Fish: Re: [tropical fish club] Plant question

Connie, can you post a clear photo of the new plant please? There are many different species of plants that have needle-like leaves on them and just because it was left to float in the store tank doesn't really mean much... especially if the guy didn't know what species it was.
IF this is hornwort it needs plenty of nutrient level and plenty of light to do well. It sounds as if you have the nutrient level, but you haven't mentioned what kind of light you're using over your tank? Water temp also matters with hornwort. It does better in warmer water (76 - 82) Hornwort tends to drop its leaves when it's moved to a new environment unless it is acclimated properly and slowly, and even then some dropping of leaves is to be expected. It's a messy plant. You'll want to remove all of the loose plant debris from the tank, especially anything that collects at the filter intake. Not only will this slow down the water flow from your filter (and make the motor work harder than it should) but as that debris sits in there it begins to break down which will quickly contribute to raised ammonia levels within the tank.

There is no reason why you can't grow healthy live plants in a gravel substrate, I've been doing it for 20 yrs. While there are a few select plants that grow better in a specialized plant substrate, the majority of aquatic plants should do just fine in standard gravel as long as their other needs are met (nutrients, light, temp).

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it to you yet, but it's not a healthy habit to buy something that you don't know what it is, bring it home, and then quick scramble to figure out what to do with it. Plants, like fish, have their specific needs that must be met in order for them to survive and thrive. Knowing ahead of time if you can meet those needs not only saves you money but a lot of mess in situations where you don't have the proper environment for something to do well.

If you could briefly tell me what size tank this is, what light you're running over it, water temp, and what kind of fish you have in your tank, I may be able to suggest some plants for you that will do well in your created environment.

Dawn

Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334

--- On Sun, 11/4/12, Connie Watson <clw51@cox.net> wrote:

From: Connie Watson <clw51@cox.net>
Subject: [tropical fish club] Plant question
To: "Tropical Fish Club" <tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Sunday, November 4, 2012, 11:22 AM

OK, I got a floating plant for the tank.

The dealer guy runs his own store and had a tank full

of different plants. Looked healthy enough....

So I asked about a hearty floating plant.

He pulled one out and didn't say the name of it.

I bought it and it is in the tank after inspection from

me and some pruning off brown areas.

Best I can guess from looking on line is it is

some varitey of hornwort.

My question is does this type plant leave its tiny

"needles" of leaves floating all around the tank?

This plants leaves come off the main plant very easily.

Just me moving the plant gently with one finger makes

a "mess" in the tank. They are starting to "clog" the filter

uptake, however, not too badly yet. But it looks terrible in

my humble opinion.

Is this a passing phase of a new plant in the tank? It hasn't

helped the ammonia levels at all. The Nitrites remain at

zero and the Nitrates at around 30.

Do I need more plants? Was this a bad choice for a floating plant?

I am just so new to live plants I just don't know a thing about how to

have them in a tank.

I don't think I have the proper substrate for "growing" plants in the tank.

All I have is the gravel.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Connie

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