My sister gave me some "Easy To Grow Live Aquarium Plants" for my birthday. The package says they're Aponogeton bulbs, they're easy to grow, and that they "thrive in almost all water conditions." The instructions say to just drop them in and they'll grow 6-8 inches in just 15 days and that the roots will just take hold on their own. I've never had any live plants because from what I've gathered they can be a hassle. So I guess what I'm asking is will these actually grow and live without me having to buy anything new, and will they take over my aquarium if they do grow?
1st live plants...maybe...
- Thread starter vaheelsfan
- Start date
Yeah, they usually do pretty good. They will not take over because if they do not die back on their own, you can always remove them. I have not had these in years, I cannot remember much about them off hand w/o a search.
Look back to the recent thread "holy cow, that plant grew fast." It's just a few days old, you'll find info in there. The short answer to your question is that it will most likely grow very well, but die back within a few months.
It doesn't hurt the water. Aponogeton's have their own little cycle they go through. I had one for a while that did amazingly well at first, but when it started to die I couldn't figure out why. I didn't do anything different, but I couldn't bring it back. Little did I know they just do that. Just cut off the dead stuff and it will one day thrive again.
You should never leave decaying plant matter in the tank. When you notice a leaf dying, just cut it off. There's no reason to keep a dying leaf. You'll notice when your aponogeton is going dormant - keep cutting off the leaves until just the bulb is left. You can leave the bulb alone, it may resprout. However, throw the bulb out if it becomes mushy and brown; this means it's dead and will never come back. It should stay firm and whitish even through dormancy.