Mydonkeyfish Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I have been watching fish for thought and some other channels and have heard some bad things about hornwort but i am very impatient and need a plant that will grow very big and fast so i can feel accomplished. What are your thoughts on hornwort? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat_Rigel Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I love hornwort and have it in all of my tanks. I think everyone has their one plant that they like as cover for fry and this one is mine. As long as you have enough nutrients in the water column, it will grow gang-buster. If not, then it sheds needles like a Christmas tree and can be a real pain. Depends on your setup, but I have found it quite useful. I am always taking extra and selling it to my LFS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydonkeyfish Posted January 26, 2022 Author Share Posted January 26, 2022 On 1/25/2022 at 7:08 PM, Kat_Rigel said: I love hornwort and have it in all of my tanks. I think everyone has their one plant that they like as cover for fry and this one is mine. As long as you have enough nutrients in the water column, it will grow gang-buster. If not, then it sheds needles like a Christmas tree and can be a real pain. Depends on your setup, but I have found it quite useful. I am always taking extra and selling it to my LFS. Is easy green enough for it or does.it like c02? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat_Rigel Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Oh my, if you give that stuff CO2, you're going to have a forest overnight! 😂 Very easy to grow, certainly no CO2 needed. Easy Green works just fine, although I tend to overstock my tanks a bit and that is usually enough for it to get nutrients. But yes, I'd recommend Easy Green. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I also like it. I've occasionally had it immediately drop all its needles when introduced to a new tank, but I'm pretty sure that it had either inadequate nutrients or light. It hasn't happened since. I put a piece in a tank, and it kind of seems like it just sits there. Then all of a sudden I notice it and it's spread so much it makes me wonder how it happened. On 1/25/2022 at 6:08 PM, Kat_Rigel said: I love hornwort and have it in all of my tanks. I think everyone has their one plant that they like as cover for fry and this one is mine. As long as you have enough nutrients in the water column, it will grow gang-buster. If not, then it sheds needles like a Christmas tree and can be a real pain. Depends on your setup, but I have found it quite useful. I am always taking extra and selling it to my LFS. It's my second favorite. I don't think you can beat a nice clump of pearl weed for providing hiding places for fry and shrimp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Hornwort is fussy at first then takes off. It must have lots of calcium. Aponogeton ulvaceaus(sp?) and aponogeton longiplumulosus (sp?). I dropped the bulbs in the tank and the grew about 1 inch per day immediately. And they are stunning. I use no fertz or co2 and they are now 1.5 feet each. Also tiger lotus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Hornwort is a great first live plant for the new aquarium. It grows quickly without any special needs, preferring to float. It is known to have mass needle drops, but in my experience, that is not a normal event. I have kept Hornwort for years without any issues, and suddenly have a sudden needle drop and extinction after changes that I made. I would not hesitate to include it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.K.Luterman Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I love hornwort! It's so pretty and easy to grow, and many of my fish seem to like it (though my catfish just likes to pull the ends off it, so its more of a toy for her). I'm attaching pics of both ways I've kept it - floating and weighed down with a plant weight. If you weigh it down, you just have to be mindful that the parts near the plant weight might rot and need to be trimmed off every few weeks; but by then you'd be trimming it anyways because of how crazy fast it grows. Floating: Weighted: It WILL make a mess by dropping needles if the water doesn't have enough nutrients to support its crazy growth. It's also fussy about medications, so I move it if I decide to dose the tank. I give it Easy Green once a week and that seems to keep it happy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I hate it, it's ugly and can drop needles making a mess. On 1/25/2022 at 5:04 PM, Mydonkeyfish said: i am very impatient and need a plant that will grow very big and fast so i can feel accomplished Hygrophila Polysperma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 @Mydonkeyfish what are your water parameters? I have a pretty thorough explanation of what hornwort needs to grow well under "NAME THAT PLANT" If you have acidic water (<7 pH) it's not going to do well for you, and is actually more likely to *not* do well with CO2 (CO2 lowers pH, and hornwort responds by dropping needles. Milfoil is a similar plant that grows gangbusters, and can tolerate a lower pH with adequate nutrients). Plants, like fish, have different requirements and for beginner plant keeping it is much easier to buy plants for the water / lighting / nutrients you have, than to try and change parameters of the water while also learning how to successfully grow plants. If that resonates? