Pruning : The best way to control this plants size is to cut entire leaf off at base.Being a fern its new growth remains at the base.On older stems you will see a knot with roots growing out. At that spot you can cut it off. Then let the new plant float under bright light for a few weeks. When you have lots of long roots plant it in your substrate.
Experiences : This plant grows very fast in higher light ranges with CO2 addition. The colors are a very vivid green and pearling is excuisite on these ferns. In lower lighting the plant is darker with only the newest leaves showing the brighter greens. I have grown this plant as a short foreground plant with dense plantings and lottsa trimming with success and I have also let them grow out as a background plants.They will grow as large as you let them. This is a great plant to use to smooth out the edges of an aquascape.
I like this plant allot. I find myself going back to it every time I take it out of my tanks. I find it likes lots of CO2 along with lots of nutrients with high light. The plant in the photo is in a 55gal tank. It would grow two to three stems per/week . When I finally had to take it out the new stems where as thick as a pencil. This plant grows so fast and get so large that you can't keep it very long because it will out grow what ever size tank you put it in. What I would do so I could keep this plant is have smaller plants growing in another tank. I would just replant with a another plant trade the large plant at the LFS for credit. This plant doesn't need any root tabs it gets most of its nutrients form the water column. I can start with a small plant to one that out grows a 55gal tank in four to five months. I am not sure but I think this plant like high NO3 levels. I find this plant to be one of the best algae buster plants you can use to use up abundant amounts of nutrients. I have really good luck with this plant.
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