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The SA/CA Wide leaf Val experiement


Ash

How long will the Val last?  

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Well, my supposed "Display" tank in the lounge was looking bare, with just a hollow log, a bit of driftwood & the background (and the fish of course) so I grabbed all the Wide leaf Val (like guinea grass but tougher) from a LFS for $15 - about 7 individual plants, pruned to approx 25-30cm long.

How long will it last? tongue.gif

I'm hoping it's too tough for them to shred it like the normal val, java fern, swords, anubias & crypts that I've tried in vain - it's about my last shot before trying some of those dear silk plants! LOL.gif

So, what do ya'll think?

(Mods, feel free to move this if you want - I was torn between General cause it is fish related & the Tangent cause it's a bit off the wall)

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Hi Ash,

Sorry to say you've "done your dough". You will notice damage to the plants within a few hours and I would guess that those plants will be roots only inside a couple of days. Still, I'm sure they will be appreciative of the added dietry fibre bigsmile.gif

merjo smile.gif

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Ash the dam at my sisters old house was choked with this stuff, I used to go down and run nets through it to catch Gambusia, shrimp, the occasional yabbie, and water bugs to use as feeders, I also used to take home a bag full of plants up to 2' long, very green and covered with algae in the top stretches (the part that floated)

It never lasted more than a day. The fish would destroy it down to about 3-4cm from the roots. And the stop. All the plants were left the same way. I guess it is like the bottom of a celery stalk LOL.gif

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Ahh, it's still there now - though they have torn it out of the substrate & taken a few leaves off. Worth a try I guess tongue.gif

I've anchored it down to some driftwood so at least it looks kinda asthetic until they really shred it.

I guess I will have to get some different rockwork & change the substrate - it's just way too dark without plants to brighten it up.

Dark grey gravel with a universal rocks background & driftwood - all dark colours.

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Well these guys smashed java fern within 5 minutes, so I might be on a winner. I haven't seen the dollars go it at all, only the sevs nibble a bit & the synspil rip the odd whole leaf off & tear some roots out.

The fish are ~1yo, 15-18cm sevs & about 25cm synspil - dollars are maybe 7cm average?

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a week has passed & still approx 75-80% of the val is left. They are eating it though I guess I just put in enough to make it last a while.

Some of it's hit the surface of the tank too, so it is trying to survive

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2 week mark & It's well & truely shredded, probably 30% left if it's lucky.

So ends the experiment! You were all right on outcome, just wrong on timing - maybe my fish are pansys? tongue.gif

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They ate it like little typewriters - on their side starting at the top & nibbling down like a typewriter head! lol

The Cichlids just ripped it apart, the dollars only took off what they were eating - the majority of the missing/ruined val was torn up leaves floating cause of the cichlids

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