Hornwort Dark Green (Ceratophyllum Demersum)

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 22:49

Hornwort (Rigid hornwort, coontail, coon's tail) is widespread in temperate regions of the world, prefers stagnant or slow-flowing bodies of water. In some places, it grows so densely that it even impedes the movement of ships.

Hornwort, a perennial long-stemmed plant with needle-like leaves, floats on the surface of the water because it has no roots. If the water becomes cool, the plant sinks into deeper layers, its growth slows down. In the wild, the tiny leaves of hornwort are a great refuge for the microscopic inhabitants of the aquatic world.

In the aquarium, hornwort is good for sheltering the fry of viviparous fish, which can easily swim between its leaves, which is much more difficult for larger fish. In addition, fry find food in the leaves of this plant - microscopic organisms. Hornwort is also suitable for laying eggs on its leaves. Sticky caviar sticks well to the leaves, and not sticky caviar just gets stuck in them.

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Hornwort is suitable for any aquarium: cold water, moderately warm or tropical with moderately hard (dH 5-15) water and a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction (pH 6.2-7.5). But in soft water with an acidic reaction, this plant grows worse. The plant is light-requiring, it requires a day length of up to 12-14 hours.

Hornwort is loved by many aquarists for its pretty good looks and for being practically worthless. For ridiculous money, this plant can be used to perfectly decorate an aquarium. Simply tie several tufts of the plant together, add weight (so they don't float) and place them in different corners of the aquarium - all this will take less than one minute.

Some aquarists consider hornwort as a temporary plant because it grows so quickly that the design of the aquarium has to be changed constantly. A twig of 15 cm can very quickly turn into a meter, even in a small 50-liter aquarium. If the branches of the hornwort are dirty, they should be rinsed in running water. Some aquarists use it to fight algae, as it will release substances into the water that inhibit their growth.

Other aquarists consider this plant to be perfect as it grows well in almost any light. If the lighting is bright and the water temperature is 24-28 ° C, the growth of the hornwort is about 2-3 cm per day. The plant uses fish waste as a fertilizer. Hornwort leaves absorb carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and phosphates, using them for their growth, and in much larger quantities than fish produce them. Therefore, if it is not fertilized, it will quickly die. In bright light, new shoots of hornwort often take on a reddish tint. Hornwort is propagated by dividing the stem.

What can cause the death of a plant? Copper (many medicines contain it) kills hornwort in a few hours. Algae killing agents can also be very harmful. When hornwort begins to lose its leaves, a fairly large amount of decaying plant material can accumulate in the aquarium, which can kill the fish if left to rot at the bottom. Fallen leaves are removed from the aquarium using a net.

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