# Collecting Native Plants



## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

I took my teenage daughter with me the other day to look for native aquatic plants and driftwood for my aquariums, and came home (wet and muddy--I slipped into the river!) with several different types of plants, some of which I'm not sure of the species, and some I'm not even sure are true aquatic plants, since they were just growing low on the bank. I got home and began washing them off and checking for "undesirables"--I found a small damselfly larvae--and when I got finished washing all the plants off, I had a bucket with muddy clay in the bottom. Light bulb! I thought, why not spread that clay on the bottom of the 10 gallon I have cleared out and running (was gonna be a quarantine tank) and cap it with the gravel that had been in it when I bought it (second hand), and make it a plant quarantine/grow-out tank? No, I decided I didn't want that green and blue gravel in one of my tanks, even if it _is_ just a never-seen grow-out tank. Then I remembered the small-grained, white and black mixed, salt-and-pepper substrate that was included with the 125 I bought, and I would never use in a display tank, anyway. (I liked it so much, I had already used some of it to fill in a hole in the yard.) It seemed like the perfect sized grain to root plants in, so I went to work draining the tank and setting it back up for the plants. (actually, the substrate turned out to really be too light to hold plants well, but it will do, since there are no fish to disturb the plants.) So I got that set up and planted, and put the rest of the plants in my 18" cube ExoTerra setup (complete with small waterfall) that used to house a fire-belly toad. It had a compact fluorescent spiral bulb in it that grew Java Moss ok, since that was the only plant in there at the time. I also added a 100 watt equivalent LED bulb to the reptile dual-light fixture, which I know is too much, but it looks ok and will work for now; I'll just keep the photo-period short, I think.

So, now for the plants!

The first one I believe is a species of Echinodoras, but the larger specimens have seven veins in the leaves, whereas all the ones I could find photos of seem to have five veins. The smaller specimens seem to have five veins as well, but could be a second species. Also, these are all terrestrial form leaves, which I know will melt and be replaced when submersed. Also, that is some species of _Sagittaria_ on the left, with the terrestrial form of leaves, and again, I'm not sure which species.








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I think that is a _Hydrocotyle_ in the foreground of the first aquarium pic, but it came from a spot in my yard in front of the water faucet, so I don't know how it will do submersed. Also in that picture are a couple of small _Echinodorus_ (?)on the upper tier and some stem plants on the left and right (_Ludwigia?_).








 
















These are in the ExoTerra Cube, either partially in the water or slightly above the waterline. Is that hairgrass in there? It's very small, but the dwarf hairgrass isn't native to Mississippi, so I don't think it's the dwarf species; does the regular type start out that small? 
There are some larger terrestrial ferns in there, and some other interesting plant that I'm pretty sure isn't an aquatic species, since the stem is very stiff and "woody". And, of course, the _Hydrocotyle_ in the damp gravel, along with some more stems--I think there are at least two varieties of stems, maybe three, and I'm not sure exactly what they are or if they're fully aquatic or not. I am going to have to find a good field guide for native aquatic/semi-aquatic plants so I'll know what I'm looking at when I see it.

Well, that was my plant finding adventure, except for the driftwood I collected. My daughter is eager to go back again soon, which, considering usual teenager behavior, is surprising that she wants to do something with her dad, so we'll be going again, perhaps to another spot where I know there used to be different species. Oh, and any help in identifying the species is welcome.

Olskule


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## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

*Update on Collected Native Plants*

Well, it's been a few days since I planted all the various plants I collected, and I have an update: I HAVE PEARLING IN MY 10 GALLON! Yeah, don't get excited, the pearling is coming from the green algae on the rocks. :icon_roll Developing a case of green algae wasn't entirely unexpected, since I've been running lights that are much too bright for much too long of a photo-period, but I had no idea that even a small, new layer of algae would pearl! There is also a little bit of filmy-looking algae on one the leaves of one of the very small _Echinodorus cordifolias_ (yes, I looked them up, and of the few species of _Echinodorus_ found here, I'm fairly sure this is the one), but they are the terrestrial forms and will be melting off soon, anyway.

