Does water temperature matter?

[Whip's World]

Cory/Dean/Candi,

I recently bought water sprite from the Co-Op and it's already dying back hard. The plan was to plant it in my 29g (soon-to-be) guppy tank which has stingray lighting, but the heater is wonky and, although currently on and set to 80°, the water remains at room temp (68°). That being what it is, I thought I'd keep it in my planted 75g until a new heater could be secured, but it is definitely not doing well in there (standard kit lighting that is very old). Does water temperature factor into keeping plants like it does with the fish themselves or do they do well regardless (assuming there's plenty of "food" for them?

Thanks,

Whip

[Jennifer V]

@Cory and the gang -- I just bought a water sprite from Co-Op too and the poor little guy didn't fare the journey very well so I'm also wondering if it's just patience and fertilizer that will perk him up or if there is anything else I need to pay attention to as well. I removed the pieces that looked the worst with the thinking that it would help the rest improve. 

Edited January 8, 2021 by Jennifer V

[gardenman]

Water Sprite doesn't mind low temps. I put some excess out in my water garden last summer and it was still alive and growing in October when the water temp had fallen into the low sixties.

Water Sprite is a quirky plant. I have some in all four tanks. In two tanks it grows like a weed. In one tank it survives. In the fourth tank it just keeps melting away. Same water, same substrate, similar lighting, but Water Sprite does what it wants to do. If you have any damaged leaves, just cut them off and let them float on the water surface. If the plant is even somewhat happy, that floating stem/leaf should spawn new plants around the edges. It's one of those boom or bust plants for me. In some tanks I have to keep weeding it out or it'll take over, and in a nearby tank it just dies.

[Daniel]

I have water sprite in aquariums that are room temperature, approximately 68°F and it is growing quickly. I also have water sprite in discus aquariums kept at 86°F and it is growing well there too. So it appears temperature is not a critical factor in cultivating water sprite.

But like @gardenman says, water sprite is a quirky plant. Sometimes it takes off and sometimes it doesn't without any discernible reason for why.

Typically there is no low temperature limit for aquarium plants. If it is warm enough to keep even cool water fish, then it is warm enough for almost all plants. The same cannot be said for the warmest temperatures that are good for discus and rams, etc. Although Vallisneria (another quirky plant) and Amazon swords do fine in the mid 80s, not every plant thrives in the upper end of the warm range.