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	My bulbs never sprouted
Kelly Hobbyist Posts: 103 Kudos: 48 Votes: 24 Registered: 06-May-2005	I bought some of those plant bulbs that you can grow in the tank, ya know, and they never sprouted. I have had them in teh tank for over a month i think. They are in a 10-gallon tank with 5 guppies. Of course it is lighted. How long does it take them to sprout?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
fishyhelper288 Fish Guru Posts: 2161 Kudos: 1951 Votes: 137 Registered: 29-Feb-2004	maybe u just got a bad bunch i got one of thosase too its not fun, but, u deal with it
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
sirbooks Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004	I've found that in low light (under one watt of lighting per gallon of water), most of the bulbs won't sprout. You may need to up the lighting before you get a better response from the bulbs. And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
Dave in the Basement Fingerling Posts: 17 Kudos: 17 Votes: 10 Registered: 11-May-2005	If these are the “Walmart” bulbs that come in a pack of five or ten, I have heard that if they don’t sprout initially, you can put them in a dormant state for a month or two, and then they will sprout. Most people use the fridge as a dormant state, but I don’t have any personal experience with it. I do have a few that I am waiting on, though, and if they don’t start sprouting soon, off to the fridge with them. In any case, good luck! Dave
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
Theresa_M Moderator Queen of Zoom Posts: 3649 Kudos: 4280 Votes: 790 Registered: 04-Jan-2004	I found this online before buying my first bulbs and it worked for me: Tips for growing bulbs: (Applies to ALL Aquarium Plant Bulbs: ie: Dwarf Lily, Aponogeton, Barclaya, etc.): Try placing your bulb(s) in a folded "moist" paper towel (not sopping wet), put the paper towel in a plastic bag, an air-tight bag is not necessary, folded over or stapled is just fine. Place this bag on something warm where you won't forget about it... i.e. on top of your cable box, or your computer! Wait just a couple days and "voila!" Your bulb should have some protrusion poking out of it, this is the actual plant stem, the roots will grow much later, now you know which end is the top, this will help you not to plant your bulb upside-down! You have just pre-germinated your bulb! Another way is to drop the bulb into your aquarium without burying it, (allow it to just sit on top of your substrate), wait for growth to appear (usually within 5 days) and then push the bulb into the substrate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
Kelly Hobbyist Posts: 103 Kudos: 48 Votes: 24 Registered: 06-May-2005	Yeah, they are from Wal Mart. Put them in the fridge? How does that help anyway?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
sham Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004	Putting them in the fridge simulates the dormancy period over winter. Then when warm they should sprout again. Theresa_M is going the other way and trying to make them warmer to bring them out of dormancy. Both ways trick the plant into think it's time for the growing season. I always just tossed them in, removed the floating ones after a day or 2 cause they rarely sprout, and pull out the rest when they turned mushy. I bought a total of 10 packs to plant 3 tanks. 1 pack only 1 grew, 1 pack all of them did, and it came out to around 50% sprouted overall. Last edited by sham at 22-May-2005 12:38
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45


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