Plant Id Help

[Midnight Rose]

Hi there

I'm sure you get topics like this all the time!

Can anyone help me ID this plant? And give me an idea what water conditions it likes? It is in a hard alkaline water tank at the moment, but I have a soft water acid tank I would like to put one specimen in as shelter for hatchet fish. Would this be a suitable plant?

Thanks

 

[Themuleous]

Its an Aponogeton species, not sure which one.

Sam

 

[Colin_T]

As above re it being an Aponogeton. They have underwater leaves and then produce floating leaves before flowering. Once they have flowered they usually die back and go dormant. When this happens take the bulb out and wrap it in damp peat moss and put it inn a plastic bag in the bottom of the fridge. After a few months of cool you can plant it back in the tank and it will grow again.
If they don't get a rest period they will keep growing but tend to die within a couple of years.

They aren't normally bothered by water chemistry unless they are wild caught. Captive stock will live in most conditions and yours looks pretty happy where it is.
Do you use an iron based plant food? If not then perhaps get some, it will make a difference to all the plants. Sera Florena is a good one to try.

 

[Midnight Rose]

Thanks to both of you, thank you very much for all the info Colin.

I do have an iron based liquid food, but not tablets.

We planted it and within days it looked like that!

I would go to work and the leaves were halfway to the surface then come home and they were all the way there. I bet I could have sat and watched it grow!