# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Hornwort hex



## jaybird002 (May 12, 2006)

Every time I buy a bunch of hornwort, the same thing happens. It grows beautifully for the first few weeks or months. Long, graceful stems, leaves close together. Then it gets clogged with algae and growth slows. Stems get spindly, with more space between the clusters of leaves. I take out the algae-clogged portions, hoping the others will grow. After a while they don't. Finally needles start falling out and I have to throw the whole thing away.

Admittedly mine is a low-light tank. 40 watts of regular florescent light for a 29-gallon tank. Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates 20. PH is about 7.8. I assume substrate (plain gravel) is not a factor.

So what happens? Why does the hornwort flourish at first and then die out? Is it the low light, or nutrients being depleted. What can I do to keep the hornwort growing? Thanks for any help you can provide.


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## jaybird002 (May 12, 2006)

Every time I buy a bunch of hornwort, the same thing happens. It grows beautifully for the first few weeks or months. Long, graceful stems, leaves close together. Then it gets clogged with algae and growth slows. Stems get spindly, with more space between the clusters of leaves. I take out the algae-clogged portions, hoping the others will grow. After a while they don't. Finally needles start falling out and I have to throw the whole thing away.

Admittedly mine is a low-light tank. 40 watts of regular florescent light for a 29-gallon tank. Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates 20. PH is about 7.8. I assume substrate (plain gravel) is not a factor.

So what happens? Why does the hornwort flourish at first and then die out? Is it the low light, or nutrients being depleted. What can I do to keep the hornwort growing? Thanks for any help you can provide.


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## Sultanita (Feb 24, 2005)

My two cents, for whatever they are worth, as I am extremely amateur.

From what i understand, (which is not much, mind you), 40W in 29 gal is not enough light. You would typically need about 60W (2WPG rule). I would try to experiment with a little bit more light... if i understand correctly, good lighting helps with the control of algae, too.

Another thing, since this happened to me from experience, is the hornwort really an underwater plant?

I have a plant commonly named white ribbon, that was sold to me as underwater, and it ended up being just like an edge-of-the-river, where-the-water-meets-the-soil type of plant, and as soon as I stopped covering it completely in water, it started growing strong. It would last for a good 2 weeks before it turned yellow, another week before it turned mushy, and yet another before it actually looked really bad.

I am no botanist, but a quick search on hornworts returned so many different types (well over 500) that maybe (just my guess), that specific type of hornwort is not an underwater one?


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) is an aquatic, don't worry about that. It has no roots, so you either let it float or anchor it somehow to the bottom. You should be able to grow hornwort with the set up you describe, I know because I used to have that set up and that was the ONLY thing that would grow. It is very low light, especially with a 29 being a fairly tall tank.

FWIW, here's what I think may be happening. The plant grows well when you first get it, because it is living off its reserves. After they get depleted, it looks to your tank's water for what it needs. If it doesn't get it, its growth diminishes greatly, and algae gain a foothold and grow on it and in your tank. Hornwort is considered to be a great plant to combat algae on a newly set up planted tank, but like all plants it needs nutrients to live. 

I would suggest trying doing a large water change. Get your nitrates to around 10-15ppm, your phosphates to around 1ppm. Add a few trace elements, and try growing it again and see what happens. If you have a good size, well fed fish load, your tank would be a candidate for a long term little care tank. Or you can go the more work, but usually better results route, of doing weekly large water changes and adding fertilizers to get to appropriate levels.

Good luck


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

My wife has a 29gal low tech tank in her office. We couldn't get any thing to grow until we added 2w/gal lighting. It would be extremely hard to grow plats with just one 40w bulb especially as the bulb gets older.

As Bert said you need to get your NO3 down. You might need to do a good gravel suck pulse several water changes to get it down. In my wife's tank we don't use allot of ferts ether. Just some trace and pro plant now and then. She is able to grow any plants that are rated for low light.

SO to sum it up:
1) you need more light to keep plats from dieing.
2) your high NO3 is what is causing the algae 

Hawk


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