Chinese Evergreen Plant in my Newt Tank

[nagukush]

Hi Friends,

I was just doing some search on house plants that can be kept in water and found that the plant "Chinese Evergreen" does well when kept in water. Just wanted to request you friends to kindly confirm if I can keep this plant in my Newt tank.

Also kindly guide me if this plant will grow too big (if yes, can I just trim it down regularly to keep it bushy and short)

Kindly advice as I plan to go and buy one for the tank.
Thanks and Regards
Kush

 

[nagukush]

Friends, also kindly guide me on how do I plant it in the tank - Do I just remove the soil from the root ( I can get them only as potted plants here ) and insert the lower part of the stem along with the roots in to the water portion of the tank, so that the roots and lower stem is submersed and the foliage is above water ?

Kindly guide me Friends...

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I tried googling 'Chinese Evergreen' and from what I can gather this species will grow from 20-150cm depending on what species you have. It also says that the soil should be kept barely moist. Here is the page the evergreen where I got this information from

 

[nagukush]

Hi there !

Thanks a lot for the kind reply and for caring. I read it from here - http://www.essortment.com/all/growinghousepl_reqi.htm

It says " Some plants that grow especially well in water are umbrella plant, Chinese evergreen, arrowhead plant, wandering Jew, pothos, philodendron, and grape ivy. The umbrella plant, a true water plant, will thrive in the right setting and can grow up to three feet tall. It must be well supported with a deep [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]bed[/COLOR][/COLOR] of gravel. Pothos, philodendron, wandering Jew, and grape ivy have trailing growth habits, and if left unsupported, the weight of the vines can pull the roots out of the water "

Just wanted to confirm this and know if anybody has tried keeping them in newt tanks...

 

[jclee]

Hello, Nagukush. Terrestrial plants, even the ones that are sometimes sold in fishstores, will die off when fully submerged (though it may take a while.) The site that you found is talking about growing land plants hydroponically (the roots are grown in water, and the rest of the plant is exposed to the air). If this is what you had in mind for your tank, then it should be safe to try. I have thought about doing it, myself. However, some species require fertilizer when being grown hydroponically, and that would not be safe for newts/salamanders. I am not sure, specifically, what Chinese Evergreen requires.

Some species of Chinese Evergreen do get quite large, though. While you can trim it down, plants tend to become ugly if they are over-trimmed over a long period of time, and it would be better to find plants that are suited for the size tank that you have. (I do remember those beautiful tank pictures that you posted, but I do not recall the height of the tank, so you are a better judge of the size compatability than I am.) There might be species of this plant that remain a smaller size. Do you have a plant center where someone could help you find a species that stays small?

How are those water hyacinths working out?

 

[nagukush]

Hello, Nagukush. Terrestrial plants, even the ones that are sometimes sold in fishstores, will die off when fully submerged (though it may take a while.) The site that you found is talking about growing land plants hydroponically (the roots are grown in water, and the rest of the plant is exposed to the air). If this is what you had in mind for your tank, then it should be safe to try. I have thought about doing it, myself. However, some species require fertilizer when being grown hydroponically, and that would not be safe for newts/salamanders. I am not sure, specifically, what Chinese Evergreen requires.

Some species of Chinese Evergreen do get quite large, though. While you can trim it down, plants tend to become ugly if they are over-trimmed over a long period of time, and it would be better to find plants that are suited for the size tank that you have. (I do remember those beautiful tank pictures that you posted, but I do not recall the height of the tank, so you are a better judge of the size compatability than I am.) There might be species of this plant that remain a smaller size. Do you have a plant center where someone could help you find a species that stays small?

How are those water hyacinths working out?

Hi there !

Thanks a lot for the kind reply and for caring. I think the water hyacinths are doing fine as it has been about a week I've had them in the tank and so far no signs of damage or anything. 2 of the plants have also developed a new leaf each... I have increased their lighting and the bioload (added a few guppies to the tank)

Regarding the Chinese evergreen, I do plan to keep the Plants above water and just the roots and lower part of the stem inside water - any ideas if this will work well for this plant ?