Elodea - Why do my axies kill it?

[kathryn]

Hi all, new here, I hope it's not too rude to dive in without really introducing myself.

Elodea is the only cold water plant I can get hold of, but my axolotyls just seem to kill it. I keep it in my tropical fish tank at about 25 degrees without any problems, but in the cold water axolotyl tank it rots and dies in a matter of weeks. Obviously they're not eating it, and I can't find any chemical issues in the water that could be the cause. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[karrie]

Water temp maybe ? You can try java moss , java fern or moss balls. You can look on ebay.

 

[jennifer]

Another problem is that there are really 2 different varieties of plant, both called "elodea". One is tropical, one is cold-water. Unless you know the person who GREW the plant, it's hard to know which one you are getting! You may simply have bought the tropical variety.

I bought some elodea/egeria plants on eBay, and I specifically asked the seller if it was raised in an outdoor pond - if so, it's the cold water type. Mine has survived (but not grown) for several years in water as cold as 9C.