anyone keep hornwort?

[Kuhlifan]

I just bought some and want to know how to care for it. I want it to be rooted, not floating. I know it doesn't technically have roots, but I've read that you can keep it that way and it works fine.

Any advice out there?

[Sploke]

Tie it to a rock. I tried just burying the stems and eventually it always ended up floating around. They'll also grow offshoots that just come off eventually so either way you're going to end up with pieces of it free-floating. I gave up and threw it all in my 150, thinking my silver dollars would eat it. They've left it alone so far, so it floats around, some of it gets tangled on the driftwood and stays in place, some of it just floats slowly around the tank. I have a few stems that are probably 3'+ long.

[petluvr]

Hornwort is on my list of EVIL plants:) I agree with sploke tie it to something.

[jpappy789]

Tie it or floating...it doesn't work rooted IME.

[H3D]

My advice is to not put it in your tank at all.

[sed03f]

I had a 4'' piece come with a shrimp once, The thing took over my tank in no time. Like 3weeks later, I found it hiding behind my plants and it was over a foot long with bunches of shoots. I tied it to my driftwood in an actual knot. I dont like it at all, but I dont know what to do with it. I heard its cold hardy, maybe start a pond and put it in there.

[blue2fyre]

I made mine into a bunch and put a weight on it, its worked way better for me than trying to bury it. Some will always end up floating though and it grows very well. I still think it's nice though :)

[Kuhlifan]

Ha! I liked the look of it so I bought a piece. I'll see if they'll let me return it. It's going into a five gallon tank, so I'm not up to fighting it. I was hoping to cut off a piece and plant it somewhere, but I'll go with sanity instead.

[Corax]

My advice is to not put it in your tank at all.

Best advice so far.. Have you ever had a live Christmas tree? You know how you have to sweep up the needles? Think of hornwort as a Christmas tree for your tank.. That crap gets everywhere.

[paperdragon]

Actually, my broadleaf hornwort doesn't shed at all unless it's in a tank that's too hot and doesn't get any light. Ditch the short leaf stuff if you have it though. :)

[fordsrule_68]

I've had hornwort and it gets everywhere. Like Corax said.

[naturegrl]

I like hornwort, but not in a small tank. It will take over VERY quickly. I have to pinch mine back every couple of weeks and throw away a huge gob. I like to use it for diffusing my diy co2. I stick a fine airstone in a bunch of it (held down with a rock). The bubbles travel up the "plant ladder" and disolve before reaching the surface. I also wrap it around my heater cord to camo it. My dwarf gourami loves it. I pulled all of it out of my tank once and he seemed so lost without it I went to the store a week later and got another bunch. It can be a little messy but not that bad. I vac with each weekly water change so it gets it cleaned up.

[bazil323]

Huh, I had some that came in with a snail order once, and I tried to plant it in the substrate. What did manage to stay planted eventually died and rotted. The bits that didn't stay planted floated everywhere, got in my filter, got wrapped up in everything, big mess. And that too eventually died, though not as quickly as the planted bits. Hated it.