Growing taller plants?!?!

[Niki_up]

Tank 60g cube, 2x2x2
Fluorite sand (the slow release fertilizer kind)
AC 110 filter
T5 24w strip light (4 bulbs)
AM 0
NI 0
NA 5-10 ppm (usually below 20ppm)
PH 7.8-8.0
Temp 82

No liquid fertilizer ever added, root tabs added about 2 times a year for the heavy root feeders.

Tank has been planted since November 2018.

Plant list
Kleiner bar sword
“Giant Val’s” (quotations bc they are not very giant)
Crypts
Water sprite or wiesteria (I think)
Some kind of Hygrophila
Hornwort
A small Anubis
An unknown stem plant (added 2 weeks ago)
Rotala h’ra (Literally just added, expecting it to die)

Problem
Plants don’t seem to grow very tall, they will spread and get bushy (what survives) but will not surpass the middle of the tank height wise despite what google says their max height is (except hornwort, gosh I hate hornwort)...is this just what I can expect from these plants without C02? Is there any other plants that grow 2 feet tall for a low/moderate tech tank?

The plant in the upper left corner is fake and I eventually want to take it out but if I do now the whole upper region of the tank would be bare....suggestions???

 

[twentyleagues]

You might have to much light. As the plants reach higher in the tank the light is to bright and they either die back or stop growing. Thats just a theory though as ive seen and had Val grow up to the surface and continue to grow across the top of the water in direction of flow.

 

[kno4te]

The jungle val, water sprite and hornwort should grow tall. Can add some fertz to help it grow. The other plants will get bushy and wide.

 

[fishhead0103666]

Is there any other plants that grow 2 feet tall for a low/moderate tech tank?

I can't help you with getting your plants to grow taller but I do know of a plant that kind of fits your criteria. Lucky bamboo can survive in our tanks as long as its roots are wet and it is not fully submerged and the leaves are out of the aquarium. You won't get the normal plant look but you could very well have a wall of lucky bamboo covering the back of your tank. Now that I think about it, it might be possible to put Anubias in between the stems and have them wrap their roots around the stems and basically create a vertical Anubias wall.

 

[Niki_up]

You might have to much light. As the plants reach higher in the tank the light is to bright and they either die back or stop growing. Thats just a theory though as ive seen and had Val grow up to the surface and continue to grow across the top of the water in direction of flow.

interesting, I didn’t think too much light would be a problem!!! I’ll look into this a little more.

The Val’s were 2 feet tall when purchased but melted as usual bc of the different water chemistry, but they have struggled to surpass the 1 foot mark honestly.

 

[Niki_up]

The jungle val, water sprite and hornwort should grow tall. Can add some fertz to help it grow. The other plants will get bushy and wide.

Is there a fertilizer you would recommend? I have tried excel and flourish in the past but it kept melting the Val’s...maybe too much too often??

 

[Niki_up]

I can't help you with getting your plants to grow taller but I do know of a plant that kind of fits your criteria. Lucky bamboo can survive in our tanks as long as its roots are wet and it is not fully submerged and the leaves are out of the aquarium. You won't get the normal plant look but you could very well have a wall of lucky bamboo covering the back of your tank. Now that I think about it, it might be possible to put Anubias in between the stems and have them wrap their roots around the stems and basically create a vertical Anubias wall.

I like this idea, and the Anubis would work too bc the roots cannot be planted!!!

I’m going to keep an eye out for some bamboo!!!

 

[fishhead0103666]

I am very happy that you like the ideas I proposed as bamboo is a favorite of mine to use in aquariums and I want to get it used more in the hobby. To be honest the Anubias idea was literally the first time I had ever thought of it so I haven't tried it out yet so I can't guarantee you this it would work. I'm thinking that if you used fishing line to tie the bamboo stems together it would provide a good place for the roots to latch onto and it won't slip down the stems.

I got my bamboo from amazon.com and I'll give you in on a little something I've found out. If you get lucky bamboo that is curled then the height of the plant if only measured up to the curl of it so if you buy a 24 inch curled lucky bamboo plant then it could very well be 30 inches when you get to the top of the leaves. If you go through with this idea then remember that for curled bamboo, for straight ones I'd get one a bit taller than the height of your aquarium as the length stated is the length you get.

I hope you keep us updated on your tank, I'm interested in this

 

[Niki_up]

I am very happy that you like the ideas I proposed as bamboo is a favorite of mine to use in aquariums and I want to get it used more in the hobby. To be honest the Anubias idea was literally the first time I had ever thought of it so I haven't tried it out yet so I can't guarantee you this it would work. I'm thinking that if you used fishing line to tie the bamboo stems together it would provide a good place for the roots to latch onto and it won't slip down the stems.

I got my bamboo from amazon.com and I'll give you in on a little something I've found out. If you get lucky bamboo that is curled then the height of the plant if only measured up to the curl of it so if you buy a 24 inch curled lucky bamboo plant then it could very well be 30 inches when you get to the top of the leaves. If you go through with this idea then remember that for curled bamboo, for straight ones I'd get one a bit taller than the height of your aquarium as the length stated is the length you get.

I hope you keep us updated on your tank, I'm interested in this

Yea if I attached the Anubis vertically with the bamboo it would look natural I think and having that whole upper portion filled with Anubis would look great...though it will be expensive as Anubis around here goes for $10 per plant and the plants are small

 

[fishhead0103666]

If you have the time and are patient enough for it then you could start with just a few and let them slowly take over. To be honest if you do go with this idea then I would go with 1 Anubias first because as I said before, I have not tried this out so it could end up not working.
Hmm..... do you have a fish club or a plant club? If so then you may be able to get them for cheaper then store prices.