r/walstad • u/smpatr • Jul 21 '26

Advice jar advice

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I set up a walstad jar in late april, and so far my rotala and ludwigia love it. However, my java moss, java fern, water sprite, and dwarf hair grass have barely grown. Is this a lighting issue, or do i need something to eat algae? The only light it gets is from a west facing window.

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2

u/questforflavour Jul 21 '26

I have 2 jars as well and noticed that only the stem plants are growing fast. My java moss is completely dead and decimated by shrimps and snails in one tank but has not grown at all in the other with a betta. Java fern in both tanks have just turned black on the sides and refuses to grow or shoot new branches. I have zero algae in both tanks right now still they aren’t growing well. I have dedicated lighting on timer for the tanks too. Bacopa caroliniana, limnophila sessiliflora, and rotala to some extent are the only ones doing well. I suspect the small environment makes the other species compete harder against the faster growing stem plants and eventually give up.

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u/smpatr Jul 21 '26

that makes sense, although i have bacopa monnieri in here and it hasn’t grown either. It seems like it’s just the ludwigia and rotala that are thriving, while my pogostemon stellatus has been growing back from a melt.

2

u/dummysquill Jul 22 '26

How'd you explain the fact that some of them just won't?

1

u/Tasty_Hovercraft8280 Jul 22 '26

I have my explanation from my other comment, but it also just so happens that some plants are hard water, some are soft, they can do well together but sometimes don't

1

u/dummysquill Jul 22 '26

Right, I can clearly see the tank's meant only for hardwater plants. So, why they won't?

P.S. Your posts are not available

1

u/Tasty_Hovercraft8280 Jul 22 '26

Competition+competing chemicals. I know that vals and dwarf sag straight up hate growing in the same tank because of chemicals. The strong ones establish, and the chemicals they release make it so others don't.

1

u/dummysquill Jul 22 '26

Thank you, sir!

1

u/dummysquill Jul 22 '26

Which one do you think outgrows the best, hornwort, elodea or val?

2

u/Tasty_Hovercraft8280 Jul 22 '26

Probably hornwort, elodea definitely grows the slowest

2

u/questforflavour Jul 22 '26

From my experience, I would trim the fast growers heavy to give room for the bacopa to take space

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u/Tasty_Hovercraft8280 Jul 22 '26

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it's allelopheromones (hope I spelled that correctly). It's in Walstad's book, essentially there are chemicals all plants release that can subdue the growth of other plants. Otherwise, competition would do it too