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POTM: Dwarf sag (Sagitteria subulata)
Posted by: Goblin on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 09:21 AM
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POTM: Dwarf sag (Sagitteria subulata)
Dwarf Sagittaria
Species: Sagittaria subulata
Family: Alismataceae
Range: Eastern North America
Height: Varies. In low light tanks it rarely exceeds 2" in height. In higher light CO2 enriched
tanks, growth can exceed 12".
Water: Does well in most water conditions from soft to hard, with pH ranging from 6-8.
Dwarf sag is often recommended as a foreground ?lawn? plant. In most tanks with stock lighting
it performs well, but with an increase in light and nutrients, it quickly turns into a background
plant similar to Vallisneria, although smaller. This makes it idea for smaller tanks where Vals
would quickly outgrow the tank.
One condition that dwarf sag seems to find particularly hard to adapt to is a large sized substrate.
Medium gravel and larger seem to stop this plant from really growing at all.
When I had first kept this plant I had no luck with it. The plants didn?t grow, they didn?t die, they
did nothing. After about 6 months I changed my substrate from the aquarium gravel I had, to
silica sand. The change was incredible. Within a week I had new plantlets popping out all over the
place. The plants never grew past the 2-3" mark, but they spread into a nice lawn fairly quickly.
So if you have a bit in gravel that isn?t doing much, try mixing a little sand around the plant and
see what happens.
<img src=http://www.members.shaw.ca/aquascapes/sag1.jpg>
Dwarf sag at about 8" tall.
<img src=http://www.members.shaw.ca/aquascapes/sag2.jpg>
New plantlets coming up.
<img src=http://www.members.shaw.ca/aquascapes/sag3.jpg>
Dwarf sag with a baby kribensis. This is the main hiding spot for the babies in this tank.
<img src=http://www.members.shaw.ca/aquascapes/sag4.jpg>
Closeup of a thick area.
By James
Note: Published at FishGeeks with express permission from the author. This article can not be copied or reprinted, either physically or electronically without the permission of the author. Copyright 2003.
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