Pogostemon Helferi - Let's Discuss!

This topic is for discussing your experiences with Pogostemon Helferi . . . it's rather rare in our state of Washington (I don't know why?) and seems pretty tricky to grow. I've read up on this plant before and have heard mixed results with this plant...

Some say that it likes being in harder water, others say it requires high light AND co2, *shrug* who knows?

I got some from a friend the other day, and I put it in my 55 gallon community tank, I'd like to see how it does in my tank... Who else has some experience with this neat looking plant? fishNAbowl? hobbyorobsession? Hmm? Hmmm?!?! HMMMMMMM?!?!?!?!?  

Here are the ones that I just recently planted in my 55
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I'd love to have some of that...but shipping it seems to be an issue. Hoping to find some on our next trip to Seattle in September. Good luck with it. Roy (SeattleAquarist) grows beautiful plants of this.

I got some a while back but one of my fish ate it to a nub. It never recovered.... I am not 100% sure if it was just the fish or if the mystery snails nibbled on it too   

I will try it again but I won't be going out searching for it... if I bump into this plant at my LFS and I have the extra funds I may pick it up.

It grows extremely well in California (LA), for some reason... it must be due to their harder water, that HAS to be it... LOL *shrug*

But yeah, I had a feeling that Roy would have some experience with these plants, I can't believe I forgot to add his name in my previous post. LOL!

I've also read that people have had really good luck with growing it emersed, however... having to "transition" from emersed to submersed, just doesn't tickle me the right way.   

I got a few of these a while back and mine have mysteriously disappeared in my tank 1 by 1 from and unknown predator. I only have one left and it's very small only about the size of a nickel and I have been keeping my eye on it and seems to be doing well but i fear that it will disappear soon too. Neat little plant I would like to continue to keep if I can find and remove the culprit.

Well it looks like I spoke too soon. I will have to try this plant again another time as my last little guy is gone.   First attempt = one month, 5 plants and one mysterious now happy fish.

Yeah it does well in hardwater ebcause it's a hard water plant. Most people melt it with soft water. I'll get some more in. The last batch came in melted with this heat, waiting for it to cool down before I order it again. Does really well in my tanks at the shop with co2. Just gotta wait for it to cool down to ship some more to cichlid-gal

A lot of fish enjoy eating this plant.
Petmart had P helferi for sale at a good price.

For some reason, my Malaysian Trumpet Snails are SWARMING over these plants. I'm hoping it's just because they're "new" in the tank and they can smell/taste some sort of residual food that may have attached onto the plants from the previous owner's tank. *shrug* We'll see!

Hi PokeSephiroth,

It can be a difficult plant to grow in our typically soft NW water. It does seem to grow much better for me if I put a couple of root tabs close by (I like Flourish Tabs), fertilize the water column, and increase my water hardness. I have grown it in a lower light (PAR=25) no CO2 tank with PH=6.8, dKH=2.0, and dGH=2.0. I also grow it emersed in my plant bank and I add extra minerals to the water for it that way as well.

10 gallon, low light, no CO2
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Emersed
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Very nice, Roy! I'll probably have to take out the pogostemon helferi in my 55 gallon tank, and maybe transfer it to another tank where I can bump the hardness up a bit.

That emersed growth looks amazing!

I had some for awhile. I actually got it at Petsmart in one of those emersed packets! It did really well in 27g under the Ray2. But after awhile it started disappearing bit by bit. Someone was munching on it!