# Hornwort



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Don't be afraid! Just put some plants in there and see if they grow.



TheeOldMan said:


> i think im going with the Potassium Permangenate ( jungles clear water i believe has this in it)


What are your intentions with that?


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

Wasserpest said:


> Don't be afraid! Just put some plants in there and see if they grow.
> 
> 
> 
> What are your intentions with that?


just to make sure no visitors, or disease enter my tank.


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

As long as the hornwort comes from a good clean source, you shouldn't have to worry about much, other than snails.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

Did the dip, rinsed and its in the tank Finally !
the fish are loving it. i have another bunch thats going in my sons 10g. hopefully i wont have any problems. i cant wait to see what kind of difference in my nitrate readings. ill post a pic
later


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Welcome to the Planted Tank! A lot of us started out with hornwort and moved up to other plants. It is still one of my favorites. Be sure to post some pictures. Oh, and be prepared for more guppies. There will be plenty of places for the littles ones to hide now.


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## BottomFeeder (Jul 26, 2008)

Welcome to TPT!


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## angc84 (Jul 21, 2009)

Hello! 

Besides hornwart, I suggest that you look into duckweed! They are cute little floating plants that are nitrate sponge! The only downside of adding duckweed is that they mutiply very fast. You'll have to remove portions of it during your water change ever week. 

I have a 10g nonplanted tank with only duckweed, and I've never had measurable level of nitrate. It's better than hornwart, imo, and cuter. =)


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

Thanks all i appreciate the positive feedback.
heres a picture but the tank is gonna be changed around. fake plants are coming out ! lol


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Welcome to the Planted Tank! A lot of us started out with hornwort and moved up to other plants. It is still one of my favorites. Be sure to post some pictures. Oh, and be prepared for more guppies. There will be plenty of places for the littles ones to hide now.


Great just what i need MORE Guppies ! LOL
thanks


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

i bought 2 bunches from LFS only put 1 in the tank.
ive got the other in a bucket until i figure out what im gonna do.
how long do you think i can leave in bucket w/ natural light, 2 or 3 days ???


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## Ariel301 (Sep 7, 2009)

You can probably leave it a few days, I wouldn't try to push it more than a week though. Hornwort is a fairly tough plant, but since it is so bushy, the parts that are on the bottom don't get any light and will start to die off. I had this happen when it was in my tank, too. It would get so tall and so full that the top part of it would kill off the bottom of it, and it was an awful mess. It should be better in your tanks though, since they are not as tall as mine. Get ready for lots and lots of guppy fry too. They'll have an easier time surviving with all those plants to hide and feed in. Before you know it, you are going to be addicted, and will have two very nice planted tanks lol.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The hornwort actually works with the castle. Very cute. How do you have the hornwort sitting on the bottom? An anchor will work, but if you bury it, the plant will rot where buried and eventually float up or die. Just an FYI.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> The hornwort actually works with the castle. Very cute. How do you have the hornwort sitting on the bottom? An anchor will work, but if you bury it, the plant will rot where buried and eventually float up or die. Just an FYI.


thanks sewingalot
there just weighted down with the rings they use to bunch them together.
i have both bunches in and fake plants out, ill get an updated picture.
im glad you told me not to bury, really glad.nipped that future problem in the bud lol.
the other thing i did was move my HOB filter to the middle behind the castle , instead of the side. now i have plants in both back corners. i still cant believe how much the fish love it. i didnt get it for looks, i got it to help keep my fish healthy and they just happen to be happy too.
thanks again 
im so happy i have real plants finally.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

heres updated pic, im having a problem with picture. its so small and i cant remember how i did last one

















there it is LOL !


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Looks very nice. The fish will be so much happier now. It is an amazing nitrate sponge. Don't be surprised if you loose the leaves around the weight, that is normal.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

thank you very much.
oh i need to update my signature to include hornwort. lol


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

^Haha. Be sure to keep us updated on the tanks. I am curious to see how the fish do in a few months.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> ^Haha. Be sure to keep us updated on the tanks. I am curious to see how the fish do in a few months.


ill definitely keep ya posted
and thanks again
oh and i pulled out 3 snails today
hope thats it


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

Just a quick update
Nitrates were coming down, and water was crystal clear, but tested today and it was a hot 40 ppm and water isnt as clear as last week. The good thing is my hornwort was disease free, so far no issues except for the snail issue. ive got 4 snails, identity unknown and to small for a good picture yet. And yes plants give LOTS of hidding spots for fry ! my bio load is just toooo much. i dont have an easy fix for my over population. i cant just flush them because im not a heartless person.ive thought about bringing them down to the river and just putting them in there. 
sorry i meant for this to be a quick update.


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## Tsartetra (Oct 20, 2003)

TheeOldMan said:


> Just a quick update
> Nitrates were coming down, and water was crystal clear, but tested today and it was a hot 40 ppm and water isnt as clear as last week. The good thing is my hornwort was disease free, so far no issues except for the snail issue. ive got 4 snails, identity unknown and to small for a good picture yet. And yes plants give LOTS of hidding spots for fry ! my bio load is just toooo much. i dont have an easy fix for my over population. i cant just flush them because im not a heartless person.*ive thought about bringing them down to the river and just putting them in there. *
> sorry i meant for this to be a quick update.


:thumbsdow Absolutely not! The only exception would be if they were an indigenous species. NEVER dump your aquarium fish or plants into the wild UNLESS they actually belong there--in other words, they live naturally around you.


