Bunch plants and Floating Plants for Aquariums
May 11, 2009 by admin
Filed under Keeping Tropical Fish
These plants take their name from the fact that they are frequently sold in bunches of individual stalks bound together with a rubber band or a strip of lead. In these plants the roots serve primarily as anchors. Growth occurs at the tip. If the tip is broken off, a new one will form; when the stem is injured, a branch often develops. In fact, if the stalk of a bunch plant is thrust into the gravel upside down, a new tip will form at the upper end, and the lower end will develop anchoring roots. The same holds true when a piece of the center section is cut out and planted.
Many bunch plants will grow even while floating freely in water. They show a tendency to root, however, sending down long, thin roots. When these roots reach the gravel, as frequently happens in a shallow aquarium, they anchor firmly and, not infrequently, draw the plant down to the gravel.
The main problem with newly purchased bunch plants is that of anchoring them. They seldom have enough root structure to hold them in place. For this reason it is advisable to plant them in a bunch, retaining the little lead band around them as a weight. Lead is relatively inactive, and a small amount does no harm in the aquarium.
Many bunch plants have a tendency to grow long and shed leaves from the base. The best way to keep this tendency under control is by uprooting the plant, cutting off the lower portion, and reroofing the upper. If there is a bushy, branching growth, snip off the tip occasionally.
Floating plants are the plants most frequently used as hiding places for baby fishes. Some of them occasionally put out anchors, called “holdfasts,” and these fasten on rocks or submerged bark. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), which is frequently sold as a bunch plant, is really a floating plant. It never develops roots. In others, such as Duckweed (Lemna minor), Salvinia (Salvinia natans), or Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes), roots are present, but they do not root into anything. They merely float freely below the plant. Not all floating plants float at the surface. Some tropical aquarium fishes such as Chain of Stars and Stonewort (Nitella gracilis), float at the bottom. Reproduction is usually asexual, that is, without flowers.
