# dwarf baby tears



## benjaminleebates (Dec 27, 2011)

Has anyone had luck with dwarf baby tears, without adding extra CO2?
I also am planning to plant red and green foxtails? Any issues with these?
Thanx!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you have adequate lighting, good planted substrate, and dose adequate ferts you can grow it without CO2.


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## benjaminleebates (Dec 27, 2011)

Thanks for the info!
If I dose with plant food, will this effect my fishless cycling? I'm on the early (ammonia high) level...


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

No, it shouldn't.


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## williemcd (Jun 23, 2011)

I've tried baby tears and just watched them wilt away. I'm a low tech plant guy and they were buried in a 155G 27" deep tank. I then came across a post about them being highlight plants.. A friend I gave some to had them in a pond-liner Angel grow-out tank, less than 6" below the surface and they did fine. 
Note. the 250G pond-liner was in the center of her living room!.. Needless to say, she didn't have a husband yaking about the pond in the living room. Bill in Va.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I tried it, it was a disaster for me, but that's not to say it can't be done. By the way, it's one plant MTS will destroy.


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## benjaminleebates (Dec 27, 2011)

MTS?
I don't want to buy a new hood, I have a full spectrum 24 inch incandescent aqueon bulb. It came with my bowfront aqaurium.
Would upgrading to the floramax bulb be enough to give adequate light?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

mts - malaysian trumpet snails

From what I'm getting of your setup (not much info given) you are likely to fail at trying to grow this plant. It is not difficult to grow per se, but it usually stays about 1/2" above the substrate. Nearly on the substrate itself making it difficult to get enough light to it. Therefore, your light is unlikely to be adequate...what I know of it anyway.


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## benjaminleebates (Dec 27, 2011)

Not a complex set-up.
I have a 36 gallon bowfront tank, it came with a hood that included a 17W 24" full spectrum florescent, I believe 8000K.
I have 20lbs of black sand substrate and 20lbs of dark blue aquarium gravel.
I planted one bunch, split-up of course, of Dwarf baby tears. I have also planted red foxtail and green foxtail.
The plants are planted into the gravel, the top of the gravel is about 18" from the top of the tank. I am planning to buy a floramax aqueon bulb, this is at 6500K 17W. I hope that it will help, or am I wasting my money?
And, no, I don't have a CO2 system, but I do dope with plant food. Not that it matters, but a have a 12 inch air stone and another bubbler.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you were going to have more light, you could possibly do it. IMO, you just won't have enough even with both bulbs up there. You're still looking at lighting in the low category. If you had about 4 of those bulbs up there, I'd say give it a shot and see what happens. 5, I'd say you probably could if everything else were good. 

Growing without CO2 is difficult enough. Like I said earlier, if you had a good "planted" substrate, adequate lighting, and a good fertilization plan CO2 may not be needed. And a good fert plan doesn't mean adding a liquid fert to your tank everyday, it means adequate amount of NPK and trace elements.


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

I am growing this stuff very well in my tank under leds with co2 injection but i have a shallow tank..i would think your going to need more light..you can grow them on a medium light setup with co2 but that being said like jrman said..i think your still on the low light setup..

Rick


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