Speaking of melting, the _Sagittaria_ (as yet unidentified specifically) is busy melting its terrestrial leaves; yes, it's expected, but it sure looks disheartening, doesn't it? Also, in my researching of native plant species, I found out that Dwarf Hairgrass, _Eleocharis_ _acicularis,_ actually _is_ native to my area of North America...and _every other_ area of North America, as well! It is the most widespread species of_ Eleocharis_ in North America, spread from central Florida to the Yukon in Alaska. The funny thing is, although the USDA map indicates it is native to Mississippi, it only shows it listed in one county in Mississippi, and that is a good distance from me. But I'm pretty sure that their map only indicates a county that has supplied a confirmed identification of a sample/specimen, and doesn't reflect the actual distribution of the species. I guess I'll have to contact my County Extension Service and let them know it has been spotted here. Of course, I'd probably have to give up my Dwarf Hairgrass for positive identification, and I didn't collect very much at all, so I don't think I want to do that.

As for the stems, I haven't set about identifying them yet, but one of them, which I'm thinking is a species of _Ludwigia_, is showing some _seriously_ fine color on the new growth under that too-bright-algae-pearling light. It's an almost scarlet red.

I also went to WallyWorld to pick up some Jobe's Plant Stakes (since I've read about them here, on TPT), and I barely got to them before they were sold completely out. In fact, they were on clearance for $.50/package, so I just grabbed the whole carton that was left (seven packages). I don't know what the normal price was, but I figured fifty cents was darn good. I also picked up some 6500K CFL bulbs on clearance at Lowe's. I tried to find CFLs at WallyWorld, but they have stopped stocking them; everything is either incandescent or LED now. I also looked through some T5 and T8 fluorescent bulbs at a local salvage store that were priced at $.10 each (yes, that's ten cents!), but they didn't have the type of bulbs I could use (of course). They had either the right size, wrong temperature or the right temperature in the wrong size. (*sigh*) 

I got home and put the CFLs in the old cheapy (exTREMEly cheap) 10 gallon hood I had previously glued some tinfoil in for a reflector, then broke the plant stakes in half and poked them into the substrate here and there in both the 10 gallon and the 18" cube, so everything should have the nutrients to get goin' growin'. We'll see.

That's it, except I've been working on adding some posts to the Plant Profiles here on TPT for anyone interested in collecting aquatic plants from the wild. I'm adding information concerning those plants that are native or introduced to North America, and also species that are similar or related to those commonly used in aquariums that can be used (or at least tried), and where they can be found (ranges). I'm not finished going through it yet, but if you think you might be interested in gathering your plants from the wild yourself, check it out. You might be surprised at what can be obtained locally for free, and it is very interesting and satisfying to scout for and collect your own aquarium plants, not to mention educational. (Fish, too, but that's a different part of the forum.)

Olskule


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## sfshrimp (May 24, 2016)

Would you consider acclimating rocks and mud from the same sources?


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## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

sfshrimp said:


> Would you consider acclimating rocks and mud from the same sources?


I'm not sure what you are asking, but if you're asking if I would use rocks and mud from the same place I collected the plants, well, rocks are rocks, provided they don't change your water parameters unfavorably (pH, GH & KH). And as far as using "mud" from the same place I got the plants from, I did actually use the clay that was on the roots when I collected the plants, because it ended up in the bottom of the bucket, I had it, had the idea to use it, and I wasn't concerned about introducing any new pathogens (diseases, parasites, etc.) that the plants weren't already exposed to, so I used it "fresh" from the source. Now, if I had an existing setup with established plants and/or fish, I wouldn't add "fresh" clay/mud (or rock) without first making sure it was sterilized or put through some process to lessen the chance of introducing something harmful to the system, but this was an entirely new setup using everything from the same source (except the substrate material I capped the clay with--it came from a previous setup and I was fairly sure there were no problems with it), so I didn't see any reason for concerning myself with "proper preventive protocol". What would be introduced to the new planted setup was only what the plants had already been exposed to. I did, however, take the precaution of inspecting the plants well for "hitchhikers" (snails, damselfly/dragonfly nymphs, etc.).

Is this what you wanted to know?

