January Meeting
Thirteen members joined the January GWAPA meeting via Zoom to hear Cavan Allen talk about some new aquascaping plants, how to successfully grow them, and view his amazing setups.
The new plants include:
- Mayaca longipes, a very delicate, sensitive plant with a red top
- Oldenlandia corymbosa(?), a vibrant lime green plant from Colombia
- Lythrum hyssopifolium, an introduced species found in Oregon
- Sclerolepis uniflora, an east coast plant that is demanding and grows via runners
- Justicia sp., nutrient hog, gets purple tint on leaves, not a great plant
- Eriocaulon sieboldianum(?), not very demanding, average difficulty
- Hyptis laciniata, creeping growth, mint family
- Justicia comata, compact growth but an enticing meal for pond snails
- Gratiola brevifolia, spreads by runners, underrated plant
In order to grow plants, Cavan uses Radion G5 lights. You can control the light schedule via your phone. The only drawback is that they do not come with shades, but a shade can be 3D printed. You can get to 300 par with 50% intensity. His schedule goes up to 80% for a little while during the day in order to grow light demanding plants, without overwhelming the fish and making them hide. He suggests buying a light with stronger LEDs than you think you need, so that you can adjust them however you like. It’s also important to have CO2 if you are using strong lights. It’s also important to skim the surface of your tank to prevent algae and allow oxygen circulation.
Finally, Cavan took us on a virtual tour of his tanks. The PowerPoint of the new plants and further information is available in the member section of the forum.