Hornwort turning brown! Help!
PacNeil
In article <4t19l3$g...@news.enter.net>, te...@enter.net (Terry Carl)
writes:
>I recently added some Hornwort to my 20 gal tank, and it's been ok for
about
>2 weeks. Now it's turning brown, and I have no idea why. <snip> I have
no idea
>what could be causing it to turn brown? Any help is greatly appreciated!
<snip>
You didn't say what your water temp is. Baensch says the temperature range
for Ceratophyllum demersum (Hornwort) is 64-82F but Windelov says
"Suitable for the cold-water aquarium ...... It is less suitable for
aquarium cultivation because it easily covers itself with mud and
sediment, and sometimes even brown algae (diatoms). The stalks are often
bare, with only the vegetative apex remaining thick and emerald green.
....... Ceratophyllum does best at relatively low temperatures (below
65F)"
Hope this helps.
Neil Schneider
Pac...@aol.com
Terry Carl
Water Temp is usually at 74 F. A few days ago it was at 80 F for 2 days
because of the heat outside, and the AC wasn't on. Could the temp rise
have affected it?
Terry Carl
The plant itself is turning brown (dying?). I have no idea what the CO2
content or the mineral content is. There should be plenty of CO2,
because the tank is very well stocked with fish.
Scott Noack
--Terry,
By brown do you mean the plant leaves are turning brown or something
brown is growing on the plant. 8^)
If the plant is dying look at the mineral, CO2 and light content of the
water as well as the temperature. Plants aren't too fussy so long as
they get enough light, CO2 and nutrients, etc.
If the brown is because of diatoms then maybe your nitrate or light is
insufficient.
Hope this helps...
--Scott
Terry Carl wrote:
>
> I recently added some Hornwort to my 20 gal tank, and it's been ok for about 2
> weeks. Now it's turning brown, and I have no idea why. I'm using it as a
> floating plant. I also have some Java Moss in the tank and it is doing well.
> (I've had to unclog it from the filter intake twice already) I have no idea
> what could be causing it to turn brown? Any help is greatly appreciated!
>
> Info:
> 20 gal FW
> Power filter & UGF with Powerhead
> Ammonia & Nitrites - 0
> pH - 6.6
> Hard water (not sure of exact ppm)
>
> Thank you in advance for any help!
> Terry Carl, Jr.
Terry Carl
David Whittaker
With a pH of 6.6, I doubt that your water is all that hard. It's
not the water temperature. It seems that you have a lot of water
movement and the pH is a bit low. However, my guess is that your
lighting is inadequate.
--
Dave Whittaker ac...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA
Gloucester, Ontario dwh...@magmacom.com
Canada
Terry Carl
David Whittaker wrote:
> With a pH of 6.6, I doubt that your water is all that hard. It's
> not the water temperature. It seems that you have a lot of water
> movement and the pH is a bit low. However, my guess is that your
> lighting is inadequate.
Right now I have a hood with one flourescent full spectrum bulb in it.
I'm not sure how many watts it is though. Half of the Hornwort is
directly under the light, and the other half isn't. There's no direct
sunlight shining on the tank.
Terry Carl, Jr.
patrick timlin
: David Whittaker wrote:
: > With a pH of 6.6, I doubt that your water is all that hard. It's
: > not the water temperature. It seems that you have a lot of water
: > movement and the pH is a bit low. However, my guess is that your
: > lighting is inadequate.
Terry Carl (te...@enter.net) wrote:
: Right now I have a hood with one flourescent full spectrum bulb in it.
: I'm not sure how many watts it is though. Half of the Hornwort is
: directly under the light, and the other half isn't. There's no direct
: sunlight shining on the tank.
It may not be your lighting, because fortunately hornwort does not
require strong light. But, if you do suspect the lighting, try letting
the hornwort grow as a floating plant for a while, this way, it will be
up next to the light. If it doesn't get any better, than at least you
can rule out your lighting.
Patrick Timlin pti...@lynx.dac.neu.edu pti...@adex.com
Shaji Bhaskar
In article <4t4s04$n...@freenet-news.carleton.ca>,
David Whittaker <ac...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote:
>
>Terry Carl (te...@enter.net) writes:
>> I recently added some Hornwort to my 20 gal tank, and it's been ok
>>for about 2 weeks. Now it's turning brown, and I have no idea why.
<tank stats deleted>
>With a pH of 6.6, I doubt that your water is all that hard. It's
>not the water temperature. It seems that you have a lot of water
>movement and the pH is a bit low. However, my guess is that your
>lighting is inadequate.
I agree with Dave. One thing you can do to validate the diagnosis is
to compare the distance between the nodes to the length of the leaves.
If the distance is more than 2 or three times the length of the leaves,
the odds are that you have inadequate light.
