WTB Elodea or alternative

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cellodaisy

cellodaisy

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Jan 11, 2009
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Cincinnati OH 45219
meganstrickland.com
I recently purchased some Egeria densa ("anacharis") in the hope that my turtle would eat it. The good news is she loves it. The bad news is I just learned that it's a banned species in NH---I'm breaking the law just by having it in my posession. Obviously, I need an alternative.

There are other "anacharis" species that are native to North America and aren't banned---Elodea canadensis and Elodea nuttallii are the two I could find info on. It seems the primary difference is that Egeria densa leaves grow in whorls of 4-8, while both Eloda species have leaves in whorls of 3.

Does anyone have anacharis for sale that they KNOW is a North American species? Or does anyone know of some other alternative that my turtle might like? My tank is low-light with no substrate, so that puts an extra twist on things.

Thanks for looking. Advice greatly appreciated!

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egeria_densa

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220004673

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=222000059
 
I can't help you on getting a native anacharis species. My turtles love it too, but fortunately for us, it's not banned here. But, I can tell you what else my turtles love. My yellow bellied slider also loves moneywort, hornwort, and wisteria (I've recently read that if wisteria grows out of water, it becomes toxic, but I'm not sure of the validity of that since I can't remember where I read it), my two African sidenecks love cabomba (they really like it, and they're primarily carnivorous, so you know it has to be good if they eat it!).

I hope that helps some.
 
Elodea canadensis grows wild here.. but usually it has a growing season.. early spring it starts to show and by summer it is in full growth.
in fall and winter it dies back.
it is suppose to prefer cooler tank water..I have had some grow in aquariums.
 
star_rider said:
Elodea canadensis grows wild here.. but usually it has a growing season.. early spring it starts to show and by summer it is in full growth.
in fall and winter it dies back.
it is suppose to prefer cooler tank water..I have had some grow in aquariums.
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Yes, I know Elodea prefers cooler temperatures than Egeria, but I keep my tanks around 75* which is just within their tolerances. I'm hoping it will thrive and be an acceptable substitute for my turtle. I finally found greens she'll eat (Egeria) and they're illegal... *le sigh*
 
If you can find egeria local I would say to toss caution to the wind. It is illegal in many areas, yet every petsmart I know sells it.
 
247Plants said:
If you can find egeria local I would say to toss caution to the wind. It is illegal in many areas, yet every petsmart I know sells it.
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Tempting... but I'm not crazy about my LFS options and none of the are very close (nearest one is about 1/2 hr drive). I was planning to order more anacharis anyway, so I'll probably go ahead and get the native kind. I wish it were summer---I could try to collect some from the many local ponds (with plenty of QT time before going in the tank, of course).
 
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