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Frogbit, Java Fern and Aquatic Greenhouses
Subject: Re: "happy frogbit"
> On Sun, 04 Feb 96 tomlins at CAM_ORG (Ed Tomlinson) wrote:
>
> <<If the frogbit is really happy those leafs will be 2" round an
> raised
> above the water level. The roots will be feathery and up to a f
> I have lots of these in my filters and there they are very happy
> have never done quite as well in my aquariums.>>
>
> I've been thinking about this, and questions of "plant happiness
> to size aside (are those 250 year old bonsai in the nat'l arbore
> I stumbled on a different frogbit/frog's-bit in the U Florida aq
> web site (http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/). They list a Limnobium s
> is larger and has raised leaves... perhaps we have different var
> Frogbit, if not different species altogether. Mine certainly *s
> happy... they get up & sing every morning, after all ;-)
That's why common names can be so confusing. One of the "fluffy"
plants (Hydrilla maybe?) is sometimes called "frogbit"
> A picture on the IFAS site has also made me wonder if a particul
> was sold as sagittaria something isn't actually "Tape plant" (th
> strange common names - coon's tail for hornwort), aka Val Americ
> I feel so uninformed. Maybe I've never laid eyes on a real sag
If you can get your hands on a copy of Neil Hotchkiss "Common
Marsh, Underwater and Floating-leaved plants of the United States
and Canada"(ISBN 0-486-22810-X) There are a series of drawings of
the leaf parts of several Sagitaria and Vallisneria sp. that
should make it easier to tell them apart. If you can't find the
book, contact me E-mail, and I'll see if I can copy the pages for
you. This is one of those instances where a drawing is really
preferable to a photo!
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Subject: Propagating Java Fern
> My recently purchased Java Fern is growing many roots on the und
> the
> leaves. I've read about "mother leaves" that turn brown and cre
> babies.
> However, these leaves are quite green still. Two of the large
> have
> a very small fern growths. How can I create new plants from th
> areas?
Just leave them alone. They can handle it by themselves.<g> When
the babies have a few leaves and several roots, you can separate
them off and do what you want with them.
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Subject: Aquatic Greenhouse?
> I was thinking about setting up some tanks to grow aquatic
> plants, not as decoration, but for propagation. Seems like myse
> and my friends can never find good plants at reasonable prices
> (without driving 30 minutes away!). Anyway, anyone have any
> suggestions on setup (esp. filtration and what, if any, fish or
> critters would be benificial) for this type of setup? Especialy
> info on potting and filtration. Any ideas or suggestions for my
> little project?
I'd be interested to hear what kind of response you get. I wonder
how much of a "cottage industry" in aquarium plants there is, and
how much of it is done with this specific purpose in mind rather
than just by harvesting display tanks.
One thing to keep in mind is that most commercial growers grow the
plants emersed, because they grow faster that way, and are easier
to keep free of snails and algae.