[b]aponogetons... lighting..[/b]

[Ownager2004]

Ok i bought some aponogeton bulbs at wal mart at put them in my tank like 4-5 days ago. Three have started to grow and then i did a little research. It turns out they need average-medium light. So i bought a "1 compact flourescent bulb" its a 60W replacement using only 13 watts. I have a 15W light in my aquarium and the 13W compact is off to the side shining on the bubls. Im wondering if this is enough light or not? 10 gallon tank. The 15W is a couple years old so i know its not putting out 15W worth of light.. and the 13W compact i dunno if it is putting out the rightwavelengths of light. [/b]

[Damon]

If you got them from walmart, the bulbs are either the crispus or undulatus variety. They will grow with your 15 watt bulb. They will grow slowly. The 13 watt cf may help but it might promote more algae growth than plant growth. Walmart carries a 25 watt cf bulb that is 6500K. They run about $5.00 apiece. If you want to increase your lighting and you have an incandescent hood, 2 of these are great as they put out more watts and lumens than the all-glass variety of them. I have 2 over a 10 gallon tank and they grow plants nicely.

[Magdelaine]

I have four Apos in my new 10 gallon tank that is currently cycling ( I put them in before I understood the whole cycling thing). They didn't do anything until about 10 -12 days, but since then I have one plant that has sent out two blooms (removed to encourage it to grow) and one with some leaves that are at least 12-14 inches long. This is 21 days after adding the bulbs and I have the flourescent hood you get at Walmart with a 17 watt bulb.

I think the problem with Apos is that they need enough nutrients/light to be able to form a bulbs that can go dormant in order to bloom again. I don't know how they will do in the long run but they are cheap enough at Walmart and fun enough just watching them grow that I'm not going to worry about getting them to last.

[Damon]

Aponogetons don't need to go dormant to bloom. Once thought to be true, but not so for crispus or undulata. They should have bulbs already. This is where they will draw their nutrients from if the tank is lacking which makes them easy to grow.

[edinjapan]

Originally Posted by Simpte @ Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:05 am

Aponogetons don't need to go dormant to bloom. ****Once thought to be true, but not so for crispus or undulata. ****They should have bulbs already. ****This is where they will draw their nutrients from if the tank is lacking ****which makes them easy to grow.

It's a good idea to stick some subsoil plant sticks in close to the roots. For aponogetons only plants with a good solid bulb will bloom. It's true they don't need a dormancy period-most of the bulbs Wal mart sells are hybrids that will do well in the aquarium.

I wouldn't pick off the blooms as that will only cause them to grow another one in short order–if you are luck you may get some seeds which can be grown in shallow flat trays in clean water.