-Shaji
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaji Bhaskar, Durham, North Carolina sh...@nando.net
patrick timlin
: >With a pH of 6.6, I doubt that your water is all that hard. It's
: >not the water temperature. It seems that you have a lot of water
: >movement and the pH is a bit low. However, my guess is that your
: >lighting is inadequate.
Shaji Bhaskar (sh...@bessel.nando.net) wrote:
: I agree with Dave. One thing you can do to validate the diagnosis is
: to compare the distance between the nodes to the length of the leaves.
: If the distance is more than 2 or three times the length of the leaves,
: the odds are that you have inadequate light.
Huh? Why do you say that? In some plants, especially ones like hornwort
or cambomba, if they get more light then they need or maybe are cold
water plants kept at tropical temps, you get a situation where the plant
really takes off growing. The downside is these plants often start to
look spindly, kind of like your description of nodes vs. leaves.
So I am curious as to your reasoning. Not to imply that you are wrong.
I may be so that is why I ask. Thanks.
Patrick Timlin pti...@lynx.dac.neu.edu pti...@adex.com
Terry Carl
I just noticed something odd about the Hornwort. Right at the water's
surface, the Hornwort has a spider web type mass of threads in it, could
that be some type of fungus? It also has little tan & white spots on the
surface of the mass of web. If it's a fungus, should I remove it or not?
Terry Carl, Jr.
Shaji Bhaskar
In article <31F7CF...@enter.net>, Terry Carl <te...@enter.net> wrote:
#Shaji Bhaskar wrote:
#
## I agree with Dave. One thing you can do to validate the diagnosis is
## to compare the distance between the nodes to the length of the leaves.
## If the distance is more than 2 or three times the length of the leaves,
## the odds are that you have inadequate light.
#
#Ok, I'm not a plant expert, and I have no idea what "nodes" on a plant
#are. Are they the leaf stems or what?
A node is the place in the stem where the leaf is attached.
Terry Carl
Shaji Bhaskar wrote:
> I agree with Dave. One thing you can do to validate the diagnosis is
> to compare the distance between the nodes to the length of the leaves.
> If the distance is more than 2 or three times the length of the leaves,
> the odds are that you have inadequate light.
Ok, I'm not a plant expert, and I have no idea what "nodes" on a plant
are. Are they the leaf stems or what?
Sorry for my lack of plant knowledge,
Terry Carl, Jr.
Terry Carl
patrick timlin wrote:
> It may not be your lighting, because fortunately hornwort does not
> require strong light. But, if you do suspect the lighting, try letting
> the hornwort grow as a floating plant for a while, this way, it will be
> up next to the light. If it doesn't get any better, than at least you
> can rule out your lighting.
It already is floating. That's the way I've had it since I got it. It's
directly under the light, too.
Terry Carl, Jr.
Shaji Bhaskar
In article <4t8mao$p...@chaos.dac.neu.edu>,
patrick timlin <pti...@lynx.dac.neu.edu> wrote:
>Shaji Bhaskar (sh...@bessel.nando.net) wrote:
>: I agree with Dave. One thing you can do to validate the diagnosis is
>: to compare the distance between the nodes to the length of the leaves.
>: If the distance is more than 2 or three times the length of the leaves,
>: the odds are that you have inadequate light.
>
>Huh? Why do you say that? In some plants, especially ones like hornwort
>or cambomba, if they get more light then they need or maybe are cold
>water plants kept at tropical temps, you get a situation where the plant
>really takes off growing. The downside is these plants often start to
>look spindly, kind of like your description of nodes vs. leaves.
Increase in internodal distance is often caused by the plant
"reaching" for light. It's the same with terrestrial plants as well -
if you keep a plant in a dark room, it grows abnormally tall.
Conversely, brighter light results in bushier plants - Cabomba, for
instance, tends to be more bushy when allowed to trail along the
surface, where lighting is most intense.
Barry James's book "A Fishkeeper's Guide To Aquarium Plants" has, on
p. 22, a couple of pictures that show this effect. Interestingly
enough, he uses Hornwort as an example. If you look at pictures of
happy Hornwort, in. say, the Dennerle book, you will see that the stem
is barely visible through the leaves, especially at the growing tips.
This is not to say that I don't see where you are coming from. If you
provide good conditions, especially if you fertilize with CO2, many
plants grow bigger than normal, and have longer inter-nodal distances.
But the original poster did not seem to be in this happy situation.
>So I am curious as to your reasoning. Not to imply that you are wrong.
>I may be so that is why I ask. Thanks.
Hey, you can take off the kid gloves. :-)
-Shaji
Terry Carl
Shaji Bhaskar wrote:
>
> By the way, are you growing your hornwort rooted in the substrate? You could
> do much better if you left it floating.
It's been floating. I've never had it rooted.
Terry Carl, Jr.
