Val, What do i need to do?

[si_sphinx]

I have a lot of Val and it grows great but i brought some more a month ago and it has sent out many runners and the new leaves are practically white and i am unsure on what i need to do different to get them nice and green.

Can anyone tell me why my Val is growing like this?

this is in a well established planted tank, 2 x 13W T5 10000k bulbs, JBL balls under the bigger plants.

[phoenix44]

lack of light. possibly etiolation.

could be a nutrient deficiency too, but ill stick with etiolation.

[si_sphinx]

Thats weird because i replaced the bulbs 2 weeks after i put these in and then they started to go white as if the new light was too much for them. And i have val growing better in less light. maybe nutrient deficiency?

What nutrients do you think i could add to help if this is the case.

I want to try a few different things to see what results i get.

[Bilbo]

Far be it for me to argue with our plant experts but I am looking at the plants around it thinking they must have enough light.

Twisted val is a bit light hungry but I doubt that in this case a lack of light is causing this.

For me its either a lack of some nuturient or an excess of some. Have you been using excel or any liquid plant ferts?

[si_sphinx]

I have use Excel before i put the val in here, for the other plants, but my tetras were slowly dying off so i stopped using it. Even the smallest doses of excel seemed to effect the fish

[oneeyedfrog]

I noticed that with my diamond tetras and excel. The lowest amount would make them zip around crazily for a minute after I put it in ( not near them).

[Rob]

Excel isn't going to fix any nutrient deficiences anyway since is just a carbon source. Flourish (note no excel tacked on the end of the name) or some other micronutrient mix might be more effective (if it is a nutrient deficiency).

[phoenix44]

Plants usually will continue to photosynthesise with stored energy reserves and once those are depleted / run low; the new growth will be light green.

The other possible reason is that the light green plant is the mother plant. If that's the case, cut of the connecting runners as they are getting her nutrients. Either way I'd add JBL balls under the roots and in the gravel and that should help.

Don't use excel with val. twisted val is more forgiving, but the straight stuff will melt away.

Flourish comprehensive is a good source of nutrients as well. you can inject it into the gravel / where the roots are too.

[Jennifer]

I have twisted val in a tank that gets NO light except indirect light from the window. It is one of the last plants to go pale when I don't inject fertilisers but it never goes pale from lack of light - unlike cabomba. :roll: I would try adding some ferts. It will grow faster with some CO2 and even liquid carbon (Excel) but only add small doses of Excel since the val can melt very easily.

[si_sphinx]

I don't really want to lose anymore fish so I will try add extra JBL balls under the roots and see how they go from there.

[FuglyDragon]

lack of iron, dose your tank with just about any commercial aquatic plant food, they all contain iron (and sometimes not much else).

[Bilbo]

A cheaper option is Jobes lush ferns and palms.

It probably has a downside but I used it in my last tank and swords, val and all the heavy root feeders went really well.

[IHBR]

I agree with FuglyDragon, a lack of iron. But i'd dose with a liquid fert rather than a substrate fert.