Hornwort Information & Care

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Plant Type Flowering Plant
Plant Family Ceratophyllaceae
Common Name Hornwort
Scientific Name Ceratophyllum
Description

Ceratophyllum is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants, commonly found in ponds, marshes, and quiet streams in tropical and in temperate regions. They are usually called hornworts, although this name is also used for unrelated plants of the division Anthocerotophyta.

Ceratophyllum grows completely submerged, usually though not always floating on the surface. They don't withstand drought. At intervals along nodes of the stem they produce rings of bright green leaves, which are narrow and often branched. The forked leaves feel brittle and stiff to the touch. The plants have no roots at all, but sometimes they develop modified leaves with a rootlike appearance, which anchor the plant to the bottom. The flowers are small and don't attract the attention, with the male and female flowers on the same plant.

Because of their appearance and their high oxygen production, they are often used in freshwater aquaria. Hornwort plants float in great numbers just under the surface. They offer excellent protection to fish-spawn, but also to snails, infected with bilharzia.By screening the lighting, they obstruct algal growth.

Hornwort, also known as coontail, is a very easy to grow plant that is tolerant of most water conditions and temperatures. It makes an excellent, tough to kill beginner's plant.

Ceratophyllum is unique enough to warrant its own family, the Ceratophyllaceae, and in newer systems its own order, the Ceratophyllales. It belongs among the basal dicotyledons, and may be the closest relative of the monocotyledons.

From wikipedia.org

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50 gallons planted tank (mostly live plants and fish) - This is my first attempt at a planted tank, it is;

Tank: 70lt

Lights: 2 x 20W T4's and 2 x 20W T'8's (lights are cooled by a 12V computer extractor  fan in hood)

Plants: Background = Echinodorus tenellus
              Foreground = Hemianthus callitrichoides

Filtration: Old school fluval 3 external.

Ferts and Co2;  Co2 is injected at 1-2 bubbles per second from a fire extinguisher setup with DIY and Tropica nutrition plant food used daily. Substrate is also from Tropica with a fine layer of gravel to prevent soil disturbance.

Fish and Inverts: 4 x otto's, 5 x Amano Shrimp and 4 x Sunkist shrimp.
Description: This is my first attempt at a planted tank, it is; Tank: 70lt Lights: 2 x 20W T4's and 2 x 20W T'8's (lights are cooled by a 12V computer extractor fan in hood) Plants: Background = Echinodorus tenellus Foreground = Hemianthus callitrichoides Filtration: Old school fluval 3 external. Ferts and Co2; Co2 is injected at 1-2 bubbles per second from a fire extinguisher setup with DIY and Tropica nutrition plant food used daily. Substrate is also from Tropica with a fine layer of gravel to prevent soil disturbance. Fish and Inverts: 4 x otto's, 5 x Amano Shrimp and 4 x Sunkist shrimp.

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