well I finally set everything up, cut all the plants, blocked the sides from windows, etc.

so I put the water in, only enough to reach the top of 2in. of the Amazonia substrate and went to dinner.........about an hour later, I come home and the plants are all dried up, sticking to the glass, and when I tried to peel them off, leaves just rolled right off the plant.


what needs to be done in that situation??

Maybe I missed something, but what did you plant? What were you attempting to accomplish?

Oh, sorry about that! (I just copied and pasted from another thread, in a different site)

-I had the same idea like Tom Barr........
-I have couple squares of H.C., alot of Jungle Vals, some Ludwigia Cuba, and two crypt beckettii.
-I'm trying to grow a "full carpet of H.C.", lush bushes of Cuba, and a tall background of the Vals.

-I've just put a glass cover and some plastic wrap over the top to keep in some moisture, but it still doesn't seem to be working.

ANY IDEAS??

Maybe you can use a misting spray every morning to increase humidity.


What temperatures are the house and tank at during the course of the day?
During colder temperatures, water has a harder time staying in gaseous form.

Will the Vals even grow emersed? I'm not sure.
Do the still look ok? are they firm still, or are they dried up also?
If the stems are ok, then I think new leaves will still form. I notice that when my limnophila aromatica gets above the surface of the water, the leaves dry up like yours did. I think however this is because those leaves were used to the submersed conditions, and the little stem poking above the water will put out new, emersed leaves after the underwater ones are gone. So, maybe this is what happened to you? Maybe the leaves were getting used to being underwater and they died w/o any moisture, and the new leaves have yet to grow. I will say that a mister would work well...I'm not sure, these are only my ideas on this.

Good luck!
-Mike B-

It looks like their not going to die! I put the water level about 1/2 in above the soil.
And I thought about that, getting used to submersed form, and decided to cut all the val leaves and just let them start all over. They should grow fast right??

(oh, and yes, vals do grow emersed. Or at least thats what this site I went to said)

cool. I'm glad that they dont seem like they are going to die. I think adding a little water is a good idea. Maybe letting the water slowly evaporate to lower the level & give the plants time to get used to the conditions. I think cutting back the leaves is probably a good idea. I think it will signal the plant that it needs to grow and put out new leaves and reduce the shock of changing its form.

cool. let us know how it comes along.

-Mike B-

I would be surprised if vals will grow emersed. Most plants that will grow emersed will, when they reach the water surface, penetrate it and try to grow emersed. Vals don't do that at all. And, the photos I have seen of vals in nature always show them with leaves laying across the water surface like they do in an aquarium.