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I find it kind of ironic that all (as far as I can think of right now) the really good low light plants, namely Anubias, Java fern and Java moss (ok, not the crypts) are best placed on stuff. I mean, look at Amanos planting for example. He usually have a bunch of DW sticks with some Java moss or Anubias at the ends, closest to the lights, and then fairly light demanding Glosso on the bottom! How he manages to pull it of is an entirely different topic...

How much easier it would be if it was the other way round. Imagine a nice DW branch filled with Anubias nanas shading a lawn of Echinodorus tennelus and both the Anubias and the pygmy swords would like it!

It makes me wonder (without wandering out on the dangerous religious path). If everything was created by some kind of entity, that entity must be laughing at us pretty regularly! [img src='/images/forums/halo.gif' border=0]

Edit: Forgot to use the spellcheck.



Last edited by robbanp at 22-Dec-2005 11:55

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So here I am once more...

Ahhh, Irony. Isn't it a funny word. Such is life I guess. I completely get where you are coming from. I have had some TERRBILE tank issues recently and most of my plants are not doing well. My wisteria however is doing just absolutely fine. Crazy how that happens.


Christina

Ah,

And I thought we all were in the planted tank hobby because we are looking for these additional challenges .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I have my Anubial within inches of two good lights and exactly the same plant grows on the bottom of the tank. Also many growing at different depths.

Have a look in [link=My Profile]http://
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Keith

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the fact they are low-light plants, simply means they can tolerate lowers lights, doesn't eman that they don't like being out under high light

'Low light' plants are, actually, species that have adapted to grow in shade in watercourses running through a rainforest canopy, which is a fairly effective light filter. Quite a few of these have also evolved to make use of rainforest litter, including hunks of fallen tree. Makes sense when you think about it - free substrate, reasonably robust, and if exploited correctly, a source of medium-term nutrients (if requiring some effort to extract).

Of course, these plants will also make use of nutrients and light in abundance if they get it. There is an upper limit of course to how much light and nutrient they can make use of, but unless you're planning on illuminating your aquarium with a battery of 50 megawatt lasers, I suspect you won't reach their upper light limit in a hurry.

Other plants, that have evolved to live in open environments (wide rivers, lakes etc) are more likely to encounter problems with their lower limits in an aquarium than their upper limits. As many of us here have doubtless discovered to our cost.

Java Moss and Java Ferns live under deep shade in many of their wild locales. So they'll live under modest aquarium lighting and thrive, especially if given bogwood to grow on. Cabomba, on the other hand, needs pretty intense lighting AND water that is free of particulate matter clogging the fine leaves. I also understand it's not happy living over an undergravel filter set to a high turnover rate.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002