Water hyacinth

[TJ]

I added some water hyacinth to my Cynops ensicauda tank and the plants got a VERY enthusiastic reception!

The only problem I'm aware of is that this plant has a high requirement for light...

Anybody else use it?

Seems my gravid females would find it to be great oviposition site!

 

[pamela]

Funny thing Tim - I just added the same plant to one of my C.o. tanks last week! I hope it makes it, the light requirement and all. I also added some strange looking squiggly, caterpillar looking plants also. I have been searching the Internet to find out what they are (to no avail). Anyway, everyone loves them.

PS: The feathery roots are sooo cool.

(Message edited by Salmonella on March 30, 2005)

 

[TJ]

Yes, the roots sure are the coolest thing about them!

If anybody wants to know what kind of plant that is I have growing on a float in the back of this tank, sorry to say I have no idea. I found it growing on a fallen log over a mountain swamp in northern Japan about a year ago and its been thriving in my aquarium ever since.

 

[joeri]

I love the sight of that tank
Could it be some kind of ivy?

 

[marcus]

Looks to like some kind of violet but then I could be wrong.
Any signs of flowers? Or buds at least as violets tends to cheat and produce seeds without visible flowers...

 

[foster]

Tim,
That is an absolutely beautiful setup. I hope the hyacinth does well. I tried some about 9 years ago in a mixed species gourami tank however it did not do well. I realize now that I did not have nearly enough light over it. Again, nice tank.
Chip

 

[TJ]

Thanks, guys, though it's still a work in progress.

Joeri, no idea what it is or could be

No signs of flowers, Marcus. This is what the buds look like:

Chip, so far so good with the hyacinth

 

[marcus]

It certainly looks like a violet to me, but as to the species who know... Kind off an interesting idea to keep a violet in a tank! How does in grow, are the roots in the water or do you have some substrate?

Stunning pictures by the way...

 

[andrew]

Excellent pictures, are you a pro at taking them?
It looks like a violet to me. Very similar to the Northern Blue violet of North east USA. Well, from afar anyway.
I didnt realize violets liked wet conditions. I should have seeing as how I see them all the time at a local park that has a huge pond in it.
Anyone know for sure?

 

[pamela]

I absolutely LOVE your tank setup Tim! Very beautiful and inviting. I'd like to take a swim in there!

The water hyacinth that I recently added to one of my tanks has grown considerably - almost 3"! The newts love to hang out in the feathery roots. It also makes finding the newts quite a challenge!

I am going to get more (water hyacinths).

 

[joeri]

I have the water hyacinth too now.
My c.o. have already been hanging in the roots after one day

Tnx for the tip, it even looks better than in a picture.

 

[alan]

Did your water hyacinth survive Tim?

 

[TJ]

Thanks all

Alan, I do have a few left in one tank, but most have died

They're fairly inexpensive here to replace though!

 

[joeri]

Mine seem to be dying as well. I'm hoping the new leaves will be more adapted to the new environment.

 

[pamela]

Mine are dead too (Low light syndrome)

 

[joeri]

How much light do they need exactly? Because I would think mine have more than enough. Or is a normal aquariumlamp 10h/day not enough?

 

[edward]

A normal aquarium lamp is not enough for water hyacinths. I have grown them under 4 48 inch flourescent lights but then they deplete the nutrients in the system so quickly they show signs of nutrient deficiency.

I don't think that the background plant is a violet as the one that includeds the flower has the flower rising from what looks to be a stem as opposed to a rizome. There are a lot of plants that have leaves that are similar in shape (for example genus Asarum) so going on the leaf shape can be misleading.


Ed

 

[joeri]

Thank you for the information Ed.
Guess I'll see my plants dying then

 

[joseph]

That is a beautiful setup there Tim!

While I haven't tried growing water hyacinth inside de to the fact that people have said its very difficult...I had good luck with Pistia stratoides, the water lettuce. It stays lower(which allowed it to be kept in a normal aquarium) and produces those same kind of roots. I kept them in a 46 gallon tank about an inch or two away from a 96 watt CF lighting fixture(and dosed with flourish...aquatic plant fertilizer) so they probably still need lots of light but it is worth a shot.

 

[joeri]

*hijacking alert*
Hope you don't mind posting this pictures here

My baby pleuro waltl holding on to the roots of my dying water hyacinth.