Excess Eichornia diversifolia

[Paul Krombholz <krombhol at teclink_net>]

I have a lot of excess E. diversifolia produced in my 15 gallon guppy 
slum, which is an amazing producer of plants.  I put in rain water 
plus some micronutrients, iron DPTA, KCl, MgSO4 and some lime.  There 
is 80 watts of CF on top.  I feed generous amounts of flake food, and 
the tank becomes so packed with plants that the guppies can hardly 
move around. There is no added CO2, but all those guppies produce 
quite a bit. Surprisingly, some plants, such as H. polysperma, do not 
grow well under these conditions, but the E. diversifolia does well, 
and so does Ludwigia arcuata, which soon establishes itself as an 
emersed plant growing on top of the diversifolia.  I also got out a 
huge ball of Eleocharis vivipara, but I can't imagine anyone wanting 
that plant, which IMO, has undergone convergent evolution until it is 
almost like hair algae.

I have some E. diversifolia for give-a-way or trade.  I am looking 
for some Ludwigia glandulosa, Cryptocoryne affinis, or Cryptocoryne 
albida in trade.  the E. diversifolia will have pieces of Eleocharis 
vivipara coming along with it, and if you don't want to introduce 
that species, float the diversifolia stems in a pan of water and 
carefully pick off all the E. vivipara.  Fortunately, it hasn't 
converged with hair algae to the point where it attaches to other 
plants.  It just becomes tangled with them.
--
Paul Krombholz in muggy, but dry, central Mississippi