Hi! Can someone help identify this plant?

[mr.trooper]

Hey guys.

I just got back from my buddies house. He is an avid aquarist with several sucessfull tanks, bolth fresh and salt water. He gave me this plant to put in my new tank, but I dont remember what he told me it was. Can someone please identify it for me?

 

[WaterPond]

I think it is a melon sword

 

[mr.trooper]

The leave extend all the way down the stem. Melon swords look very close, but not quite the same. Any other suggestions?

 

[JustOneMore20]

It looks similar to my Rosette swords...Echinodorus parviflorus "tropica".

Here you'll find Tropica.com's profile of it. They stay really small.

Another picture from aquaticplantcentral.com.

 

[WaterPond]

sorry, i don't know much about plants, so sorry for giving you the wrong ID.

 

[Glenc]

Kinda looks like Samolus valerandi, I have it in my 10 an d 20 gallon tanks. Slow grower, needs good C02 levels and high light to stay healthy. Nice bright green as well.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I agree with JustOneMore, it looks alot like the Tropica sword.

 

[mr.trooper]

Thanks guys! With the wide range of tollerable PH and light levels, I think this little guy will be right at home in my tank.

 

[JustOneMore20]

They are also great for small tanks. I have 2 in my 10g and they are only about 4 inches across each and about 3-4 inches tall....little things!

 

[Zezmo]

I also wanted to pipe in and say that JustOneMore20 seems to have hit it right on the head.
these (E. parviflorus "tropica") are a great plant that is easy to grow. Talking to some other growers, it seems they can get 6" or so accross. The leaves while usually dark green, can get some "red" if under very high light.

The story is, that when Tropica was shipping this plant from one nursury to another, it simply started growing "small". The entire species was propaged from that incedent, and the size breeds true. I have always noticed how twisted the leaves look, almost as if they were meant to be bigger but are being held back.

These plants are in 3 of my tanks:
1- High light (5.4wpg) CO2, ADA soil, soft water (1-2Kh) - here they grow pretty fast, and plantlets are always shooting up.

2- Med light (2.3wpg) no-co2, no ferts (other than fish), tap water. I grow the plantlets in here prior to selling them. Decent growth. The color is not as dark of a green

3- Med light (2.4wpg) no-co2, no ferts, ultra hard water (shrimp tank), here the sword grows in the shade of a Tropica Marble Queen. Groth rate is non-existant. The plant does stay healthy and green.

My point being, that I think these plants will grow/survive in a very wide range of conditions.

Here are a few pics of this plant from my tank:
http://webpages.charter.net/zezmo/E_Parva_Tropica-1.JPG
http://webpages.charter.net/zezmo/E_Parva_Tropica-2.JPG
http://webpages.charter.net/zezmo/E_Parva_Tropica-3.JPG
http://webpages.charter.net/zezmo/E_Parva_Tropica-4.JPG

 

[fish_4_all]

Echinodorus parviflorus "tropica". almost for sure, I have 6 of them in 2 10 gallon tanks and they grow exactly like that. grow being an extremely slow growth but I think once the root system gets established it should grow faster.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Zezmo, they do seem to have the twisted leaves....like they are trying to grow bigger, but can't manage to...lol. I have 2 plantlets coming out of one of my plants. I'll be moving them soon to either my 55g or a new 38g tank.

 

[malkore]

sorry, i don't know much about plants, so sorry for giving you the wrong ID.

Don't worry, it can be really hard. I've never received a sword that was the species it was 'supposed' to be, so I've given up on id'ing them

 

[mr.trooper]

Well, Its been about 6 days, and im not noticing any significant change in the color or texture of the folliage. Is it safe to assume that it the plant is going to be ok, or do i need to keep worrying about it?

 

[fish_4_all]

New plants will take a while to get growing. The only one in my tank that is growing noticeably is the mother. All the sister plants are slowly getting more leaves but very slowly. Give it time and it should take off once it gets a good root system going.