How to Grow Perfect Glossostigma Elatinoides: 7 Secrets Revealed
Ever wondered how to set up a rich green carpet in your aquarium? Just choose **Glossostigma Elatinoides **as a perfect fast-growing aquarium plant for your tank. Though this plant is quite difficult to grow.
Because this plant has a tall stem which requires special circumstances and attention in order to develop a low, compact grass on the soil's surface. Without intense lighting, an adequate supply of CO2, and good amounts of macronutrients , this grass will not develop successfully.
This grass will rise taller rather than developing a carpet tightly pressed to the ground. But after following some secret steps you can easily grow this small green trailing plant with curly branches in the forefront of your tank. These are given below:
Conditions of the tank
Glosso requires high illumination intensity. If there is not enough light, this long-stemmed plant grows tall which will not shade Glosso. The best light for Glosso is MH 24 metal halide T5 aquarium lamps with good reflectors.
According to the Aqua-fish.net, when it comes to light composition, never use any old lamps or a lamp with a color temperature lower than 5400K.
A lot of CO2 and necessarily liquid fertilizers such as phosphates, nitrates, and other trace elements are required for growing this plant. The ideal temperature should be 22-26oС.
The supply of CO2 is required, and it is rather substantial because the plant uses a lot of CO2 during intensive growth. When intense light is combined with carbon dioxide, growth is considerably accelerated. This plant is unpretentious and fast-growing under ideal conditions.
This plant requires soft water with KH of 2-4 and pH of 6.6 to 6.8 and grows above the water. In calcined clay soil, the GH ranges from 12 to 14 and pH should be 7 with vermicompost in the lower layer.
You can easily limit the growth of Glosso by reducing the lighting intensity and apply the dimming method by Glutaraldehyde to get rid of the algae problem.
Preparation for Planting
The soil needs to be very fine, no more than 2-3mm in thickness. Glosso does not make a beautiful lawn in locations with coarser soil, instead "growing" beneath the soil and emerging as shoots high above it. This can be a good approach to keep undesirable growth in unwanted areas.
Tweezers should be used to plant the stem so that it is entirely submerged in the soil. This will keep the plant from floating up and will cause it to release a large number of runners onto the ground. This, combined with strong light and CO2, will hasten the growth of a dense lawn.
Glosso and other plants are sometimes planted in aquariums without fish to provide a high CO2 supply that fish cannot tolerate (> 35 mg / L). Glosso's growth is boosted significantly as a result of this.
After 3-4 weeks, the meal is reduced somewhat and the fish are introduced. To hasten the formation of a lawn, separate the bunch from the pot into numerous portions and plant a few millimeters apart while planting.
Choosing lights while growing Glosso
Glosso is prevented from growing vertically by the intense light (4 watts per gallon or more), and instead begins to shoot horizontally.
Choose a bulb based on its luminous efficacy in lumens rather than its wattage (lm). Fluorescent lamps have a minimum output of 1 Watt for 1 liter of aquarium volume.
Substrates that promote the growth of Glosso’s
The substrate is one of the most critical aspects in growing Glosso. It should be high in nutrients, particularly iron. The plant's roots are thin and lengthy, and the soft substrate enables deep root penetration into the rich substrate below. If the substrate is sour and soft, it is much healthier for the plant.
Glosso needs a lot of potassium and iron in liquid fertilizers. If these ingredients aren't adequate, new leaves become yellow, and elderly leaves might become infected with algae. Phosphorus and nitrogen should be plentiful.
A shortage of or an imbalance of these causes black beard (Black Beard Algae) and green algae to overgrow on the leaves (Green Hair Algae). Magnesium, the major component of chlorophyll, is another vital element.
Supply adequate level of CO2 to the water
Glosso is best grown using a CO2 system that uses compressed gas cylinders. It requires an extremely high CO2 concentration.
