Do you acclimate your plants to high pH?

[chriscoli]

So, I've heard several folks talk about the best plants for using with African Cichlids, but do any of you worry about acclimating your plants to the high pH and hard water? Do you need to do it with some plants and not others?

 

[mscichlid]

There are numerous plants that will grow in hard water and quite a few that need RO or very soft water.

Plants don't need to be acclimated. What they need are light and nutrients.

 

[verbal]

General the plants used with African cichlids are pretty tough, so they generally can withstand pH changes. A lot of them could even grow out of the water if kept humid enough.

 

[longstocking]

All the common cichlid plants should do fine for you Christine. If you are planning on planting your tang tank you can get away with a few more.

Cyrpts believe it or not do great for me in a hard water. They don't melt though... which is a good thing!

The only plant I have had a tough time with that is hit or miss are vals. For some reason it doesn't do well for me if I get it from someone keeping it in soft water.

All the others... no problems...

Java fern
Anubias
Mosses
hornwort
guppy grass
Amazon swords

 

[chriscoli]

Aweseome, thanks! I recently threw some hornwort in my mbuna tank (which i have done in the past, with no problem) and this time it turned yellow and shredded all over the place. It occurred to me that maybe the sudden change might do some harm. I mean.....C'MON, IT'S HORNWORT! Nothing kills that, right???

Anyhow....I'll worry less about the pH and worry more about the usual plant-related problems (light, nutrients, etc).

In other news....i have finally stopped killing duckweed, so i think things are looking up in my other tanks!

 

[Andrewtfw]

Yellow of plants can be a result of an iron deficiency, potassium deficiency or inadequate lighting. If it was floating, I would rule out ligt being the cause. If you are suing tap water, it is likely that the iron level is adequate unless you have a lot of hornwort and go an extended time between water changes.

 

[chriscoli]

I agree with the yellowing, except in this case, the whole plant was gone within a week and would not recover when I moved a portion of it back into one of my neutral tanks. It was really weird since I've had hornwort do just fine in that tank before. I had taken the original bunch out because it was looking pretty messy...but then after a few months, i regretted it and got another bunch (from a big-box pet store). Maybe i got a bad bunch. I've certainly gotten bad batches of anacharis from there, too, but my mbuna looooove to eat anacharis.

 

[Andrewtfw]

It is odd that new shoots developed from the yellowing plant. Perhaps you are correct and it was a "bad batch". Fortunately, it is a relatively inexpensive plant. Still, it would be nice to know the cause of the yellowing.

 

[George]

Actually I am not smart enough to know the answer to your original question. I have often wondered about moving my plants slowly from one water type to another. I think it would have helped in some cases.

If I heard right you are keeping these plants with rift lake stuff, Prepare for some chewed up stuff. Tanganyikans especially will devour certain plants. I had Tropheus that I swear could strip a plastic plant in 30 days.

Do not believe all you read in spite of the Macy's "BELIEVE" propaganda.

George

 

[ddavila06]

i dont aclimate plants but it has always helped letting them float for a week or two. for stems i get new roots and being at the top of the tank they get more light and for the others...idk, i just float them and they seem fine =)