I believe I have sufficient light for the Hygros. They are growing much too
fast. I have to trim them every couple days. The problem is that I don't
want to be constantly uprooting them and planting the cuttings...too much
disruption for an environment that I would like more stable (so I've been
mostly leaving the rooted sections in) The many new leaves towards the top
shades the older leaves on the bottoms and start to die off and these are
the ones that shed. The plants do grow extremely well and and produce many
leaves. I just would like a more bushier plant. The hygros are great for
establishing a tank since they are fast growing.

I currently have from 25-35ppm of C02 and 2wpg in a tank that's only 12
inches high.

If you look at my website and check out the aquarium picture and the more
detailed hygro picture in the "plants" section you can see how well the
hygros are doing.

--
Dave Picklyk
www.picklyk.com/aquascape

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
Since I have a small 15 gallon to work with, I'm thinking of replacing my
hygrophelias. I don't like the constant shedding of the leaves and
straggly
bottoms.

It sounds like you might not have enough light for Hygrophila. How much
light
is over this tank?

Any opinions or tips on these guys?

Babytears is a much more demanding plant that Hygro, in terms of light,
CO2,
etc. If Hygro's not doing well, I suspect babytears won't, either.

Babytears are beautiful plants, but they require a lot of work. Like your
Hygro, they will get straggly at the bottoms, and you have to constantly
prune
and replant them to keep them looking good.



Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/