FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Does anyone know the general correllation between light cycle and rooting? I recently reduced my on cycle form 16 to 11 hours and my floating plants are rooting like crazy; they grew but didn't really root T 16.

Also, does anyone know if any aquarium pants are Photoperiod dependent for flowering, especially anubias? If so, is less than 12 hours on sufficient to induce flowering?

Thanks!

Plants actually do their growing at night while the lights are off so leaving the lights on 16hours gives them plenty of time to store nutrients but not much time to use those nutrients. I don't really hear of people with planted tanks keeping the lights on more than 14hours and I believe it's after 12hours you don't gain anything by having a longer light cycle.

I don't think anubias would flower when grown completely underwater. I talked to one person who had their plant send up a flower shoot but it rotted before opening. I think you have to grow them partially out of the water to flower.

Thanks for the info - I read somewhere anubias flowered underwater, but I may have been mistaken.

I had the lights on long cycles to try to minimize discus peppering, per another theory, but I realized that my pigeonblood crosses have a strong genetic tendency to pepper regardless of water/light conditions.

I must say that i have 2 anubias that didn't flowered but the ones in my local fish shop had flowered and they are completely submersed. and They have flowered in the shop coz I saw when they arrived (Well I ordered 1 and she brought 4). Sinse they arrived they are totaly submersed and one of them have nice flowering.

Face up make your stand and realize your living in the golden Years

Hi,
Here is mine flowering submerged.
Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, but it was
a new camera, and a novice behind it.

Frank


Attached Image:


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

And here is mine - When conditions are right, Anubias easily flower under water:

Attached Image:

2 Anubias Flowers

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Nice pics!

Then what are the right conditions? I have several very happy anubias that have gotten gigantic but they've never flowered. I've also done an internet search and could find very little mention of anubias flowering. Most sources said it rarely happens submerged.

sham,

Good question. I have it flowering in two tanks that have otherwise only a few things in common (my 29 and my 125). The commons are:

- Light over 2wpg
- A tab phosphate of 2ppm (small tank gets otherwise very little ferts added)
- Large water changes of 50% (every 2 weeks in small tank, every week in the big tank)

The appearance of a flower in the small tank is painstakingly slow, so far I had one in maybe 3 months. In the big high tech / high ferts / CO2 tank there is basically no time when there is not at least one flower somewhere.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

EDIT: From my limited knowledge, flowering Anubias are not rare.

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Aside from the fact my phosphate usually tests around 1ppm all my tanks match that. Even the anubias nana has grown to cover several feet of driftwood but I've never seen a flower.

Phosphate, Co2 and good light seem to be the requirements for Anubias flowers. Doesn't work for me though.

To the original post. I don't think there's a direct correlation between light and roots.

But 16 hours is way too much. As previously mentioned plants do mosts of their growing at night. A long period of darkness is required.

What you are probably seeing is that previously stressed plants are now less stressed and therefore growing better including roots. A healthy plant will have healthy roots.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.