Hornwort is MELTING!!!

[zooking12]

I have a 55 gallon tank with anacharis (both types), hornwort, java fern, java moss, anubias, some peace lily, and a recently added red tiger lotus bulb. All seem to be doing fine except the hornwort is just breaking down and dying. I had it weighed down in the substrate, but now I've moved the living peices. Most of it is floating, although I left a peice of it in the substrate under the light. What could the problem be? Oh, and the light is less than appropriate for the aquarium.

 

[ejaramillo01]

I have a 55 gallon tank with anacharis (both types), hornwort, java fern, java moss, anubias, some peace lily, and a recently added red tiger lotus bulb. All seem to be doing fine except the hornwort is just breaking down and dying. I had it weighed down in the substrate, but now I've moved the living peices. Most of it is floating, although I left a peice of it in the substrate under the light. What could the problem be? Oh, and the light is less than appropriate for the aquarium.

Are you adding Flourish Excel? In my case the Excel melted most of my hornwort

 

[zooking12]

No. Unfortunately I ran out of fertilizer a little while ago. Is that an issue?

 

[toddnbecka]

I had the same problem with hornwort from the lfs, it always dropped the leaves and died. Several years ago I received a shipment of dwarf crayfish with some small pieces of hornwort for them to hang onto in transit. That hornwort grew very well, and I've had a tankful ever since. I thin out a couple gallon ziploc bags every so often, and it just grows back again.
I never weighted it down, it just floats freely. Light is a regular 4' FL shop light, 1 6700k and 1 daylight spectrum bulb. Not even the duckweed that regularly covers the surface slows it down.

 

[Fishkeeper26]

I've had the same problem as well. However it was only when I anchored mine into the substrate that it occurred.when I let it float it did more than fine

 

[zooking12]

Oh okay. I had mine anchored down because one strain of my swordtail fry likes to hide in the bottom. It's floating now, so hopefully things will change. Thanks

 

[JustinKScott]

I grow hortwort like crazy. My tank setup is 2.7wpg t5ho. With pressurized CO2. I have a unfertalized sandy bottom, and haven't added fertilazer but hornwort doesn't seem to care.

 

[zooking12]

I have red flourite clay mixed with my gravel and a top layer of sand. No ferts, no co2, and not much light. Its mainly just natural.

 

[jetajockey]

I have red flourite clay mixed with my gravel and a top layer of sand. No ferts, no co2, and not much light. Its mainly just natural.

Its probably due to the lighting.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Its probably due to the lighting.

I thought that hornwort is a low light plant?,

 

[zooking12]

Most research waspretty much inconcisive; Half said one thing, the others said another. But, yea I'll have proper lighting by Christmas. I'll be redoing the tank

 

[jetajockey]

Hornwort IS a low light plant, but you still need a proper level/spectrum of lighting to grow it, it won't grow under just anything. There's only a few plants I've dealt with that will grow under pretty much anything including ambient room light, ferns and java moss.

If the lighting hasn't been upgraded then that'd be the first step for me, I'd at least get a bulb in the right color spectrum anyhow.

 

[tdwright1971]

check out the hornwort in my tank, planted in kitty litter...

edit not Hornwort

 

[tdwright1971]

growing like mad under 18 watt 5000k par 38 leds. heres a side shot.

not hornwort

 

[BillD]

Hornwort is a true floating plant. It never roots, and any effort to anchor it to the bottom usually results in the bottom end melting away.

 

[zooking12]

Where's the hornwort? That stuff looks like cabomba or ambulia

 

[JustinKScott]

Hornwort is a true floating plant. It never roots, and any effort to anchor it to the bottom usually results in the bottom end melting away.

Mine roots. Ask elj.

 

[tdwright1971]

Where's the hornwort? That stuff looks like cabomba or ambulia

upon researching further i think your right mine has roots so it cant be hornwort.

 

[tdwright1971]

The last time I had hornwort it would always just rot in the substrate and never had roots, So i would just wrap it around some decorations, The last time I kept it for years and then eventually it just melted away. Here is some good info.
How to grow and decorate with hornwort, Ceratophyllum, with pictures

 

[severum mama]

I don't aquascape with hornwort because it always turns brown and melts away... and those little tiny leaves are a nightmare to clean up. LOL. I just let it float in the tanks and do its thing now, it's great for breeding/fry tanks and it's a fast grower that sucks up a lot of excess nutrients.