Problems growing anacharis/elodea

[ChristineB]

So, in preparation for ribbed newts I had my tank set up for a few weeks; included decorative elements from a cycled tank, added some quick-start beneficial bacteria, and bought some plants. I figured since I didn't have any animals in there I'd leave the (LED) lights on all the time to help the scraggly anacharis along. I stupidly didn't pay much attention to it until today when I noticed the plants were mainly brown and shedding leaves. Turns out that's a sign of too much light. D'oh! So, I realized this will actually hurt, not help my water conditions. I'll pinch off the green new growth to use, do a partial water change and check parameters. But I guess you CAN screw up this supposedly unkillable plant, so I thought I'd post a cautionary tale for those like me who thought more light is always better for plants

 

[SludgeMunkey]

So, in preparation for ribbed newts I had my tank set up for a few weeks; included decorative elements from a cycled tank, added some quick-start beneficial bacteria, and bought some plants. I figured since I didn't have any animals in there I'd leave the (LED) lights on all the time to help the scraggly anacharis along. I stupidly didn't pay much attention to it until today when I noticed the plants were mainly brown and shedding leaves. Turns out that's a sign of too much light. D'oh! So, I realized this will actually hurt, not help my water conditions. I'll pinch off the green new growth to use, do a partial water change and check parameters. But I guess you CAN screw up this supposedly unkillable plant, so I thought I'd post a cautionary tale for those like me who thought more light is always better for plants

This sort of plant is garbage for amphibian tanks in my opinion. The lighting and water chemistry requirements are not compatible.

It is odd you state "sign of too much light", These group of plants like warm temperatures and bright light. Fair choice for semitropical and tropical fish, but amphibian tanks are generally too cold.

I have also found in the past that many of these plants are already half dead by the time they are purchased.

Also, those quick start bacteria do not help much and will feast on plants in an improperly cycled tank.

 

[ChristineB]

Maybe you're thinking of something else; I have the Egeria densa type and it grows well in cold water tanks and ponds. I read up on it on several sites when mine started dying, and nowhere listed more than "moderate" light requirements, and all said pH as high as 7.5 or 8. The healthiest anacharis I've ever seen was in my neighbor's unheated, unlit goldfish tank.

 

[ChristineB]

But if you have any suggestions for better plant choices I'd be happy to hear them . . .

 

[Chinadog]

I suspect there are different cultivated strains of the plant we call Anacharis. I've bought it countless times over the years with different results. The stuff I have at the moment has been going crazy for years, so much so that I compost a carrier bag full each month, but in the past there have been plenty of times its melted away no matter what the conditions. The species I keep are naturally active during the day so their tanks are quite brightly lit, but temps are usually around the low to mid 60's.
I agree its a garbage plant for newt tanks though. Apart from being hit and miss to get growing, I've found the species I've bred will never choose to lay eggs on it if there are other plants in their tanks, maybe they can feel how thin the leaves are and prefer to find plants that offer more protection to their eggs? I only keep it growing as when left to float it quickly makes a good tangle of stems and roots just below the surface that newts love to hang out in and doesn't block the light out with mats of leaves on the surface like most true floating plants do.

That's very interesting about the bio start bacteria, I don't use it myself but explains why people new to aquariums quickly get disheartened with live plants when they set their first tank up.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

The biggest issue with any of the Anarachis and Elodea genera is that without running some DNA, they are virtually impossible to tell apart. Additionally, it does not help that the aquarium trade uses the genera interchangeably

Often multiple species are mixed and almost always they are improperly labeled. Even worse, the bulk of the information on the web about these plants is outright wrong, mostly due to the difficulty in properly identifying genera and species.

When it comes to cool and cold water live plants for amphibians, I had excellent experiences with the following:

Taxiphyllum barbieri AKA Vescicularia dubyan

Samolus parviflorus and S. valerand

Cacomba caroliniana

Microsorum pteropus

Truth be told however, water chemistry is the difficult factor. Many commonly sold aquarium plants prefer soft water. This is an issue for much of the US as we love to use liquid rock in our municipal systems.

Another common issue is CO2 saturation. What makes plants thrive makes amphibians gasp!

Personally, the biggest issue I struggled against in all parts of the country was proper water pre-treatment. With some municipalities using chlorine and bromides and others using various chloramines, finding the right treatment that works for plants is a bit of a battle. In California, way back when it was legal to keep ambystomids there, I strictly used Original AmQuel without issue.

On the East Coast, I had to use Amquel+ AND Novaqua.

Here in the Greater Omaha Area, just AmQuel+ works great. Particularly for the plant tissue cultures I have been working on for the last two years. (One would think aquatic plants would be the easiest to tissue culture, but alas, no!)

Anyway, back on topic you can see here that "different strokes for different folks" is true:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/setups1.shtml

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/setups5.shtml

 

[Chinadog]

Yep, the Chlorine added to the tap water is a nuisance here as well, I've also read that the common chemicals in dechlorinators are bad for amphibians, so I've been using the purifier I got for topping up the koi pond, which is ok, but very slow so it takes hours to do the water changes now,

 

[ChristineB]

Thanks, very helpful list! I got some java moss and will look into the others. For now I just have two bare-floor small tanks for juvenile ribbed newts, but when they grow up I look forward to a fully planted tank.

 

[Chinadog]

Have you seen this thread? I think it sums Ribbed newts up perfectly!


http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...eurodeles/95658-voracious-fighting-newts.html

 

[ChristineB]

That's great, I actually noticed how feisty my guy is when he started arching his back and posturing at his reflection on the bare bottom of the tank. I stuck a piece of dark paper under it so he could eat without all the drama.

 

[ergoreefer]

Hi,
I have had great success with growing Honwort and having my CFB newts spawn in it. The tank has one PC light with a fair amount of natural light. See photo - apologies for the quality, as I have a crappy cell phone.

Paul