My Flourite came with free plants (pic)

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SteveM

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
May 5, 2004
Messages
126
Location
North Carolina
I just set up my 29G about a week ago, and look what started sprouting:

Flourite_Sprout.jpg


I have no idea what it is, but I'm sure it came from the Flourite. I have two of them growing in the tank, and there was one I found while I was putting the Flourite in the tank. The Flourite had been sitting wet in a bucket for about a week before I put it in the tank, so really its been about 2 weeks out of the bag.

Any ideas what it might be?
 
I think this is the first time I hafe heard of weeds in an aquarium. I too would like to know what it is - but it might be too small just yet - unless someone else has had a similar experience.
 
I'd be willing to place money on the fact that it is a terrestrial plant that strayed into the graven at some point. Ok so I wouldn't place real money on it, but if it grows up into an aquatic plant and survives some well deserved kudos will flow your way :D
 
Pondus generalis :)

Seriously though, it is likely a terrestrial plant, since Fluorite isn't mined underwater. It'll sprout, grow a bit, then die off due to being submerged too long.

Its not common, but it happens from time to time. Just a seed, probably from a weed, that survived the grinding and packaging process at SeaChem's factory.
 
I also figured it was terrestrial, but I took the first sprout that I found and put it in a flower pot with nice potting soil and lots of water, and it shriveled up and died within 12hrs. The ones that sprouted in the tank are still going strong - the one in the pic is now about 2" high.

Oh well, I'll keep an eye on them and see what happens...
 
I have seen that happen with the same gravel or flourite as you call it at the pet store. he has a 70 gal tank with it and nothing else but water - and its sprouting the exact same thing.
 
I agree with Malkore, 100%.
A little more info, IME.
The thing is folks, the vast majority of terrestrial seeds look like that when they first sprout. The first set of leaves have that same exact shape (there's a special name for them I cannot recall), it's on the second set of leaves where you start to see the real shape of the grown up leaves.

I like to grow my own garden plants from seed sometimes, and with so many of them I just can't tell if it's what I planted or not until the second set of leaves come out.

Still let it grow, see what happens!
 
I guess I can't rule out that an aquatic or marginal plant seed/spore made it into a bag of flourite.
Growing it out won't hurt at all...it's too small to foul up your water enough to matter, if it should die and rot before you notice it.
 
The first set of leaves is called the cotyledons. I also agree, that's almost certainly a terrestrial plant. The one you pulled out probably died because it hadn't developed the proper vascular system to deal with water stress. If you want to pull another out, make sure that you a)Keep the soil completely soaked for the first few days, and b) put a humidity tent over it to reduce the plant's transpirational demand.
 
Corvus, you are absolutely right! the first leaves are called cotyledon (in French
anyway) and they all look round in shape, because they are somehow part of the
seed enveloppe. Maybe it's marijuana, LOL :mrgreen:
 
Sorry man, but the cotyledons are not part of the seed coat, they serve as nutrient storage organs in the seed (in dicots at least), and proto-leaves and and a nutrient source in the seedling. The seed coat is most frequently formed from the integument, and is an independent structure.
 
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