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Cambomba roots from nodes
- Thread starter Akshay
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Completely normal and is one of the maintenance requirements if you want to keep it as sexy as @GreggZ does. Some folks say more nutrients at the sub can help, and this may be the case, but haven't noticed it myself.
One of the reasons you'll see it happen is lack of form compaction. If there's too much space around the bush, they send roots more frequently, and the stems tend to lean. Planting density helps a lot. That being said, I don't think there's any real way to prevent this other than trimming and replanting densely.
JayP
Valuable Member
I haven't even seen improvement of it with densely planting, but maybe it's just the particular plants I'm growing.
The type of plants definitely plays a role. Like rotala blood red will send out roots a lot more readily compared to rotala wallichii. Trim duration also plays a role as well; the more mature the stems are, the more likely they are to send roots out. I probably see fewer instances of aerial roots showing up because I tend to uproot and replant every 2-3 trim cycles, or about once every 1.5 months for fast growers. like Rotala blood red.
All of the above
Messy aerial roots?
"Aerial roots are roots that often grow out of the internodes of stem plants midway up the stem, above the substrate. Why do these roots appear? Are they a cause for concern? What can we do if we find them unsightly? Territorial Instinct Aerial roots are most common in sparse tanks or where...
www.2hraquarist.com
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- #7
Yes! Now that u said this, i just noticed the roots always come on the stems at both the edges of the bush, thank you
CincyScaper
Well-known Member
Agree with @Scaper26 on this. Dennis also talks about this on the 2hr aquarist post linked above. I don’t have any experience with cambomba, but definitely happened in my tank with rotala blood red, HRA, l.arcuata. Once densely planted and shaped into a bush with other species close by I did not see it happen again. I do see how if you are not planning to do a dense bush style layout, you might just have to resort to maintenance.
I've been keeping the same grouping of Cabomba Furcata now for about a decade.
It's unique in the planted tank world in that if it is growing well it throws out lots of side shoots. Doesn't matter if dosing is lean, rich, type of substrate, crowded, etc.....it just does.
So it takes some extra care. When I trim mine up I lay each one flat on the waters surface. Then pull the side shoots up toward the top of the plant. They come off pretty easy. If you pull down toward the root it's easy to break the stem.
Also if it's been rooted for a while you can pull up on them without removing and they will come off pretty easily as well.
Fact is it's a plant that takes more work to keep it looking it's best. But it's worth it to me and I just can't let it go.
It's unique in the planted tank world in that if it is growing well it throws out lots of side shoots. Doesn't matter if dosing is lean, rich, type of substrate, crowded, etc.....it just does.
So it takes some extra care. When I trim mine up I lay each one flat on the waters surface. Then pull the side shoots up toward the top of the plant. They come off pretty easy. If you pull down toward the root it's easy to break the stem.
Also if it's been rooted for a while you can pull up on them without removing and they will come off pretty easily as well.
Fact is it's a plant that takes more work to keep it looking it's best. But it's worth it to me and I just can't let it go.
CincyScaper
Well-known Member
Now I want to try cadomba furcata
Since we are on cabombas, I got green ones that occasionally stunt, like one out of five stems. Haven't found why they do that, especially since C. Furcata in the same tank is doing well. I tried deep cleaning of the soil in case compaction played a role, no dice.
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- #12
it's beautiful plant, will also survive really really low light & to my surprise, fishes like goldfish do not eat it ( old pic) the earlier version of my Gold fish tank, you can see the same plant in the will really long nodal interval
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- #13
oh I thot the green var is the easier of the 2 , having said that I have killed more java ferns than a life long butcher has chickens & yet Myriophyllums, Wallichii, and other finicky plants grow for me without a fuss.
Joel Armstrong
Active Member
I've had this plant for a while too, not as long as @GreggZ, and maybe not as nice as his either, but thought I'd share a couple of pics.
As for aerial roots, some times I get a lot, sometimes not that many.
I've thought about getting rid of this plant at times, but I do quite like it, and it's a little difficult to get here down under in Australia.
As for aerial roots, some times I get a lot, sometimes not that many.
I've thought about getting rid of this plant at times, but I do quite like it, and it's a little difficult to get here down under in Australia.
Ben your Cabomba looks great. Very healthy and a nice sized grouping.
I see you are keeping them short. Mine are almost 2' tall. So the tops are very close to the light.
And my light at the substrate is about 200 PAR, so right under the light is a lot more. The higher the light, the bushier the tops become, the shorter the nodes are, and the redder it will get. But not everyone likes to roll that way.
If you let grow a bit taller I bet it gets even better. I have also found it likes a lot of CO2 and nutrients.
I posted an older picture last time. Here's one from about 5 minutes ago. One of my absolute favorite plants, and really quite easy to keep if you are willing to keep up with trimming.
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Joel Armstrong
Active Member
Hmm Ben? You can call me Ben if you like, I've been called MUCH worse.
They have not long been trimmed and replanted, so they're not always this short. They don't take too long and they can easily reach the surface like you mentioned.
I tried this level of light for a few weeks, and wow! growth was amazing all round, but I don't have the level of experience you have, and found it difficult to keep up with trimming and replanting, mostly because I still struggle a bit with plant placement and having too many species in the tank. I'm at 130 PAR and continue to focus on the issues mentioned above. I think I'm improving, and may try the higher light level again. The tank does look great being so bright, but my current light level is likely more forgiving.
Your Cabomba look amazing, just beautiful. One of my favourites also.
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