# Hornwort facts that you won't believe...!



## shuks

I found this site while surfing on the web... http://home.clara.net/xenotoca/hornw.htm

Is that really true? A plant that can't grow algy, and even kill the stuff. If you had enough of these plants would they significantly reduce algy outbreaks??? It also says that hornwort is very expensive. My LFS sells them for 2.99 canadian..lol... I just bought some of this today, If this algy fact is true I'm going to cover my tank in the stuff. It looks good to...

When I bought the hornwort it didn't have any roots, so I just burried the bottem of the plants as deep as I could. Is this how to plant hornwort???


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## Rex Grigg

I'm not sure about the algy but I have seen lots of algae growing on Hornwort.

Hornwort really doesn't grow roots and is normally grown as a floating plant.


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## fraynes1

I'm not sure if this is just coincidence or not but this spring I just put in an approx 400 gal pond in my backyard.

It only has 4 comets in it and from the beginning had a green water problem that I wasn't too concerned with as I figured I would buy a uv sterilizer next year to help alleviate it. Green water was so bad that I couldn't see the fish at all. I didn't have as many plants as I knew I needed in it, but again would get them next year. 

Approximately 2 months ago I bought 1 bunch of hornwort from lfs and put it in the pond. After 2 weeks and very minimal growth, I figured I would put it in my aquarium to propogate it. 

Well in about a month I had almost 10 times the original amount and put it in the pond. A week after putting it in the pond I went on holidays for 12 days with my wife feeding the fish. When I returned the water was crystal clear and all of the algae was on the bottom. Pond has been crystal clear since.

The only thing my wife said was unusual was that one day while I was away the pond seemed to be extremely foamy.

Not sure if it was the Hornwort or not but it sure cleared up fast after putting lots of it in there.


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## Bert H

I too have seen (read had) algae infested hornwort in the past. What hornwort does is grow very quickly so in that respect it is like a heavily planted tank with fast growing plants. Algae doesn't do very well under those conditions.


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## cfide

One disadvantage of hornwort is that it will block the light to other plants. It may be ok in a pond but I would not use this plant in an aquarium. I used to have it and had to get rid off it.


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## shalu

It grows way too fast in a warm, CO2 enriched tank, with extremely long internodes. In other words, looks ugly. Only keep it in low tech tank now. I keep it in a bunch with plant weights, not floating. It looks more attractive that way and does not block light.


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## Lotus

The hornwort I have in my pond has plenty of algae. It's also the bushiest hornwort I have ever seen. I keep it in some of my low-tech tanks and it does OK, but it really flourishes in the pond.


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## ganjero

That page is from the UK, maybe it's really expensive there. Mine usually get algea all over.


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## aquaphish

shuks said:


> I found this site while surfing on the web... http://home.clara.net/xenotoca/hornw.htm
> 
> Is that really true? A plant that can't grow algy, and even kill the stuff. If you had enough of these plants would they significantly reduce algy outbreaks??? It also says that hornwort is very expensive. My LFS sells them for 2.99 canadian..lol... I just bought some of this today, If this algy fact is true I'm going to cover my tank in the stuff. It looks good to...
> 
> When I bought the hornwort it didn't have any roots, so I just burried the bottem of the plants as deep as I could. Is this how to plant hornwort???


Why consern yourself with finding plants that kills algae or does not grow algae??? If your parameters for nutrients are properly set there should be no worry about algae. So if you do have algae there just might be and deficient nutrient level.


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## AaronT

Hornwort rates up there on my list of despised plants. It drops needles (leaves) like a month old Christmas tree and makes an unbearable mess.


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## [email protected]

Since I put co2 injection in my tank the hornwort grows like crazy. I just trim off what I don't want and sell it back to the local fish shop. And I think it's like a nitrate magnet! Jimbo.


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## DogFish

I can't open your link. I've read that Hornwort has an allopathic effect on Mosses & certain algae.

I keep low tech tanks and use it as my go to Nitrate mop. In my tanks it grow s tight and looks nice. The tips start out yellow-pale green and get deep green. 
grown is a good flag for me about my tank parameters. As good as any test kit in my budget range.


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## LB79

There are mixed reports about it. Having never used it, I won't say more.


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## flowmsp

Lol a 6+ year old thread back from the dead. I always find it neat to see comments made that long ago and compare to nowdays!


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## wendyjo

aaront said:


> hornwort rates up there on my list of despised plants. It drops needles (leaves) like a month old christmas tree and makes an unbearable mess.


^ this!


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## shinycard255

AaronT said:


> Hornwort rates up there on my list of despised plants. It drops needles (leaves) like a month old Christmas tree and makes an unbearable mess.


^ Yes this... this is my experience with Hornwort. HUGE mess for me at least. Grew fast in my non-Co2 tank, didn't want to live in my Co2 tank though.

It's great as a starting plant for new tanks as it eats up excess ammonia and nitrate. I got sick of it after my tank was cycled and just threw it out.


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## Diana

I have found hornwort to thrive best in a hard water tank, and falls apart in a soft water tank. While not a really high light plant, it also does better in the pond (half day of sun) or in tanks where the light is at least mid level. Long internodes and dropping leaves suggests too low light. 


The last time I cleaned a tank that had been sitting for a while the hornwort was totally surrounded by a filament sort of algae, not clinging to the hornwort, but growing as a mass all around it.


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## speerwashere

Suppose to plant hornwort shallow in the substrate, keep on bottom with weights or float. I just picked some up a month ago and it grows like the weed it is. I saw on dirty jobs Mike was mowing waterways to remove this stuff, afterwords the trucked to a compost place to dry out.


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