Olskule


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## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

*Update on Collected Native Plants and Algae Farm*

I managed to leave the plants in the 10 gallon alone to see what they would do after putting in the CFL 6500K light bulbs, but I know I'm leaving the lights on too much and causing BG algae, but one of the stem plants I collected is coloring up with such a bright red that I don't want to lose that color by reducing the light. Also, the other two types of stems I collected are showing color, too, with one (I'm pretty sure is a species of _Ludwigia_) turning a nice bronze on new growth and the third type (not sure what it is yet, I haven't really sat down and researched them) is showing more reddish color on the new growth, but not as bright red as the first type. Incidentally, the third type had long leaves and a long internode when I collected it, but submersed the new leaves are about half the size and the internode is _much_ shorter, making it less leggy and more full in appearance, which is a good thing. Also, the internode on the first type (the really red one) is shorter, as well, and looks good. I wish I had collected more of that first type, because it is my favorite so far, but I only ended up with one specimen, whereas I got several of the other two types.

The swords I collected, _Echinodorus cordifolias,_ haven't done as well as I expected them to do. All of the tiny specimens perished and the larger ones don't seem to be recovering from the transplant, although when I tended the tank today, I did note that there seemed to be some new root growth happening, so maybe they have to get their roots situated before they start showing progress on the upper parts of the plant. Many of the terrestrial leaves melted as expected, but one has kept a couple of its original leaves, although they are looking rather poor when I compare them to the photos from when I first put them in. But we shall see if they pull through. I'm thinking I might should have pruned all the leaves off and just planted the intact crowns so there wouldn't have been such a demand on the disturbed, damaged root system. I thought the _Sagittaria_ was going to do ok when the original terrestrial leaf melted (as expected) and it finished putting out that small leaf that was in the process of forming when I collected it, but it decided to turn to mush. However, the couple of _Sagittaria_ I put (emersed) in the 18" Cube vivarium look like they are going to hang in there, and the one I had planted in some soil in a small plastic pot that I kept in a bowl with a little water was doing well and put out a new leaf, but for some reason, when I checked it the other day, the leaf had shriveled up, but the rest of the plant looks fine, so maybe it will make it. I suspect that it may have gotten knocked over and broken the stem, and "someone" didn't tell me about it.

Everything in the 18" cube seems to be doing well emersed. I put two of the 13 watt 6500K CFLs in the light and moved it to my bedroom onto a 24" stand to free up the 30" stand in the living room for my 29 gallon and a 20 gallon aquariums that are still sitting dry for now. I went to the storage place and pulled some tanks out to set up; in addition to the 29 and 20 gallons I pulled, I now have a small 12" cube (same style as the 18") underneath the 18" cube, but nothing is in it yet, and I put a 10 gallon underneath the planted 10 gallon, and I have another 10 gallon that I may put under the 18" cube instead of the 12" cube, which I can put most anywhere, since it has such a small footprint and can't hold more than about 3" of water (less than 2 gallons), anyway.

I rubbed all the BG algae off the stones in the 10 gallon planted, and I'm still fighting it with the API Algaefix that was included in the stuff that came with the 125 gallon, and I thought I had it licked, but I must have missed a dose, because it came back with a vengeance. Or it could be that I left the light on for too long a couple of days in a row. (It's not on a timer, and I'm not extremely regular with turning it on and off.) I'm not too aggravated with it--like I said, it was pretty much expected. I cleared out all the stems that had melted leaves and replanted the tops I cut off of them, I cut off the few dead leaves and cleaned what little algae there was off the _Hydrocotyle_ that I got from out of my yard, and it seems to be doing very well, with new growth. I suspect that the few leaves that died on it were due to being damaged when I pulled it up; I literally just pulled it up on a whim, and didn't use anything to dig it up with, so damage was to be expected. Since it's growing literally just outside my door, I'll probably collect a lot more of it (properly, this time) and use it in all of my tanks once I get them set up.

The 10 gallon got pretty stirred-up from the extensive cleaning and replanting, so once it clears up, I will take some photos of the progress (and lack thereof), and especially the of plants that are coloring up so nicely, and post them on this entry. That's all for now!

Olskule


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