first of all i would like to thank all you guys for your PMs....i hope my replies are a help to you.
i would like to stress...its a been tiring to answer the same question over and over again...since most who pm me asked simillar questions. i suggest we do it here for the benefit of all. i know some of u are shy to ask question in open forum...but i would be just as friendly as i was in private messages.

Those of u who had met me will know who i am...for those havent im just another dumb forum member who doesnt know two cents about planting.
im not going for glory ...and im no sifu...i still have plenty to learn ...even after over 20 years of planting. i wanna share with u my experience , my mistakes and the things i have discovered about this wonderfull hobby.
but most of all im doing this for the newbies.....any questions u have in mind. lighting, ferts , plants etc etc....

what i might answer is not what i read from books ....but from my experience, and thru field work, so dont expect any high tech talk...just in plain simple english and easy to follow methods.
oh...if u have any question about FERNS...im not the person who could provide u with good solutions...im very weak in this department. u should ask STAN...he is good.

NOTE: forum sifus and experts....please...this track is my method...and nothing is according to the books, disagree if u must with my methods, but dont do it here, start your own track to stress your methods...doing it here will only confuse the newbies. IF you are truly good ...then depart your methods and knowlegde the proper way....and let the reader decide!


so lets get down to business....all questions here guys...no more pms ok...hehehe...give my tired fingers a break

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Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

I got 3 pms and the senders mention Rotala Macandra.
well...this is what i have to say ...despite being a cheap plant at rm2 per bundle(usually contains 5 to 6 stems)....this is a very diffcult plant to keep in good shape. this is not a beginer's plant.

Rotala Macandra is a plant that tends to go downhill rapidly after planting if its proper requirments are not met. this use to be a nightmare plant for me...it melts down quicker than most...and if it did survive the intial planting stage ...the top will grow while the bottom part wilt away. planting this plant in close formation was out of the question for me at that time.

pink form


red form


they need strong lighting, C02 enriched water....but then water temp is not critical, iron ferts is a must if u want to keep it red, while if u cut down on the amount of nitrogen it become pinkish in colour which is the much prefered colour in europe.

My experience: what i used to do many many years ago was to buy plenty of Macranda for my tanks...plant them in close formation, wait for a day or two....then begin taking photos....really beautiful photos...and show those photos around ...and getting praises from viewers...say how u plant them?whats your method?...an instant Mr Popular.
The truth is all i ever got from Macrandas are beautiful photos...and thats about it.....as the plants began to wilt away and die....after some time.
Not only was i lying to others...i found that im lying to myself.

when i got myself involved in the aquarium business, i was determine to learn from those who know ...or find ways to really plant diffcult species....coz i cannot lie to my clients...it has to be the REAL thing...or i dont get paid!


this is how i plant macranda.

i use a mixture of clay, mud, fine beach sand and bacter 100 from ADA.
this is what i recommend....but its okay to use normal fine subtrate.
get 5 to 6 healty looking cuttings...clear the leaves to give the stems at least 4 inches of length. plant them in the usual method ...3 inches apart from the other
the reason for the 4 inch stem is ...the stems will rot begining from the bottom, but with 4 inches to spare , chances are by time the rot reaches the 2 inch length, the stems had already begin to root and take hold on the subtrate..and the rotting will usually stop at this point.

give it plenty of light and a generous amount of Co2. skip any ferts at this point.
during the period of the first 2 weeks...it doesnt matter what happen to rest of the plant, just as long as rooting had taken place...once u are satisfy that roots are firm...trim the stem 4 inches from the bottom.
throw the rest away...DO NOT tempt yourself about replanting the top half... u dont need it.
after trimming what u might have left could be a bare stem...but dont worry ..if its properly rooted new shoots will appear.
shoots will appear after 2 to 3 days....usually in twins. give it a day or two to develop...then its time for the ferts. use tablet or stick fert, insert close to the stems. better if u can get Ocean Free monster root fert. the main objective is to get big fat stems.

once the shoots grows to the length of 4 inches...its time for another trim. this time trim it at 2 inches from the first trimming. and in time u will have four shoots from a single stem. let it grow for sometime (2 weeks).
and when the 4 shoots reach the length of 4 inches ...make a final trim.
its like from 1 stem =2shoots =4 shoots=8 shoots.

once all 8 shoots are in place ...its time for Iron ferts. see why u dont use iron ferts in the begining?...u have to throw all the cutting right?...so whats the point of adding iron ferts at that point.
i use Azoo iron liquid ferts and hexa iron tablets.

well...thats about it. this method does take alot of patience but in the end u will be rewarded with a miniture Rotala Macandra bonsai type plant.....its more eye pleasing than the boring long long stem type.

adjust your fert applications for the desired colour...skip the iron and the leafs will turn green ...which is not the desired colour.

Good Luck and happy planting

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Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

Good info Ari. Mind sharing what is your dosing regime for Rotala Macranda once it is settled? How often iron tabs (and how many), any other tabs as well, when do you dose liquids (does time of day matter?) and how much each time. Any other supplements...

Hahahaa, i really like the way you put it. Yes, i am very sure most of us must have tried to plant Rotala Macrandra before. And the cycle should be very similar to what Ari had experienced.......... .

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There is another world in the waters........

Littar Tan

Very interesting read.

Does this apply to all rotalas or just for Macandra?

