emersed to submereged

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MattW

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Just wanted to ask what people's experience in changing plants from emersed to submersed form has been like.

I've currently got 4 species that were grown emersed currently sat in my tank. I did get a plant a few months back that was emersed and died off badly when introduced into an aquarium. Only 2 out of the 8 stems made it..

So.. Should I just leave them to it? Add any liquid ferts or even CO2? Plant deep? or keep them ontop of the substrate with plant weights?

any advice would be helpful

TIA :)
 
Some adapt, some don't. Some are better at it than others.

Bucephalandra, anubias, hydrocolotyle, cryptocoryne. These usually convert well for me. Well. Crypts as crypts do. It'll melt and regrow lol.

I've had luck as well with limnophila sessiliflora, pogostemon octopus, pearlweed, and hairgrass.


Have never had any luck with any ludwigia, rotala, water wisteria, or bacopa from emersed to submerged. 🤷‍♀️

Fertilizer is a good plus, but often it's just letting the plants adapt. Sometimes floating them until they grow roots helps too.
 
What plants are we talking about?
Most true aquatic and marsh plants can shed their old terrestrial leaves and grow new aquatic leaves when put into an aquarium. A bit of aquarium plant fertiliser and some light will definitely help them along. They don't need supplemental carbon dioxide (CO2).
 
What plants are we talking about?
Most true aquatic and marsh plants can shed their old terrestrial leaves and grow new aquatic leaves when put into an aquarium. A bit of aquarium plant fertiliser and some light will definitely help them along. They don't need supplemental carbon dioxide (CO2).
Alternanthera Reineckii
Ludwigia repens
Bacopa caroliniana
Hygrophila corymbosa

Limnophila Aromatica was the plant that did not do well that I got a few months back
 
I've been able to acclimate the local Ludwigia sp, as well as bought Bacopa caroliniana with a 2 step program. I begin by submerging them close to the surface with good light. Then I gradually, bring them lower and lower in the tank. They never thrive in a deep tank here, but they do adapt to 12 inches of water or so easily, if you are patient.

While my wife energetically paddles and sees kayaking as a great fitness thing, I tend to wander the riverbanks looking down. Our Ludwigia seems to follow the seasonal water level drop, always staying about six inches in depth. Tropical species are probably different, but Ludwigia are low plants here, with stems that creep along the bottom and send short shoots up. You might be able to take something from that. You can't generalize across different species, and tropical plants don't have a snow and ice cycle to deal with, but the patterns are maybe informative.

I wonder if Ludwigia repens does the same thing with dry and wet season growth in warmer climates. Last week, there was Ludwigia (I think - I'm no botanist) all along the edge of a stream that would be under a couple of feet of muddy water in May. Where I would have found Ludwigia in July had a goofy old retriever wandering along have a good time exploring the beach.
 
I've been able to acclimate the local Ludwigia sp, as well as bought Bacopa caroliniana with a 2 step program. I begin by submerging them close to the surface with good light. Then I gradually, bring them lower and lower in the tank. They never thrive in a deep tank here, but they do adapt to 12 inches of water or so easily, if you are patient.

While my wife energetically paddles and sees kayaking as a great fitness thing, I tend to wander the riverbanks looking down. Our Ludwigia seems to follow the seasonal water level drop, always staying about six inches in depth. Tropical species are probably different, but Ludwigia are low plants here, with stems that creep along the bottom and send short shoots up. You might be able to take something from that. You can't generalize across different species, and tropical plants don't have a snow and ice cycle to deal with, but the patterns are maybe informative.

I wonder if Ludwigia repens does the same thing with dry and wet season growth in warmer climates. Last week, there was Ludwigia (I think - I'm no botanist) all along the edge of a stream that would be under a couple of feet of muddy water in May. Where I would have found Ludwigia in July had a goofy old retriever wandering along have a good time exploring the beach.
Our Canadian native ludwigia is palustris. I can only grow it as an emersed plant haha it doesn't like me when I grow it underwater, but I've got a goldfish filter full of emersed and a terrarium bowl full of it too. So at best I can only get emergent growth with the bottom half in water lol grows like a weed out of water for me. In water, it dies. I'm trying to float some in one tank, I've tried before and it died then, but I'm trying again.

Terrarium bowl Ludwigia palustris lol
20240923_165034.jpg


A thing with some plants is sometimes you have to try them a couple times to get some luck.
 
I just had a look at the 4 plants

Bacopa has new growth at the top and old leafs are melting
Ludwigia has new roots and some new leafs
Alternanthera has some melted leaves and 1 or 2 new leaves. It also still has a few mini white flowers
Hygrophila looks the exact same 😄

they have been in the tank for a about a week I forgot to mention
 

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