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonske Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 On 1/26/2022 at 8:04 AM, Mydonkeyfish said: i am very impatient and need a plant that will grow very big and fast so i can feel accomplished Anacharis/Elodea grows like there is no tomorrow, if it's possible for you to have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapexghost Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 (edited) I had a ton of hornwort for a while but i currently have none. Hornwort is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Even is suboptimal conditions, it will grow quickly. It doesn't need co2, high light, or fertilizer if you have a high enough bioload. It is also a aquatic-only plant meaning you don't have to worry about converting it from emersed and its adapted to being fully underwater year-round unlike most aquarium plants. The issue most people have with hornwort is its habit of shedding needles when it dies back. I have experienced this and it is a little annoying. My biggest issue with hornwort is that it is a floating-only stem plant. It does not grow roots. If you try to plant it in gravel, the part under the gravel will rot away and the plant will float up to the surface. Hornwort does have its uses. It keeps water clean by removing nitrogen and heavy metals, and it provides cover for shrimp and fry. I second @Fonske. Anacharis is what a replaced my hornwort with. Anacharis grows nearly as fast as hornwort does, it is also an aquatic-only stem plant and provides nearly as much cover. However, anacharis doesn't have needles to shed and it does grow roots if you decide to plant it, but it can still grow floating if you'd prefer. The only downside is that it is illegal in several states. Edited January 27, 2022 by Scapexghost I also find anacharis to be a much better looking plant. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydonkeyfish Posted January 27, 2022 Author Share Posted January 27, 2022 On 1/26/2022 at 4:07 PM, Torrey said: @Mydonkeyfish what are your water parameters? I have a pretty thorough explanation of what hornwort needs to grow well under "NAME THAT PLANT" If you have acidic water (<7 pH) it's not going to do well for you, and is actually more likely to *not* do well with CO2 (CO2 lowers pH, and hornwort responds by dropping needles. Milfoil is a similar plant that grows gangbusters, and can tolerate a lower pH with adequate nutrients). Plants, like fish, have different requirements and for beginner plant keeping it is much easier to buy plants for the water / lighting / nutrients you have, than to try and change parameters of the water while also learning how to successfully grow plants. If that resonates? My water is at around 7.2 ph and is not very hard around 2-3 degrees. I have seachem products like acid buffer and equilibrium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BETTA999 Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 horn wort that plant is almost bullet proof i have kept them perfectly in a buket with just water they dont need fertilizer but the fert sure help!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydonkeyfish Posted January 27, 2022 Author Share Posted January 27, 2022 On 1/27/2022 at 9:38 AM, bettta999 said: horn wort that plant is almost bullet proof i have kept them perfectly in a buket with just water they dont need fertilizer but the fert sure help!!! Do you think it would be good in the background of a 75 gallon tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BETTA999 Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 On 1/27/2022 at 10:49 AM, Mydonkeyfish said: Do you think it would be good in the background of a 75 gallon tank? sure !!!! they can go infinite length Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 On 1/27/2022 at 6:45 AM, Mydonkeyfish said: My water is at around 7.2 ph and is not very hard around 2-3 degrees. I have seachem products like acid buffer and equilibrium. If you can get the WonderShell, or add some crushed coral, your hornwort will drop fewer needles. Hornwort really is a calcium hog. It doesn't like to be planted, though. If you want a background plan with similar needle like leaves, milfoil is a better bet. It roots like a stem plant, can be floated for a couple of weeks to develop a root system along the stem, and then planted 'horizontally' on the substrate. You will end up with a vertical branch of milfoil at each root node, creating a dramatic wall of milfoil along the back of your aquarium. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mydonkeyfish Posted January 29, 2022 Author Share Posted January 29, 2022 On 1/28/2022 at 7:21 PM, Torrey said: If you can get the WonderShell, or add some crushed coral, your hornwort will drop fewer needles. Hornwort really is a calcium hog. It doesn't like to be planted, though. If you want a background plan with similar needle like leaves, milfoil is a better bet. It roots like a stem plant, can be floated for a couple of weeks to develop a root system along the stem, and then planted 'horizontally' on the substrate. You will end up with a vertical branch of milfoil at each root node, creating a dramatic wall of milfoil along the back of your aquarium. I was really just looking for something that grows really fast and i actually think that the pearlweed i was going to put in my 5 gallon is to big for it so i think i will use that instead. Thanks! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rastamon34 Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 hornwort is great but I prefer just guppy grass now, they seem to both grow wildly quick. Whenever I'd drop hornwort into a new tank or get it from a store, it would always shed a ton of needles, and just cover everything, kind of bothered me visually, and I generally keep messy tanks haha. To each their own, when its green and growing well it looks great though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 On 1/30/2022 at 1:13 PM, rastamon34 said: hornwort is great but I prefer just guppy grass now, they seem to both grow wildly quick. Whenever I'd drop hornwort into a new tank or get it from a store, it would always shed a ton of needles, and just cover everything, kind of bothered me visually, and I generally keep messy tanks haha. To each their own, when its green and growing well it looks great though. I'd like guppy grass better if it didn't send roots down to the substrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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