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C. Afinis roots?

Basviola

Member
Joined
3 Apr 2019
Messages
122
Location
Denmark
My friend asked me to ask this question...

Why is the roots of C. Afinis growing up and out of substrate?

The tank is running a background filter, good circulation and co2.
Substrate is 10+ cm deep with layers of sphagnum, rexolin apn and red clay. All capped with gravel.

One plant wise man in Denmark tells him it could be phosphate deficiency...
The tank is getting a daily all in one DIY fert from the following recipe:

1000 ml water (I use tap, boil it and ad the salts one by one)
KNO3 62,8 g
K2SO4 68,8 g
KH2PO4 12 g
MgSO4 108,4 g
Rexolin APN 5,6 g (micro)

5 ml. each day per 100 liter tank water.



Plant are generally very healthy and grows good. We read it could be lack of space for the roots to grow, but with plus ten cm? I have the same plant myself in the same type substrate but only 7cm deep. All roots in substrate.

What are your thoughts on this.
Thanks.
 

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Hi all,
Mine do it as well, but I usually only see the roots if I disturb the remains of the structural leaf litter.
Plant are generally very healthy and grows good.
Yes I think that is it, it is just that the plants are healthy and growing well.

My guess is that, in the wild, the plant produces those fine roots to grow up into the leaf litter layer that would naturally surround the plant (particularly at times of low water) and they may help with <"phosphorus acquisition">.

Leaf litter will contain organically bound PO4---, and often the fine roots that enter it are mycorrhizal and plant PO4--- uptake is largely actually uptake by the fungus, rather than strictly by the plant.

cheers Darrel
 
I have had c Affinis for 40 years and in many different tanks and always seem to get these emerging roots when established and growing well. I have dosed 2 or 3x EI phosphate because of gsa but the roots don't change.
The root structure of affinis looks different to wendtii or petchii because they remain as separate plants connected by long runners where the others seem to fuse together and are difficult to separate. If you leave affinis for many years they are also difficult to separate but that's because the runners are all entangled and the whole mass comes up as one:(
I wouldn't expect any problems if you trimmed the emerging roots if you think them unsightly.
Cheers
John
 
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