# terrestrial plants into aquatic plants



## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

hi, I am wondering if anyone else here has transitioned/acclimated terrestrial plants/moss to aquatic? I'm done it with marsh pennywort(semi aquatic), and common greeen carpet moss, both worked great, pennywort hade the most die off, moss didn't have any die off.
thanks


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

This only goes with mosses that grow on the shore of streams/ponds and experience occasional flooding in nature. I think that fully terrestrial mosses are just drowning under water. 

My experience with moss is that terrestrial species from the local forest (Slovenia, Europe) also slowly die in terrariums: they need lower temperatures at least at night. "Aquarium mosses" tend to do very well in a terrarium, as long as there is constant moisture.

I succeeded with Fontinella-variety from the sub-mediterranean climate here, but not with similar moss from cold streams. However, it is a slow-grower and has a bit messy shape, I think that it is not a real addition to most aquariums. This was a moss which I found submersed in a very small (but permanent) pool. 

p.s. I have no clue what you might mean with "common green carpet moss", this forum is rather international so what is "common" for you (and what you might very well know) is something unknown and exotic to some of the readers


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## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

Ok thanks, hah, its a us species that just kinda covers the ground and grows on rocks and up houses.


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

You are in south florida, right? I am guessing that moss gets quite a bit of water or a lot of humidity which helped it handle your aquarium, especially growing in the warm to hot florida weather. It might die after some time submerged tough, might not. Some mosses are used to being completely under water for a few months then nearly bone dry and anywhere in between for the rest of the year. Your 'common moss' is probably only common to the southern us and possibly, only to florida or the specific area of southern florida you found it. I have moss growing on cement blocks, foundations, etc that starts growing like crazy after a heavy rain but will surely drown if left submerged for too long, on the other hand you wouldn't know the moss was there in the dry season.


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## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

Yup, where it grows it grows up walls and where water drips off the roof, so I guess so, it has been doning fine for 1.5 months so far, it should be ok because it can grow out and gets some drness when the water in the pond gets low.
Oh and its not in my tank, I live in a HOA neiborhood where everyone heavily ferts their lawns and such, but it hasn't killed other plants or fish in a pond, so I guess it would be ok....


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

Only problems I have seen from ferts being used is algae and invasive plant species overrunning everything in a river or lake where fields or cows are being kept near by. I have never heard of ammonia levels getting to high for the fish in most rivers/ponds/waterways. If anything, you just won't have to fertilize the plants!


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## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

Haha, I am worried because I have a catfish, loaches, and a otto in their, all scaleless, so I don't know if it would be bad, and i mean like heavy fungicides, weed control, and grass ferts, and bug stuff, and I have some in my back yard(no ferts) but the run off that goes on it during a heavy rain could have some, I have a low tech tank(only lights and fish poo for me ) so I don't use ferts anyway.


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## AteItOffTheFloor (Oct 8, 2014)

I've done it with a few plants. I've learnt to strip off all their leaves first, as they fall off anyways. 

Then new leaves start to grow.


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## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

Ok, thanks  I have done it with with terrestrial moneywort too


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

I don't think moneywort is truly terrestrial, at least not if it is the same as the one in the plant finder section of this site. It spends some time submerged and some emerged. It isn't like you are trying to get regular lawn grass to grow submerged, I highly doubt that would work for long.


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## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

Their is a terrestrial species of money wort, it had thiner stalks and more leave and grows across the groun, but its moneywort.


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## pandragon (Jul 10, 2014)

It is hard to tell without pics and scientific names to look up. Some species will have same common name and be completely different. Others are merely different forms of the same aquatic or semi aquatic plant, one submerged and the other emerged. Half the plants I see people wanting ids for on here look identical to the weeds I have growing in rock hard alkaline clay/cement dust, but I know they are different and my weeds will not grow submerged no matter what. I wish I could spot the differences between various kinds of plants better.


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## aquariumlover10 (Oct 15, 2014)

Ok, I don't have ny pics, but it grows submerged if acclimated right.


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