Steven

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The nose runs and the feet smell - go figure
Steven

Dosing regime?...non existant. i dont keep a track record, sometimes i do it once every two weeks, sometime 3 weeks...depending if i could remember, but i will put in liquid iron ferts after water change...which is about 20 to 30% per month...no weekly 50% water change for me. but at times when i notice the reds are losing its colour i will make a water change and add it iron ferts, so theres no such thing as regime for me...everything is flexible and depending on the situation.

iron tabs...i put in 2 tabs per stem every 6 weeks, i rely heavily on monster root ferts coz i need to have the stem big and fat...if u dont do that...the resulting shoots that shoots up after each trimming will get thinner and the leafs becomes narrow.....in the end the rotala will begin to look like a Ludwigia species. Remember...Macranda is a broad leaf species.
i have seen wild rotala in their natural habbitat during one of my Ikan Kelah fishing trip in India...boy are those stem big. but they found mostly emerged.
just like the Eustralis species if the emerged rotala had flowered...they will not turn submerged.

yes ...its best to do your liquid dosage in the morning .. an hour or so after turning the lights on...no point doing your dosage in the late evening or nite.
the reason is during the later part of the day ...plants already had enough light for the day..they start to close up meaning the fotosintensis process is slowing down....the plants will not absord the ferts in such a time.
another method of mine is to turn the filerations off during dosage...so the liquid ferts would stay suspended in mid water in a more concentrated form.
u could turn the pumps on in the evening...no harm done to the fishes or plants. some of the people i know apply a sort of gelantine substance to get C02 to remain suspended in mid water...the same gelantine substance could be use during liquid fert dosage....i havent tried this substance before ...but the word is it works. i try to ask more about this ok.

no other supplemments apart that when red plants are presence in my tank ...i would put some dried Terminalia catappa leafs in the filter box

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Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

hahaha..u also la...it takes a theif to catch a theif what.
anyway ..we are onli humans ma..we learn from mistake...u havent even heard the story about me putting common plant ferts...those mean for garden plants...ended up with a tank full of rotting plants

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Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

glad to see u back in open forum creeps...

for the macandra...but u cant go wrong with other rotalas if u keep to this method. the word is if u suceed in planting Macandra u wouldnt encounterr any serious problem with other rotalas.

be very patience with this plant... u will be rewarded with a very beautifully species and what better way to feel satisfied than to see your red macandra pearling....

if u really want to invest abit..i suggest u rework your substrate...Macandra do well in soil rather than gravel. and u dont have to go ADA for that....remember what i told u about ...how silly it is to buy Malayan soil made in Japan?

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Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!

Hi Ari,

Great info and thanks for sharing. That's saying a lot because i'm not a fan of stem plants! I only keep two out of an excess of 50 types.
Just to parrot, R macandra is a very hard plant! I always thought lower temps <27 was very important. It is i think a prerequisite for big healthy blooms. Most of the sifus say 25C.

I think you just made it a challenge for me .
though i'd put this plant in the feminine plant category together with M. umbrosum.

I'd agree with you if you can plant this the other rotalas are similar and less demanding except for certain characteristics you want from Rotala rotundifolia green. More light to make it drape rocks ala Amano.

Regards

Stan

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So many aquascapes, so little time...http://www.my-mac.net/forum/

thanks Stan on added information and the issue of water temp
well..in this hobby , one thing that never runs out is ....sifus! guess the sifus u mention could be the 3 stooges from ADA...hehehe..
of course they always say lower temp is good for any plant they could think of .. tempting folks with a carrot on a long pole...."buy this chiller surely can have nice plants ...i recommend this model for u..special price"

investing in a chiller is a good option...and honestly plants do grow nicely in cooler temp....BUT THEY WONT DIE WITHOUT ONE!

When i do setting for my clients...i always insist on a chiller, in most case my clients are those with a fat wallet...an extra rm1000 would be like 10 cents to us.......

."hello kawan semalam nasi makan 4.50 , hari ini sama sama makan lu mau 4.60 ah, apa macam kira lu???"

Insist ...in my term means an insurance ...i knew those plants will grow nicely with chillers...so in way ...i was more concern about getting my clients off my back after payment then to have any real concern about the well being of their new plants.

so...when i come here ...i come as the guy that do things like any other ah chong, ali or muthu...with a tight wallet...not as a professional.
whats the point of me talking to u guys in my terms....u would never believe me anyhow on the equipments i use.....
try this ...a 5 footer, with the complete soil system and medication...nothing else ...the bill rm5000.
or things like fly in 30 one inch diameter thick Eustrallis stems from jakarta for setting a tank in bangkok. would u believe such shit??...i guess not. so ...i write in the manner of a plain forum member on the same level as the rest except for a couple of OLD rabbits from my OLD hat........"Kopi satu...kau ah... buku masok ah".....................
Bos, dulu bulan punya blum bayar bos, cikit kasi bayar dulu la,cumua buku macok nati kira cucah bos


a few of u old timers should remember this ..... when we first set eyes on Glossostima many many years and were told by FS that glossos would only grow in cooler water. remember that shit?....and we believe!
see how it turns out now ....man, u could dump your glossos in some cool spot in your garden and the glossos will still grow.
the point is ...any information either its true or not depends on where or who it came from.

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Everyone Has a Photographic Memory..........some just dont have film!