HELP! Hornwort Disintegrating

[echoofformless]

My hornwort was up and down all the time. I would get periods of growth and periods of die off. I eventually opted to get rid of it rather than try to play around to get it right. Too much mess and too little benefit.

 

[shaggbark]

My hornwort made my tank look like a christmas tree exploded. I'll never put it in my tank again!

 

[NewObsession]

it has since been replaced by...some type of val?( still new with the plant names) maybe it will go back in, maybe not. I do like the look of it but such a hassel to clean up, especially in a 20XH. the gravel vac I got for it fo rthe depth is like 2" and by the time you suck up half the leaves, you've also sucked up half the tank

 

[Zebulon]

I never had any problems with hornwort other than extreme overgrowth.

It's an excellent way to get a lot of vegetative action for free in a new tank. When you grow it, you'll always have extra. So it can be useful for a new tank where you want to buffer the cycle with a lot of plants. Just drop in a few pounds of hortwort trim.

Also some small fish eat it, it can harbor algae which fish can eat, and also snails can breed in it which some fish enjoy a lot. Baby fish can hide there even with semi aggressives swimming about, a few strong ones will find safety in the floatsam. I find there is value in this plant. For the same reasons I also like floating wisteria. They have their place.

It really should be left to float - any part you bury or try to secure will just melt off. A downside is that as it spreads it will block out light to the other plants in the tank so in a planted tank I wouldn't bother. Get something more controllable, it grows insanely fast.

 

[Aero737]

I had the exact problem with my hornwort while it was rooted. I let it float at the top, cleared off the older parts of the plant and it's exploded growth wise. Cleaning all the dropped leaves was a pain though.

 

[phanmc]

fast growing stem plants, like hornwort, are good indicator plants of a nutrient deficiency as they tend to exhibit symptoms faster than other plants. If the hornwort is not doing well, it means something is deficient. Try dosing Flourish and Flourish Excel to see if it improves. if you have in excess of 2wpg then you'll likely need additional macro ferts (nitrates, potassium, phosphates) or CO2.

 

[NewObsession]

I did rather like the look of it before it fell apart. Maybe I'll get some more and just let it float. Can you float clippings from it and have it grow? There was a less than spectacular one that we picked up at a lfs ( last plant we get from there) that went into my g/f's 5.5 gal snail nursery, maybe I'll just take a piece from there. That being said, since it came with a couple of hitch hikers ( which isn't the end of the world other than she isn't fond of mts) am I running the risk of a snail infestation in my tank if I take a clipping? Also, I know Hornwort and cabomba are very similar, how similar are they since lately I have seen lots of the latter but surprisingly few place with hornwort? If I recall, I read that they are close but the cabomba is coarser.

 

[gingerinaustin]

I did rather like the look of it before it fell apart. Maybe I'll get some more and just let it float. Can you float clippings from it and have it grow?

Yes, I did this in my Eclipse 5 hex with the stock light and it outgrew the hornwort in my planted tank.

That being said, since it came with a couple of hitch hikers ( which isn't the end of the world other than she isn't fond of mts) am I running the risk of a snail infestation in my tank if I take a clipping?

Probably. You could soak it in an alum solution to help reduce the risk. You can get alum at some drugstores.

Also, I know Hornwort and cabomba are very similar, how similar are they since lately I have seen lots of the latter but surprisingly few place with hornwort? If I recall, I read that they are close but the cabomba is coarser.

Ceratophyllum demersum and cabomba caroliniana are two completely different plant species. Cabomba is better suited to medium-high light tanks and needs a bit more care.