# What Kind of freakish plant is this?



## TheCheeseWizz (Dec 9, 2008)

So awhile back I bought my first plant and put it into my little tank. I soon realized that it was too big and moved it to the big tank. As soon as I moved it to the big tank the thing started growing like nothing else.
 
What you cant see in this picture is the canopy it has created over the aquarium (some branches are over two feet long).

After it started to get to big, I cut a few tips off and planted them around the tank. 

Even after cutting them off the main plant, they have continued growing like before. The first one I cut off has grown about two inches in a week.

Its really not a problem so Im not sure why I want to know what it is, but if anybody knows that would be great.
Thanks


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## Stellaluna (Jan 20, 2009)

Hornwort

Edit: If you have too much, send me some?


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## TheCheeseWizz (Dec 9, 2008)

LOL, I just might take you up on that. Thanks for the info.


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## aconrad (Apr 30, 2008)

Quite a beautiful plant if i may add.


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## TheCheeseWizz (Dec 9, 2008)

It is isn't it. I especially like the single stem ones that I cut and planted.


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## Stellaluna (Jan 20, 2009)

I have had this stuff "melt," like crypts can do, and I don't recall what caused it, but when every one of the tiny little narrow needle-like leaves comes off the plant it makes a huge mess! 

Whatever you are doing, however, is making it very happy.


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## delco (Jul 24, 2008)

Around here we call it Hornwart. Hornwort | Bunched Plants | Live Aquarium Plants | Aquarium Livestock - ThatPetPlace.com 

Years ago on the farm we would get this stuff in a cattle tank and it would fill the tank entirely.


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

TheCheeseWizz said:


> So awhile back I bought my first plant and put it into my little tank. I soon realized that it was too big and moved it to the big tank. As soon as I moved it to the big tank the thing started growing like nothing else.
> 
> What you cant see in this picture is the canopy it has created over the aquarium (some branches are over two feet long).
> 
> ...


Woah, I think the greenish brown blended color in the first picture looks like a water sprite 

My plants grow fast too, it's just normal when you have photosynthesis in your tank.


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## brandeeno (Nov 16, 2008)

Hornwort is a great plant! and you are doing something right!
When given optimum light and nutrients it can grow up to 3 inches a day!
I wouldn't suggest planting it though because it will not root and It will just
rot in the gravel, I tried this with no success only to find that this species
of plant is meant to be a floater or anchored/tied. Not meant to be burried
or planted...

I've had this plant for years, a great plant!
-Brandon


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## TheCheeseWizz (Dec 9, 2008)

brandeeno said:


> Hornwort is a great plant! and you are doing something right!
> When given optimum light and nutrients it can grow up to 3 inches a day!
> I wouldn't suggest planting it though because it will not root and It will just
> rot in the gravel, I tried this with no success only to find that this species
> ...


I have been cutting of a lot of the stems on it and planting them and they seem fine. The only problem is my stupid crab keeps uprooting them


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## brandeeno (Nov 16, 2008)

hmmm strange just watch out though and dont plant them very close together I guess... 
When I planeted it before the stems that were burried just seemed to rot away and it kinda
fouled up the water...

If its working then I guess your doing ok.


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## Stellaluna (Jan 20, 2009)

Hornwort has no roots, so it does not need to be planted, per se, so when you put it in the gravel you are simply anchoring it, which is fine. I suppose if you push it down deeper then the bases will rot, but if you just anchor it with some gravel it will keep it from floating all around. It is a great plant - haven for baby fish as well as a nutrient sponge to combat algae.


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## TheCheeseWizz (Dec 9, 2008)

Ya, I just plant them to anchor them down.


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## sweetheart (Apr 1, 2009)

Hornwart grows like crazy. I remember when i had it. It would grow like an inch a day. You can cut the hornwort and its many side shoots, and it still will continue to grow. lol I had to take it out of one of my tanks because it took the tank over .


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## TheCheeseWizz (Dec 9, 2008)

The same thing just happened to me. I had to take it out of the tank because it just overgrew the tank.


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## sweetheart (Apr 1, 2009)

I took it out of all of my fish tanks, I couldn't keep up with how fast it was growing, lol i couldn't see my guppies anymore.


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

brandeeno said:


> Hornwort is a great plant! and you are doing something right!
> When given optimum light and nutrients it can grow up to 3 inches a day!
> I wouldn't suggest planting it though because it will not root and It will just
> rot in the gravel, I tried this with no success only to find that this species
> ...


Really? I have a water sprite, and it's growing very well. They don't rot, and I researched that they do better when planted into the gravel.


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## topfish (Apr 6, 2009)

Hornwort is a FLOATING plant, and never forms roots of any kind. It looks like a stem plant, but it isn't. It will completely cover the water surface blocking all light to any other plants below. supposedly it contains a toxin that when released helps to kill off algae. It sheds it needle like leaves when it runs out of room, isn't getting enough nutrients or light. 

Watersprite has roots and is not a floating plant per se. There is one variety of Watersprite, Ceratopteris, that is strictly floating, but its not a common variety, but even it has roots.


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