Vallisneria “Mini Twister”
Vallisneria “Mini-twister”, trade name Vallisneria sp. Mini Twister. Although this variety is widely available commercially, its origin is still unknown. For this reason, it does not have a scientific name.
In a study on the systematization of plants of the genus Vallisneria, published in the book Systematics of Vallisneria (Hydrocharitaceae) from 2008, as well as in current scientific catalogs such as the Catalog of Life and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, such a plant with the prefix “Mini Twister” does not occur.
A distinctive feature of Vallisneria “Mini-twister” are twisted leaves, which is reflected in the name of this variety. The word “Twister” in English means “hurricane”, “tornado” or “whirlwind”.
The plant goes on sale in small sprouts with leaves short for the genus Vallisneria, 10–15 cm long and 1–2 cm wide. In most cases, sellers in the description for this plant indicate exactly this height, but in reality it grows much more. The height depends on the composition of the soil, the size of the aquarium, the amount of nutrients, lighting and other factors. Average sizes can be up to 50 cm and above.
It is worth noting that instead of Vallisneria “Mini-twister”, one of the geographical forms of Vallisneria spiral, which also has twisted leaves, but which grows to 1 meter or more, can be on sale. It is not possible to distinguish between the young sprouts of both plants.
Maintenance is simple and similar to that of other representatives of the genus Vallisneria. Placed in the middle or background depending on the size of the aquarium. The optimal substrate for rooting is soft sandy soil interspersed with small pebbles. It does not make high demands on the composition of the soil, it grows well without the addition of fertilizers, being content with substances formed during the life of fish.
Basic information:
- Difficulty of growing – simple
- Growth rates are high
- Temperature — 10–30°С
- Value pH — 5.0–8.0
- Water hardness – 2–21°dGH
- Light level – medium or high
- Use in the aquarium – in the middle and background
- Suitability for a small aquarium – no
- spawning plant – no
- Able to grow on snags, stones – no
- Able to grow among herbivorous fish – no
- Suitable for paludariums – no
