View Full Version : Will my Anacharis survive?
NickD
06-09-2008, 11:11 AM
My new Anacharis stems have all brown/gray leaves; very little green to them. Are these likely to survive or should I just yank them out now before they all start melting?
Here's the back story:
I got a bunch of Anacharis stems in the mail last week from a fellow forum member. When I received the package it had been sitting in my mailbox for half a day and it smelled very, very nasty. I soaked all the stems in cool tap water, removed the bad stuff, snails, etc. Kept the stems which looked in good shape and let them float in my tank until the weekend when I could work on planting them. Yesterday as I went to plant them I noticed some of the stems had melted away, removed the melted parts and planted the rest. But all the leaves have lost their green and are now a light brown/gray. Most of the stems do have roots. Doesn't look very attractive at the moment.
My substrate is Fluorite sand and Fluorite gravel.
The person who sent them to me is in no way to blame for the condition of the plants. He had them in a plastic bag with wet paper towels and he sent them via USPS Priority mail. There just was no one home the day they were delivered and hence they stayed in the mailbox until I got home that evening.
So are these things likely to survive or should I pull them now before they all melt away and make a mess of the tank?
ebola
06-09-2008, 11:22 AM
I had anacharis in my tank for a few days when my AC was out. Water temp was 87 degrees for about four days, and the top two or three inches of each plant turned brown and started dissolving. But since I got the temp lowered, they recovered nicely. I'd say give it a few days.
Notophthalmus
06-09-2008, 11:59 AM
I would try placing them in a rubbermaid tub or similar out in the sunlight for a few days; if they recover, great, if they don't, at least you won't have a mess in your tank. Anacharis is pretty tough, so it may very well recover.
NickD
06-09-2008, 12:10 PM
Pics would help.
I'll see if I can get one this evening.
I would try placing them in a rubbermaid tub or similar out in the sunlight for a few days;
Not sure that's a good idea at the moment due to the heatwave. Our high temp today is supposed to be up to 100F. Tomorrow will be about the same. In a couple of days the high will drop to about 90F.
Mgamer20o0
06-09-2008, 4:36 PM
leave them floating and until its all brown dont toss it.
midiamin
06-09-2008, 7:58 PM
I'll see if I can get one this evening.
Not sure that's a good idea at the moment due to the heatwave. Our high temp today is supposed to be up to 100F. Tomorrow will be about the same. In a couple of days the high will drop to about 90F.
Heat not a problem. sun will dry them out if you don't fully submerge them. they should be fine and continue to put out new leaves and stem if given time. you can cut of the death stuff after you see new growth.
Yup, don't plant them. Most of the time, they don't stay planted, anyway.
NickD
06-10-2008, 12:29 PM
Thanks for all the tips. Since I had already plated them before posting my question, I think I'll try leaving them there for now. I didn't have time to pull them out yesterday. Some of them are showing some green so maybe they'll pull through.
How tall do these plants typically get? I'm trying to achieve a forest look in the background.
They grow endlessly. Usually, they rot below ground and will swim up, so you will have to replant them, if you want to. You can easily break them into pieces.
NickD
06-10-2008, 12:58 PM
Usually, they rot below ground and will swim up, ... :yuck:
Do all aquatic plants do this or is this specific to anacharis? What about plants such as ludwigia repens? I really like that one and it seems to be doing well in my tank.
Do all aquatic plants do this or is this specific to anacharis?
No, most aquatic plants stay put :). You can also be lucky with anacharis. But hornwort and anacharis like to grow as floaters.
I don't know about ludwigia; never had that one.
vmahaffe
06-10-2008, 3:58 PM
:yuck:
Do all aquatic plants do this or is this specific to anacharis? What about plants such as ludwigia repens? I really like that one and it seems to be doing well in my tank.
NickD, if you take a look at the anacharis I sent, most of them have grown "roots". I had them planted in my tank and they started rooting in. They were buried about 3" deep. the bottoms did look a little white, but the shoots acted like roots holding them down in the substrate nicely. Hopefully they survive. They ought to, since they are basically an aquatic weed.
Star_Rider
06-10-2008, 4:13 PM
I had a similar 'adjustment' from some I got. i floated them and they soon sprouted new growth.. once they start growing you can break them up to make more. or they get really long.
btw..many of the stem plants will grow floating..wisteria etc ..I have ludwigia the broke free survive. it grows these runners(rootlike) it can pull nutrients from the water.
malken
06-10-2008, 4:20 PM
let it float and it will get exactly as long as you need it to. cut it into segments to speed up the process once you see new growth. speaking of which I need to do this with my hornwort. it's kinda going nuts in there right now and I'd prefer it to go absolutely bonkers.