Tetras and Amano shrimp may survive for weeks at this CO2 concentration. The high CO2 level encourages photosynthesis, which oxygenates the water and benefits all living species in the aquarium.
In high light intensities, a high CO2 content is very crucial. Glosso will grow slowly and develop algae on the leaves if there is a lack of CO2 under high sunshine.
Glosso leaves emit oxygen bubbles when the CO2 content is high and the light is bright. When CO 2 levels are too high, the leaves become thin and elongated, rather than the typical tongue-like form.
Tips during planting and haircut of Glosso
Glosso reproduces through shoots, therefore regular pruning is beneficial. It immediately develops a thick carpet when exposed to bright light and CO2.
Due to inadequate water circulation and a lack of fresh, oxygen-rich, and nutrient-rich water, the lower leaves are often inhibited by the top ones.
The lowest leaves, which are out of reach of shrimp and algae eaters, perish and are attacked by algae if they aren't pruned. According to Wikipedia, **Apical buds **have a chemical advantage over lower stems, promoting the formation of new lower stems!
When shoots climb on top of other leaves to produce thick layers, it promotes healthy and dense development. The higher branches might develop in a haphazard way. To enhance water circulation and avoid algae development, it is important to thin off the topmost layers on a regular basis.
Glosso requires the removal of old dying lower leaves that have become yellow in order to develop in a low carpet. Remove the bush and replace it with fresh healthy plants if the leaves are badly damaged by algae.
Cut them off at the top of the lower leaves to produce a scion when Glosso starts to grow a second stem on top of the first two leaves. This procedure will take root if it is transplanted onto a substrate. Another instance is when the stem grows taller and the leaf petioles become longer. Tweezers should be used to push the stem deeper into the substrate.
The second issue is improper plant trimming. Glosso is a long-stemmed plant that necessitates the use of specialized methods to produce a low-density carpet.
Allowing the plant to grow on top of itself will result in shade of the lower leaves and the growth of bushes above! It is harmful if the carpet is thicker than 5cm.
If the crowns are taken off, just the naked stems remain, and runners will begin to emerge.
Reduce the height of the grass to no more than 3cm by pruning the leaves that grow on top of each other sooner. Keep in mind that the condition must be maintained in such a way that all of the stems are buried. Cut at a 45-degree angle using the scissors.
If you unintentionally take the shoot out of the soil, do not replant it; this will just compromise the substrate's integrity and cause the adjacent shoots to float up as well. It is preferable to clip such a shoot since Glosso develops fast.
The same is true for first planting: as soon as the branch has taken root and produced a few "nodules" on the ground , clip off any shoots that aren't established and stick out; otherwise, algae will quickly cover them.
The leaves are somewhat smaller and the plant itself is lower in brilliantly lighted locations. The lawn is somewhat taller and has bigger leaves in locations where it adjoins terrain ledges and snags. This results in a lovely varied carpet appearance. Keep your distance from the glass to less than 3cm. Glosso is likely to repel neighboring plants, preventing them from occupying their territory or obscuring themselves.
Algae problems are common
On the margins of Glosso leaves and stems, almost any species of algae may grow. **Too much sunshine and a lack of CO2 cause green spots **algae to develop.
Blackbeard (Black Brush Algae) grows on the margins of the leaves as well. These algae are suppressed by a high CO2 concentration and a suitable quantity and balance of phosphate and nitrate in the water.
Glosso and Black Brush Algae may both grow well at the same time, therefore the development of this form of algae is most likely due to a nutrient imbalance in the water rather than Glosso's sluggish growth.
However, aged and decaying leaves caused by inadequate development provide an ideal habitat for these algae and should be removed as soon as possible.
When there are too many nitrates in the water, green algae develop. You'll be able to get rid of them with a mix of the proper haircut and the appropriate nutritional balance.
Finally, after learning all the basic things about the growing of Glossostigma Elatinoides, it’s high time for you to give it a try to grow the most beautiful green carpet.
