# Water Surface Breakers



## FilteredFun (May 13, 2008)

Re: Open top aquarium ... 72" long x 24" deep x 31" tall

[1] Could some of you please offer a list of plant names that can be planted in the substrate of a 31" deep tank, yet the plant will break the surface of the water and keep growing up and/or over the side of the aquarium.

[2] I am also interested in a list of plants that can grow on wood that is completely above the water's surface. We'd like to add a large piece of wood that lies on the substrate and extends above the water's surface, and then add some type of plant growth that would attach to the exposed wood. If the plant also flowered, that would be a huge bonus.

Many Thanks!
Matt

aka FilteredFun


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

Bacopa, Alternanthera are the two I've got going emergent.

For the wood, if you could find it and just have some of it wet, there is Plagionium acutum or P. trichomanes - and I think there are several java/weeping/xmas type mosses that will grow emergent.
Air plants are another possibility.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Hydrocotyle leucocephala grows well emergent and puts forth a lot of tiny white flowers. It would very happily grow up the wood and out of the tank, over the side, across the floor, out the door . . . Generally whatever you let it get away with.

Hygrophila corymbosa "angustifolia" is a sturdy stem plant that will grow up out of the water and produces small lavender flowers. I have to keep after my other Hygrophilas in order to keep them under water as they are all very willing to shoot to the surface and out into the air. Ludwigia repens will grow emergent but it needed support when I tried it as an emergent plant. I've never tried it but the Plantfinder says Bolbitis heudelotii can be grown emersed. That would look neat on the driftwood growing into the air. I have grown Anubias nana petite emergent, it took a while to adapt and is still growing pretty darn slow, but I think all the Anubias species can be grown emergent.


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## PRJCT92EH2 (Mar 7, 2008)

swords will grow through the water's surface and up. especially amazon swords.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

So you want plants that will grow over 31" tall underwater, plus maybe an additional foot or more above water?

Several stem plants will grow that tall. The problem is though when the plants get that big, and that much above water, all the leaf growth tends to be near the water surface and above the water, leaving the submersed stems barren of leaves and covered in hairy roots. What you would need to do is keep the plants thinned out so that plenty of light will penetrate to the tank bottom allowing underwater leaf growth to be happy. I grow Bacopa that way too.

I agree with Catherine about Hygrophila corymbosa. It is a very large stem plant, (except for the "kompakt" specie) but, the more it gets used to growing above water, the more it will drop leaves that are under water. You would just have to play around with it. You can always re plant the tops and let it grow out all over again. It has cute little blue flowers.

There are many plants you can use attached to wood out of the water that are not aquatic: orchids, bromeliads, air plants, ferns, philodendren, pothos ivy. If its not too dry and too close to the light, even the aquarium plant Anubias would work.


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