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H Tripartita - compact growth?

Kezzab

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Joined
18 Jan 2016
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1,492
Location
Carlisle
Hi,

In your experience do you only get the compact spreading growth form of H Tripartita in a high light, high co2 set up, or is it trimming that results in the compact growth?

I ask because in my new scape i'm getting healthy growth, but it's quite leggy. My light is on full power, and the tank is using a sump (so it's use of co2 is probably quite inefficient). All plants are doing fine, no algae etc.

What's your experience?

K
 
Any pics?

Meanwhile increase co2 and physically push it down daily to keep it down .
 
Here you go.

20190307_210635.jpg
 
It looks like it’s still transitioning. You should get compact growth but I would let it do what it wants initially. Are you adding plenty of ferts, it looks a bit pale?

Once established you can trim it back hard. For me it’s a total thug of a plant. Growing in high tech, low tech and out of the water!


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becomes a weed if not kept in check like you are getting now. you could use a mesh net to keep it held down and wrap around itself but it does need constant cutting and replanting i.e don't let the stems get long 1 inch max then replant. great in a new setup but grows way too fast in a high tech tank
 
In your experience do you only get the compact spreading growth form of H Tripartita in a high light, high co2 set up
Depends on exactly what you mean by compact growth and what you're aiming for. IME it can be grown compact with good CO2 and moderate lighting.
Under higher light and high CO2 it tends remain very compact and hug the substrate more.
 
@Tim Harrison I'm aiming for a sort of loose cushion or mound, what I'm getting is straggly stems reaching for the surface.

Co2 may be my issue. All my plants are healthy, growing and with no nuisance algae but a couple of things like the fissidens and h tripartita seem not quite 100% right. Fissidens is growing but not getting that really bright green.
 
I'm aiming for a sort of loose cushion or mound, what I'm getting is straggly stems reaching for the surface.
I think that CO2 may be the issue, some plants also have a tendency to etiolate when first submerged in an attempt to escape flooding. However, you didn't mention what light you're using nor the length of the photoperiod etc.
Plus, H Tripartita's natural growth habit is creeping so if you're planning on growing it as a cushion you're probably going to need to trim as well.
 
What makes H. tripartita look compact is its mass with several stems climbing and intertwining with eachother. :) I've grew it emersed for a while and relative long stolons per single stem is a hydrocotyl sp. property in general. It can't be forced to grow short stolons.

23.jpg


Growing it emersed it easily forms clumps of intertwined stems because it succumbs to gravity and looks very dense. But growing it submersed with far different gravity influences its buoyancy counter acts on its climbing growth and intertwining. Than you need quite a lot more mass to make it look dense.
 
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Thanks @zozo and @Tim Harrison my suspicion is I may be suffering from a case of impatience and i just need to let it grow in. Hard to find a cure.

For completeness, light is an aquaone plantglo 90cm, I have no idea what PAR it puts out. My guess is it's kind of mid light. 7hr photoperiod, running co2 direct into.the sump return pump which seems quite a good diffusion method. I had been using 1000ltr/hr circulation pump in display tank but have switched it off because I've just bought some very tiny ember Tetra and they can't handle the flow. Tank turnover is probably 5 times an hour. I haven't got a drop checker in, I'm kind of judging by eye - plant health and fish behaviour. (I really don't want this to become one of those co2 circulation threads!). I may up the co2 a wee bit and see if it has an effect.
Ta.

T
 
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