Vallisneria Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 At the last ACe meeting i won a bag of riccia. Inside tehre was a bunch of hornwort mixed in. I picked it out and tossed it in my african tank. I assumed it would be eaten as they have eaten all the otehr plants i put in there. So now i'm thinking of adding more. I kind of like the look of having plants floating around and the added plus of them being nitrate eating machine doesn't hurt. So my question is should i stick with hornwort or try a different floating plant. What about Anacharis? would that be a good choice? Just trying to find out the pros and cons or all the different floating plants to see which would do best in my tank. Anyone keep floating plants?Which do you think is best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Careful to much hornwort and you could soften your water to much. I use hornwort in my killie tanks to soften the water and for the fry to hide in. garhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Oh thats true, i forgot that it can soften the water. In that case, would going with the anacharis be a better idea or will it affect also affect the hardness? How much hornwort would it actually take to soften the water? A couple stands or woudl the whole tnak need to be filled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 I've used hornworts in my 150gallon, and I eventually decided to pull it all out. As my africans picked on it, the "needles" would die off and sink to the bottom, and then pile up. I found them to get rather annoying with my africans, but maybe that was just with my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Hmmm, i think i may try the anacharis then. I"m not planning on getting tons of it and i don't plan on letting it take over my tank, so i dont' think there will be a problem with reducing the hardness. I just wanted to try a plant that would help reduce nitrates and one that i wouldnt' mind if the fish ate a bit of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 IMo the better plants for African's are Anubias sp. and Java Ferns. They are also good low light plants and a rockpile can make for a good root area for both species. Garhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 yeah, i have tried anubias, java ferns, vals and swords. Everytime i add them to the tank they are eaten down to stems by the end of the week. The last time i added a bunch of Java ferns that i attached to some of my rocks they were all eaten within the week. I added a couple strands of hornwort on the 7th and they seem to be doing aright. One has been picked at a bit and the other is turning a redish brown color(i think its because its floating right under the lights). I think they have grown a bit but can't really tell. So how much hornwort is actually needed to change the hardness? does anacharis affect the hardness also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 I am not sure if this plants will soften the water. When kept in a tropical aquarium, they require regular additions of fertilizer and a moderate amount of light. With the addition of CO2 fertilization, they will thrive in even hard water. The Anacharis is an excellent nutrient controller and oxygen producer for all types of freshwater aquariums and is also a suitable plant for use in aquariums that house livebearers or American sunfish. Provide at least 2 watts per gallon of light provided by full spectrum (5000-7000K) bulbs, and keep the aquarium water between 59°-82°F. Anacharis plants grow the best in water with an alkalinity of 3-8 dKH with a nuetral pH of 6.5-7.5. Propagate by removing cuttings from mature, healthy plants. The Anacharis looks best when planted in groups along the back and sides of the aquarium. Garhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 I've got a ton of jungle vals in my largest tank with my WC mbuna. There's about 6" of leaves from them at the surface, and it gives a good place for fish to hide, as well as providing and interesting effect of the light through the leaves. I also have Cryptocoryne affinis along the bottom, and it does get nipped a bit, but if it's placed where the fish don't dig it does really well. I've got plenty of both plants if you're interested, $1 each for crypts and $2 each for jungle vals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyL Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 In theory any fast growing plant is going to have an effect on hardness... Riccia, hornwort, Guppy/najas grass, anachris (elodea sp.), duckweed, even some of the mosses (given proper conditions for rapid growth) can all easily make an impact on kh/gh. They soften the water by the uptake of nutrients, mainly calcium and magnesium (The two 'main' nutrients which create GH/KH) which they need in order to grow. However with regular larger water changes, and proper rock/substrate in an african tank, the effect should be neglidgible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 Thanks guys They soften the water by the uptake of nutrients, mainly calcium and magnesium (The two 'main' nutrients which create GH/KH) which they need in order to grow. However with regular larger water changes, and proper rock/substrate in an african tank, the effect should be neglidgible. Thats what i thought. I do 30% water changes every week on my 90g so i didn't think it would be a problem, especially if i only put a couple plants in there. So i think i'm going to see if i can get any anacharis next time i'm at the LFS(unless any one has any here ). I can't hurt to see if it works out. Hopefully it will grow faster then its eaten :P African_fever: thanks for the offer but i have some vals and crypts in with my other tanks. I"ve tried adding them to my african tank and every time they are eaten. I was looking for a faster growing plant, hopefully the anacharis or hornwort will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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