Can't keep hygrophila pinnatifida

[Corbidorbidoodle]

How's this plant for you guys? I'm trying it for the third time and it was doing great, but today I noticed pinholes.

I bought it about 2 weeks ago, and it was doing good. It's grown two or three sets of new leaves, and the color was good. But today I just noticed potassium deficiency type pinholes all over the leaves.

I'm dosing CO2, easy green twice a week, and potassium on Saturdays. I did see potassium deficiency issues and some other plants a long time ago, but since I've been dosing potassium specifically everything else has been doing great. I use the flourish potassium.

It's a 55 gallon tank with one to two bubbles per second of CO2. Finnex stingray 2 for 10 hrs with a ciesta.

Do you think it still needs more potassium? It's gotta be something else, right?

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/8/2022 at 4:51 PM, Corbidorbidoodle said:

How's this plant for you guys? I'm trying it for the third time and it was doing great, but today I noticed pinholes.

I bought it about 2 weeks ago, and it was doing good. It's grown two or three sets of new leaves, and the color was good. But today I just noticed potassium deficiency type pinholes all over the leaves.

I'm dosing CO2, easy green twice a week, and potassium on Saturdays. I did see potassium deficiency issues and some other plants a long time ago, but since I've been dosing potassium specifically everything else has been doing great. I use the flourish potassium.

It's a 55 gallon tank with one to two bubbles per second of CO2. Finnex stingray 2 for 10 hrs with a ciesta.

Do you think it still needs more potassium? It's gotta be something else, right?

Do you have any snails in there? Are there any fish that could harm it? How are you doing on filtration?

[eatyourpeas]

I got a very healthy bunch at the last club auction, and none of it survived. Just melted away, sadly. Five different tanks, too. ☹️

Your tank is gorgeous!!!

[Patrick_G]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:32 AM, eatyourpeas said:

I got a very healthy bunch at the last club auction, and none of it survived. Just melted away, sadly. Five different tanks, too. ☹️

Your tank is gorgeous!!!

Same thing happened to me. I bought a huge bunch and it just melted over a 2-3 month period. Two different low tech tanks with regular ferts and decent lights. 
I also have some I grew from tissues culture and it’s doing well in a no tech unfiltered tank. 
 

 

[Mmiller2001]

How much potassium are you dosing (in ppm) and what's your water change schedule?

Are you sure they are holes? I don't see any. I see what looks to be GSA.

[Kurt Brutting]

I purchased a bunch of the Pinnatifida because I heard Hygrophila likes hard water which I have and my Buenos Aires Tetras devoured it. When I got home from work it was just a bunch bare stems everywhere and my fish were picking at that like “come on give me more!”

[Corbidorbidoodle]

So sad. Expensive treat.

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

They love potassium 

[Minanora]

I got some to survive for several months in two different tanks. I noticed it did better in my tank that didn't have Java ferns which makes sense but I dose potassium and iron regularly so I was bummed. I attribute my loss to a lack of water changes since mine died during a period where I wasn't changing water weekly. @Mmiller2001, @Seattle_Aquarist any thoughts on getting this plant to thrive? Without making algae?

[Seattle_Aquarist]

On 11/10/2022 at 5:19 AM, Minanora said:

I got some to survive for several months in two different tanks. I noticed it did better in my tank that didn't have Java ferns which makes sense but I dose potassium and iron regularly so I was bummed. I attribute my loss to a lack of water changes since mine died during a period where I wasn't changing water weekly. @Mmiller2001, @Seattle_Aquarist any thoughts on getting this plant to thrive? Without making algae?

Hi All,

My experience with Hygrophila pinnatifida is relatively recent, I just started growing it a few of years ago.  This is what I have learned.  I was growing the species for about three (3) years as an emersed species in my 'plant bank' for use in future 'scapes.  It is a slow grower when emersed and planted in soil. 


When I decided to move it into a tank as part of a 'scape  on January 4th of this year I attached it to a piece of Malaysian driftwood.  For several weeks it just sat there, not dying but not really growing either. I was dosing adequate amounts of potassium (20+ ppm per week) but nothing was happening (or so I thought).   After about four (4) weeks I noticed some roots and runners had started for form.


Recently, on October 24th, I re-did the above 'scape and removed all the plants from the driftwood, cleaned the driftwood with a scrub brush, and re-attached some cuttings of H. pinnatifida and some pieces of Microsorum pteropus 'Trident' rhizome.  Here we are about three (3) weeks later, again no noticeable foliage growth  and I am just starting to see roots forming (see arrows in photo below).  I've come to believe that the species needs to attach and establish a sufficiently strong root system (see arrows) before meaningful leaf growth starts to occur.  However it is a relative slow grower in my tank as well and as with most slow growing plants algae can be an issue.  My tank has low CO2 injection and moderate light but algae can be an issue as the stem growth approaches the light source.  Hope this helps! -Roy


As to algae, as

Edited November 11, 2022 by Seattle_Aquarist

[Minanora]

@Seattle_Aquarist Your information, as always, is invaluable. I had mine in the substrate.... I never considered growing it on driftwood! Well, I'm going to have another go! We'll see what happens!