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## mynameisjonah (Jan 22, 2008)

Ask friends who have larger fish, guppies make good feeder fish. Also stay away from duckweed. I have recurring nightmares about it. There are other floaters out there that don't have the ability to choke the water's surface within a week. Frogbit, red root floaters, water lettuce, or watersprite may be better options. Another good internet source is plantgeek.net


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

would big Goldfish eat my little guppies ?
we have a 550 gal pond in our main office at work with big gold fish ( dont know what kind sorry ), which is were my first pleco has been for a while and doing great.
ill be honest there are some boring guppies in my tank with no color and just hang.my favorites are always swimming and bulling the boring ones. like i said i just want to do whats right, flushing or releasing isnt an option.
if they would make for good treats , even though it would still break my heart, ive cared for these fish along time. just looking for some more input.
thanks.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

It would be a great snack for your goldfish. Try to think of it as your helping out nature. The reason guppies have such large numbers is because there are natural predators to eat them.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

update
did weekly test with 40 ppm nitrates. when vacuuming, lots of crap, from plants mostly i think, never seen water so nasty. plants did the dieing off at the wieght as i was told would happen.
not sure how trim yet.havent trimmed yet since i put in. i love all the green real stuff ! lol
and i have tons of fry ,of coarse, with all those hiding spots ! lol


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Just trim with scissors. Both pieces will continue to grow. You cannot go wrong with hornwort, I have been known to tear off a piece for other tanks without harm. Keep up with the water changes and see if that helps with the nitrates. Your nitrate will probably always be around 40 with the number of guppies you have in there. As long as you keep up with the water changes, the fish will be happy and the hornwort will keep the nitrates from getting too high.


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## Strick (Apr 6, 2009)

That's a lot of guppies... pretty, though!


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Just trim with scissors. Both pieces will continue to grow. You cannot go wrong with hornwort, I have been known to tear off a piece for other tanks without harm. Keep up with the water changes and see if that helps with the nitrates. Your nitrate will probably always be around 40 with the number of guppies you have in there. As long as you keep up with the water changes, the fish will be happy and the hornwort will keep the nitrates from getting too high.


thank you.
i was wondering if both pieces would continue to grow, because im gonna put a little in my sons 10gal and also in fry tank.
im really happy i went with hornwort, even though it can be a bit messy.
i can see the difference in my fish activity. even more active lol


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

Strick said:


> That's a lot of guppies... pretty, though!


thanks for the compliment. its a bit of work but i love it, even though some days i just dont feel like doing the work necessary. lol


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

my biggest problem now are snails !
and it can be very messy ! when i vacuum my tank it plugs up the vacuum. i bought a larger vacuum but my substrate is too small and it started vacuuming up gravel ! lol
i did a dip but i dont think i did it long enough or strong enough.
BUT im happy no disease from it, that was my biggest fear.
did a bit of trimming yesterday and like i said it can be messy.but my fish are still happy and healthy , ALL OF THEM ! lol


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Get a piece of zuchinni, turn off the lights and sink it in the bottom of the tank. In the morning, fish out the snails and zuchinni. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You can use your thumb or pinch the tubing to control the flow of the new gravel vacuum. They even sell fancy flow controls (looks like a clamp). I am glad the fish are happy. That is the most important part.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Get a piece of zuchinni, turn off the lights and sink it in the bottom of the tank. In the morning, fish out the snails and zuchinni. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You can use your thumb or pinch the tubing to control the flow of the new gravel vacuum. They even sell fancy flow controls (looks like a clamp). I am glad the fish are happy. That is the most important part.


ARGGGGGG !
im repeating, repeating and repeating ! lol
all is well.
thank you for the support.
it made this experience much easier !


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Lol. With that bioload of guppies, I suspect you'll have snails for a while. Excess snails usually mean excess waste, food. I've learned to live with them. And at water changes, I scoop them off the side of the glass, plants and gravel and send them to another tank or take them to the LFS for there goldfish to snack on.  How is the hornwort growing?


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

My Pleco loves Zuccini .so snails dont have a chance. lettace is what ive been using for snails, then putting in snail tank now.
im gonna keep picking out and getting rid of snail slime were i can, with all those eggs. its been interesting . lol
Hornwort and fry are great ! lol
i know im getting a 50 or 75 gal from santa, so ..............
im thinking maybe an Oscar , along with my pleco of coarse. between the snails and fry , im really considering getting an Oscar ! bountiful feast. with a nice scape.
any input would be great.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I had a friend recently buy an oscar for the same purpose. He actually ended up overfeeding the poor fish. The pleco would definitely welcome the bigger tank since they are known to get over a foot long. Tell santa to get you the 75. it's much nicer.


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

well im good at over feeding lol
i still have about half the hornwort in 20gal.
and snails are crazy ! 
im getting use to them though lol
i know now i should have chopped off bottom 4 inches of roots , thats were everything came from, even though i did a dip.
i didnt now i could do that then, but now i know.
my problem now is the snails are infesting plants with egg slime and i cant just wipe off like i can on glass. also my castle has lost this battle for me. they can infest inside, then i have the problem i have now.
im thinking off taking all fish out when i get my new tank setup, and getting rid of snails in my 20gal. thats the only way i can win the snail battle, or i should say the war ! lol
but ill keep you posted.
later............


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## TheeOldMan (Jul 13, 2009)

i always vac when doing weekly water change, up until my snail prob in my 20gal.
ive got LOTS OF SNAILS ,and they plug up the vac. I know the only way to get rid of them is to take the tank down and clean. They just keep coming ! lol
ive tried Zuccini etc.
believe it or not the best way to get them out is when there all balled up around a dead fish.
Anyway its been a month without vac in my 20gal and luckily the tank is fine, just the usual high Nitrate ( 40+ppm) because of OVER population, but crystal clear.
the big goldies at work are gonna love the snails i hope. lol
if not oh well.
oh and horn wort is doing great, even though thats why i have snails now ! 
anyway thanks again for input
ill get a pic before i clean tank, and youll see why it had to be done.
later


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