Terry Carl
Ok, the length of the leaves is about the same as that of the distance
between the nodes on most of the plant. A couple of stems have huge
spaces between the nodes, and a couple have almost no space and long
leaves. It doesn't seem to getting any browner, but it isn't getting any
greener either.
Terry Carl, Jr.
Shaji Bhaskar
In article <31F7E4...@enter.net>, Terry Carl <te...@enter.net> wrote:
>I just noticed something odd about the Hornwort. Right at the water's
>surface, the Hornwort has a spider web type mass of threads in it, could
>that be some type of fungus? It also has little tan & white spots on the
>surface of the mass of web. If it's a fungus, should I remove it or not?
If is is white/transluscent, it's most likely a fungus. I'd get rid of it.
By the way, are you growing your hornwort rooted in the substrate? You could
do much better if you left it floating.
-Shaji
A.J.Cann
> In article <4t19l3$g...@news.enter.net>, te...@enter.net (Terry Carl)
> writes:
>
> >I recently added some Hornwort to my 20 gal tank, and it's been ok for
> about
> >2 weeks. Now it's turning brown, and I have no idea why. <snip> I have
> no idea
> >what could be causing it to turn brown? Any help is greatly appreciated!
> <snip>
> You didn't say what your water temp is. Baensch says the temperature range
> for Ceratophyllum demersum (Hornwort) is 64-82F but Windelov says
> "Suitable for the cold-water aquarium ...... It is less suitable for
> aquarium cultivation because it easily covers itself with mud and
> sediment, and sometimes even brown algae (diatoms). The stalks are often
> bare, with only the vegetative apex remaining thick and emerald green.
> ....... Ceratophyllum does best at relatively low temperatures (below 65F)"
I've successfully grown hornwort at 75-80F for periods of several years, &
I suspect lighting/nutrition not temperature is the problem.
Also, I SUSPECT that there is more than one species of Ceratophyllum
circulating as 'hornwort' & that different species (or at least
'cultivars') may have different requirements.
--
Dr Alan J. Cann PhD, Department of Microbiology & Immunology,
University of Leicester, P.O. Box 138, Medical Sciences Building,
University Road, Leicester LE1 9HN, UK.
Email: n...@le.ac.uk http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/AJC/nna.html
Chris Teichreb
Hi all,
I recently purchased some pennywort from the pet-store. I stuck
it in my 10 gallon grow out tank, and it seems to be doing fine.
However, I haven't been able to find much info on it. What kind of
water conditions does it prefer? What light levels? How should I
propogate this plant? Anything else I should know about this plant?
TIA,
Chris Teichreb
Department of Biology
University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA
teic...@Meena.CC.URegina.CA
PacNeil
In article <4to5en$h...@sue.cc.uregina.ca>, teic...@meena.cc.uregina.ca
(Chris Teichreb) writes:
>I recently purchased some pennywort from the pet-store. I stuck
>it in my 10 gallon grow out tank, and it seems to be doing fine.
>However, I haven't been able to find much info on it. What kind of
>water conditions does it prefer? What light levels? How should I
>propogate this plant? Anything else I should know about this plant?
>
>
From Baensch Atlas:
Hydrocotyle leococephala (Brazilia Pennywort) Excellent for group
plantings, the shape of its leaves and its light-green color contrast
effectively with other plants. The submersed stem grows upright and is
opposing, rounded, kidneyshaped leaves have a moderately sinuate edge
1-1/4 to 2 inches wide (3-5 cm.). It requires plenty of light but is
otherwise tolerant of tank conditions. The fast growing shoots must be cut
back before ti spreads to the surface reducing the light below. It should
be planted sparingly, pruned often and can also be used as a low-growing
bog plant. Propagation: cuttings and self-propagation.
Difficulty easy KH 2-15 pH 6.0-7.8 Temp. 68-82F (20-28C)
Chris Teichreb
Hi,
><snip>
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Neil Schneider
>Pac...@aol.com
>
Thanks Neil. I guess I'll get out the pruning shears and start
propogating it soon! Really does add some contrast to the other
plants and I personally think it looks much better than a lot of other
stem plants (that's personally!!!).
Thanks,
Shaji Bhaskar
>I recently purchased some pennywort from the pet-store. I stuck
>it in my 10 gallon grow out tank, and it seems to be doing fine.
>However, I haven't been able to find much info on it. What kind of
>water conditions does it prefer? What light levels? How should I
>propogate this plant? Anything else I should know about this plant?
There are several species of pennywort (Hydrocotyle). The most common
is H. leucocephala, which, when submerged, likes to grow up towards the
surface. There are other species (H. vulgaris, H. verticillata) that
grow horizontally along the top of the substrate.
The former is the easiest to grow. It is not particular about water
conditions, IMO. It does like good light, and grows best when allowed
to float along the surface of the water. You can then trim the
bottoms off to get a good display.
The low-growing species rquire lots of light, and are harder to keep.
-Shaji