[APD] Why is my Hornwort not stiff?

[Cheryl Trine <ctrine at andrews_edu>]

Hi,

I'm a relative newbie to aquarium plants and have an awful lot to
learn.  I have really enjoyed lurking here on this list and am learning
a lot.

Now, I've got a question.

About a month ago, I purchased some hornwort from a petshop.  It was
quite dark green and the "fronds"/leaves were quite stiff projecting out
from the stem.  Previously, I have bought hornwort, but it was soft and
eventually died out. (That was before I got the hair algae under
control).  These new plants have been growing in my 10 gallon, but the
new growth is a lighter green and is not stiff like on what I bought.
Because growth is soft, I fear that eventually it will also eventually
die out.  Why won't it grow in the stiff form?

Here's my set up:

10 gallon with 30 W screw-in compact fluorescent, 6500K;
DIY yeast CO2;
ammonia = 0
nitrite = 0
nitrate = 15-20 ppm
dKH = 19 (about 340 ppm)
dGH = 21 (aobut 376 ppm)
pH = 7.2
I add 4 drops of Fluorish every 2-3 days (when I started doing it this
way rather than a single larger weekly dose, the hair algae pretty much
disappeared!)
Tank is overcrowded with guppies (I need to find a fish to put in there
to eat the babies that won't harass the adult males' flowing tails!)

What do I need to do?

TIA

Cheri

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