If I were to offer a few guiding principles it would be -
1.Light - timer for at least 12 hours per day
at least 2 tubes
preferrably 5000 kelvin or more spectrum
2.Substrate - at least 3 inches of coarse sand with some laterite and some
organic addititive e.g. wormcastings
3.CO2 injection - I use a simple yeast/ powerhead system. Many of the most
attractive stem plants e.g. Pogostemon (=Dysophila=eusteralis) stellata
don't do well for me at all without it.
4.Temperature - about 75 - 80 F
5. Frequent partial water changes - more important than many people
believe. I try to change 25% weekly.
6. Heavy Planting - even if you have to use lots of Hornwort and val . It
uses up all the nutrients and stops food getting to the algae.
7. Extra fertilizer for individual plants by substrate injection and to the
whole tank by soluble additives such as PMDD if they don't seem to be doing
as well as expected.
Sorry if I seem a bit vague on some of this but I am just feeling my way
and there isn't a lot of reliable info around on propogation of our native
plants.
There are a few of the broad-leaved form of Crypt. ciliata around e.g.
Lance Smith, Ed Tootle would have most and Eng, Kerryn Gough and myself
only have a couple each.
When we went to Kikori a couple of years ago we had to avoid walking on
ciliatas and versteegiis, as well as Microsorium pteropus and M. brassii (
a beautiful narrow and daintier species) as well as Barclaya ( Hydrostemma)
motleyi which would have to be one of the most spectacular aquatics
anywhere.
Bruce Hansen
ANGFA
email: bhansen at ozemail.com.au
Don't miss the ANGFA web pages at -
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~fisher/angfa.htm
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> From: Peter Hughes (X) <peterh at pican.pi.csiro.au>
> Bruce can you comment on your experiences with growing some of these.
> I don't suppose that you know anybody with those species?
>
> Peter Hughes