On Your Mark ... We started with 50 bare bulbs (there were none
of the green shoots you see below) sold to us packed in dry shredded peat
moss.
We got a good deal. Aponogeton ulvaceous grows several times faster
than other aponogetons. We tossed the fifty bulbs in an empty 10-gallon tank -- not really
empty because it had water and a filter in it.
LA
Second day in the water. (01-17-04) Water still murky from
peat moss packing.
LA
Third day out of the bag. (01-18-04) Water still cloudy.
LA
Sixth day. (01-21-04) Water clear now. These 50
aponogetons need more room.
LA
Ninth day. (01-24-04) Fish are natives that came with our
feeders.
LA
Time to get them out of this 10-gallon tank ... (01-29-04)
LA
And into this 55-gallon tank.
LA
We'll aquascape these tomorrow.
LA
They attach to sand very
quickly.
LA
(01-31-04) We sold some of the larger ones.
LA
Pic
When they throw out these bloom stalks, Pinch 'em off.
LA
If you don't pinch them off, they go to seed like this.
LA
And then your momma plant dies back like this.
LA
Here's another reason to pinch off any bloom stalks that rise above the
surface.
LA
These pesky little sap suckers multiply very rapidly. Squish 'em or
drown 'em.
LA
(02-11-04) We finally got around to planting them in this 55.
LA
And this 55.
LA
And this 55.
LA
And still some left in the 10.
LA
The planted ones grew faster than the floating ones.
LA
Every Aponogeton ulvaceous grew into a show plant. This entire process took 25 days.
LA
So we're ready to add a couple hundred angelfish.
LA
We sold all the preceding crop. Here's the next one.
LA
Some baby Aponogeton boivianus looking very similar.
LA
A three-inch blue panaque pleco did this in two days.
LA
Better than a salad bar for plecos.
LA
Bare bulb in this 10-gallom tank 14 days ago. You can't beat
Aponogeton ulvaceous.
MB
Matt Bright from KC put two into this 75.
MB
Matt liked them so much, he put four into this tank and sent this message:
Larry,
cool, I can't wait to see it up there, it kinda makes
me feel good to have my tank published. Anyway, I wanted to ask
you about trimming them back. They are really big, and I love it,
but they are stretched across the entire top, and starting to close up
the window I have for the fish to swim around in. Please let me
know how I should trim them, how many stalks I should cut off, etc.
Thanks again, and I attached a current shot of the tank. This one
may be better for the website
How to Trim:
Just snip off any leaves (at the bulb level) you want to get rid of. If
some grow too big, just nip them in the bulb. Careful. If you pull
on them, you may uproot them. They seem to keep growing like weeds until
you let them go to seed or add a plecostomus. LA.
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2004, © 2005 LA Productions

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