Vallisneria torta

Scientific name: Vallisneria torta

Family: Hydrocharitaceae

Usual maximum size in aquariums: 30 - 45 cm (11.81 - 17.72 inch)

Recommended pH range for the species: 6.5 - 8

Recommended water hardness (dGH): 4 - 18°N (71.43 - 321.43ppm)

Recommended temperature: 22 - 27 °C (71.6 - 80.6°F)

Reproduction of the plant: Runners

Origin (in the wild): South Asia

How fast these plants grow: Fast

Recommended substrate: Fine gravel

Demands on lighting: Bright

Ideal placement in a fish tank: Background

Common Name: twisted vallis

Difficulty: medium

Propagation

These plants will send out runners under the substrate and plantlets will develop from these. After a while the daughter plants will develop their own root system, at this stage they can be separated from the mother plant to grow where they are or they can be transplanted to a different area of the aquarium. When planting these always leave the crown of the plant above the substrate, this is easy to spot as the crown will have a lighter colouration to the rest of the plant.

Short Description

This can be a delicate species of Vallisneria, it does demand high lighting to grow successfully. Its leaves grow upwards in a spiral pattern and it tends to be a bit more compact than some of the other Vallis species. Always make sure that the leaves do not get fractured, as soon as this happens the leaf will die off. Many keepers think that this plant cannot be pruned back, this is not true. As long as the leaves are cut back with sharp scissors they will be o.k. Leaves that are dying off can also be removed by lifting them away at the base.