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Re: Ceratopteris



Karen wrote

>I _will_ tell you what the 3 types I've worked with look like.  _None_ have
been as broad leafed as that shown as C. pteroides in Rataj, and as C.
>pteridioides in Baensch.  It is my understanding that this plant does _not_
do well planted and submerged... that it is a true floater.  Anyone with
>personal experience on this plant?  

I have had the "broad" leaf Ceratopterus which looks a little like the
picture on p. 122 of Rataj. It's leaves get very large and are quite
fleshy. I never grew this plant in the substrate and can't comment on
whether or not it does well there. As I recall, the stems are so firm, that
they would break if one tried to bend them in order to get it planted. It
might be interesting to see what would happen if one merely put the roots
under the substrate in shallow water, weighted them down to keep the plant
from trying to float up, and then gradually raising the water level to see
what would happen. I no longer have it.... it got too large for my taste...
As far as I know, it is still commonly available among the members of the
Potamic Valley Aquarium Society (DC-VA).

I have the "variety" of Ceratopterus that Rataj calls thalicroides on page
120 and 123. Both are shown planted. Page 123 is a floater recently placed
in the substrate. Page 120 shows what it turns into.

>The photo of this plant in the Kasselmann book shows emersed growth, so is
not representative of what we usually see in the aquarium.

This picture is what my plants look like when it is allowed to grow in an
open aquarium. There you can get both floating and emersed leaves.