think in this tank. 

I will post photos and up date on how these plants do in the planted tank. Thanks.


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

if you plant vals to deep they will rot---each new leaf will grow taller untill the plant is mature your plants are not yet


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## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

they dont like excel!!!


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