Cabomba

[mitche8359]

LFS had 40% off plants so I bought some. They had 'Red' Cabomba which I knew was carolina, a 'purple' and a 'green'. I've identified the purple as furcata but haven't identified the green. Only two varieties of cabomba that I could find were carolinia and furcata. I'm guessing that it might be a furcata that is still green. Anyone know of another variety of cabomba?

 

[malkore]

Cabomba palaeformis
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=44

Cabomba furcata
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=43

Carolina carolina
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=42

 

[mitche8359]

Thanks for the links. Doesn't really clear up my identification issue. The LFS might have had the plant mislabled. The two plants almost looked identical.

 

[malkore]

It's entirely likely they are mislabeled. Even my preferred LFS sells mondo grass and acorus as aquatic plants. Thankfully I know they are not.

I'd just go ahead and give them a shot. Poor growing conditions can make it harder to tell species apart. red cabomba is usually only red when nitrates are low. I believe I had some purple cabomba before, and it only looked purplish/brownish on the tops, near the lights. the bottom fronds stayed green.

 

[BrianNY]

Cabomba is a plant that I've given up on. Not because it doesn't grow but rather because it always ends up with little pieces all over the tank. Any tricks to prevent that? I do like the look of the plant.

 

[malkore]

I'd go for the carolina species then (if you can find it), and make sure to keep it pruned at the top. biggest issue for me was the bottom stems rotting away due to low light conditions, so the top would eventually become a floater.

 

[mitche8359]

I grew anacharis for a few years. It's a prune and replant the cuttings every few months type plant. The cabomba sounds like it will be the same. Hope the floaties go away though.

I did get carolina which looks nice in the tank and is listed as the easiest to grow. Just got tossed for a loop with the plant labelled as purple cabomba.

 

[Medusa Head]

Cabomba is a plant that I've given up on. Not because it doesn't grow but rather because it always ends up with little pieces all over the tank. Any tricks to prevent that? I do like the look of the plant.

YES!

Buy some of these:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004

The "2 Plant Plugs," not the "Giant" ones.

Ignore the directions. Get a SHARP knife and cut the plant plug cube in half. Take your cambomba stems and snip off any bruised sections from the bottoms. Line them up along the cube half, so that the bottom of the stems go all the way across. Place the top half of the cube on top of the stems. Take the rubber mesh thingy that comes with the Plant Plugs, stretch it out, and insert it around the two plant plug halves (with the cambomba stems in between). Get two small cable ties, wrap them around the outer mesh (one top center, one bottom center), and tighten them. Don't be afraid to pull them tight, the Plant Plug material is soft and will cushion your Cambomba stems so they won't bruise.

Now bury the plant plug into the substrate! With good CO2, the base of the cambomba stems will grow out roots into the Plant Plug.

This will hold them VERY well.

You can use this technique in fact on many stem plants, not just cambomba.