echinodorus harbii growing big and low

[Katch]

My echinodorus harbii is growing really large leaves very close to the floor instead of growing up. It's a pain in the butt because I put it in the back of the tank and in the middle to be a background plant.

I've got high light, high ferts and high CO2. I guess this is why it is growing so low to the substrate.

Anything I can do to encourage it up a bit or shall I pull it out and try a diffrent plant there?

It should look like this:

Instead it looks like a lettuce.

 

[Tom]

I likethe comparison to a lettuce, haha! my eemersed sword is doing the exact same thing! the first 5 or 6 leaves are flat to the substrate, and the newer ones are maybe an inch higher now. Maybe it starts low and gets taller over time?

 

[Garuf]

Nope, that's the form most echinoborus take, just check any of the old dennerle tanks or tropicas older photos the picture you've posted is of a emersed plant, note the rigidity of stem, they just don't take this form I'm afraid.

 

[ghostsword]

Yep, underwater the large majority of echinodorus are flat and low to the ground, especially if they get enough light.

I got three on my tank and they were trying those tricks. What did I do? Covered them on top with a floating rafter, now they are straight and some leaves are outside the water.

Got stems and leaves that are at least 80cm tall.


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