View Full Version : Lets play Guess that Plant!
F.sparverius
12-23-2003, 4:47 PM
I went to the LFS to buy a bannana plant and a few Java ferns. They had a few bannana plants but no java ferns. The person working there knew nothing about aquatic plants, and I can't say that I know much more. In fact this would be my first planted tank. Anyhow, I ended up buying random plants that looked cool * there were no lables telling what they were*. Can anyone here identify these plants? I would like to look a bit of information up on them. I bought some general plant fertilizer but some of these might have some special needs.
Thanks for any help!
see below pic:
http://www.dansjp3page.com/hosting/burgess/aquariumplants.jpg
The tank is a 5 gallon bow front with full spectrum lighting....or so the box says,
PumaWard
12-23-2003, 5:48 PM
The plant stocks with the round leaves look like pond penny (or that's what they called it at the lfs), the stock plants on the right look like some kind of combamba.
plantass28
12-23-2003, 6:58 PM
If I am not mistaken the plant with the narrow, pointed extra large leaves, next to what is thought to be pond penny, is called brazillian Sword and they are a terrestrial plant that needs to be emersed in order to do well in a planted tank.
I think Martha Stuart popularized these mistakenly as a great natural addition to a betta vase and that it would feed the Betta.
Leopardess
12-23-2003, 7:32 PM
Kind of hard to tell sometimes. The bigger leafed plant could be a Brazilian sword (in which case it will maintain itself for awhile, but will eventually begin to rot away - though I had one that was healthy for a good six months before I threw it away ...still healthy when I trashed it though.
But, it can also be some sort of anubias, perhaps. It looks remarkably similar to my anubias "congensis", which is now a subspecies of A. barteri.
plantass28
12-23-2003, 10:37 PM
Heres a link to a pic of brazilian Sword:
http://www.plantgeek.net/images/plantpics/brazillian.jpg
Looks pretty darn similar to your plant.
Here is a link to a pic of Anubias "congensis":
http://www.aquaticscapes.com/easyplants/easyplants.html#3
Just do a find for Anubias "congensis" will take you right to the picture.
Looks like Anubius congensis AKA Anubias "heterophylla" has very Ruddy looking stalks. The plant in his picture has very green stalk much like the brazilian sword does.
Robert H
12-24-2003, 2:16 AM
The yellow plant on the back left looks like Lysimachia, also known as Creeping Jenny or Lloydiella
The sword like plant could possible be brazilian sword, or a plant commonly known as "Lizards tail",Saururus cernuus.
The plant on the right is Lymnophila, known as Ambulia.
F.sparverius
12-24-2003, 12:03 PM
Another question......can I leave the lead weights on the plants until they get some roots to hold them into the gravle? Also, do you mean the brazilan swords can't grow submerged?
plantass28
12-24-2003, 12:48 PM
The Brazilian swords (if in fact they are Brazilian swords, they probably are since most lfs dont cary a good selection of plants.) are terrestrial plants, so therefore they were ment to grow on dry land, however they might do okay, if the leaves are allowed to poke through the water. I think it has something to do with needing more co2 than can be provided in the water.
Just my 2 cents.
125gJoe
12-24-2003, 1:23 PM
Originally posted by F.sparverius
Another question......can I leave the lead weights on the plants until they get some roots to hold them into the gravle? .....Yes you can without a problem....
jt325i
12-24-2003, 5:00 PM
The stuff on the back right looks like Hornwort. I hear it needs bright light to survive. Let me know if it makes it or not. I have an Eclipse System 6 w/8 watt light. I doubt that is enough for it to survive. Presently just have Anubias & Lutea although I am in the process of attempting to aquire some Java moss & fern.
F.sparverius
12-24-2003, 6:03 PM
It seems that the Java ferns are hard to find. That was what I really wanted. I'm a bit disgrunteled to find that a pet shop would sell a non aquatic plant in the aquatic plants section. Thats the only one in the area that even sells plants though.
plantass28
12-24-2003, 6:24 PM
F.sparverius,
I would take it back if it is convenient and tell them you want something else. They should take it back without a problem, if they don't, stop shopping there because it is their responsibility to sell you the right thing for your setup.
One reason they sell the brazilian swords in the aquatic plant section is because they are meant for people with betta vases where the plant can grow outside of the vase, some respobsible stores have a special setup for them where they are half out of the water. Other stores just let them float on the surface.
Hornwort is extremely hardy and can survive pretty much all abuses. I have mistreated mine since I bought it and it keeps growing despite me. It can handle any lighting conditions too, my current setup is terrible for plants, hornwart is the only thing that shows new growth in my tank.
F.sparverius
12-26-2003, 9:18 PM
Yea, these things are growing in a matter of days. Its amazing considering how bruised up they are. The other leafy plant seems to be growing roots but in all the wrong places. Roots are developing clear at the top of the stalks but not at the bottom......freakish.
bozco
12-26-2003, 10:56 PM
Its making new plants, thats a good sign. I can't seem to kill my hornwort if I try but I just checked my books and your plant in the back right is not hornwort it looks much more like Limnophila sessiliflora (Ambula)
Needs regular doses of iron (if you have hard water I think it will do fine) and grows best in good light, so don't plant in the shade.
I figure that if you fuss over a plant it is more likely to die than one that you think is worthless and ignore, allowing it to grow as it sees fit. (Heh, my mom's a gardener)