Part two, found a new bud today.
I've decided to take a different track this time, I cut half the pads off so I could get some light in the tank. I was losing ludwigia quickly with what was basically a black out. Anyhow here's the fun part.
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Here's the lighting issue:
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I cut the old bloom after reading; since it's reproductive, it wouldn't cannibalize. I read that I could pollinate but that it would use a ton of energy and nutrient to try to develop a seed pod/bulb.
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You can see the nub where I cut it in front and to the right of the new one.
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Then I detangled al the pads, I cut the longest ones out, some if these were more than 36" long to my surprise.
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The pads average 6x7 with some a little bigger.
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And now we wait. I am not going to let the pads over run the tank again this time though, I've always kept the lily pads at 40% cover or less, I'm going to keep the pads in check this time and compare the growth rate. The first bloom was a cool oddity, the second one will not be as much of an inconvenient to tank maintenance and appearance, or I'll just cut it off.