Spending some quality time at your aquarium would be a great idea. You can take some time off and exert your youthful energy in caring for those organisms. Sounds fun, right? Adding a new plant would be the right step to get started. In this write-up, I will be telling you about water wisteria for aquariums.
The aquarium holds various purposes, and it is pretty essential to make the most out of it. Many folks would love to have some stem plants in their aquarium but are unsure of the right plant to use. While there are various options, water wisteria would be a great option. It enhances the water quality and inhibits the growth of algae.
Is Water wisteria Right for You?
Do you find your aquarium looking less attractive with only fishes in it? If there are fewer plants, but you want something better. Well, you can consider planting water wisteria, as they have excellent growth features. Not only are these plants attractive but undemanding and seem pretty hardy.
The cuttings from water wisteria can birth a new plant. You can get a water wisteria carpet as your aquarium’s background with matured leaves. This plant utilizes fish waste, organic debris, and uneaten fish food for its growth. Thus, it creates a conducive environment for the fishes in the tank. It also encourages fishes to spawn.
You can visit stores where there is water wisteria for sale and get started for planting. They would create better aesthetics and attract the attention of your friends when they come to visit. Such a plant would also do the fishes well, and you can go about other activities with a sense of fulfillment.
What is Water wisteria?
Hygrophila difformis, commonly known as water wisteria, is an excellent aquatic plant. It is pretty famous for its fast-growing nature and capabilities for controlling nitrites, ammonia, and nitrates. This plant’s size is quite fascinating, and it can work well for providing shelter for fishes. It can grow big, reaching heights of 20 inches and extending about 10 inches across.
The leaves have a light green color appearance. When submersed, the leaves appear deeply notched and slender and appear small, hairy, and serrated when emersed. This plant is indigenous to India, Nepal, and Bangladesh and is famously known for invading rice patties. With its invasive nature, aquarium owners must dispose of the plant materials properly.
Are you wondering how large it would look like? Well, it can grow large enough to fill a “20-gallon tank.” Still, you can manage them to grow lesser, and do so with ease. As a hardy beginner, this plant would indeed appear great in a spot there in your aquarium.
There is no need for getting some CO2 supplementation for this plant, and it does not necessarily need high lighting. However, if you desire the “forked” appearance, you should try to supply this plant with optimum light, as it doesn’t display such in low lighting.
Supplementations such as Nitrogen, Seachem Flourish, and Flourish Excel would prove to be pretty beneficial. If you seek an excellent shelter for your fry, you should consider planting water wisteria in your pond.
Uses and Placement of Water wisteria
The rapidly growing nature of water wisteria can make it pretty suitable for more enormous aquariums. Its extensive foliage would serve as an appropriate aquarium background and carpet the foreground when placed sideways. For smaller aquariums, I would advise that you ensure you prune the plant regularly.
Water wisteria is lovely and mainly employed for the aquarium’s background. Here, it towers over the other plants present in the tank. Similarly, you can grow it in clusters or thickets to serve as a foreground plant
One of the favorite options for aquarists is creating a carpet. They do this by flipping the plant sideways instead of placing it vertically. The stems get partially buried, and you would have that carpeted look in your aquarium.
You can allow your water wisteria to float rather than planting it. I can bet that such action would add a unique appearance to your aquarium. Kindly note that you have to keep the plant tidy as it floats and ensure there is room for sunlight to reach other plants.
How to Plant Water wisteria in Your Aquarium
One of the major issues people face is how to plant and propagate water wisteria. Nevertheless, I would be revealing the best way to plant water wisteria in your aquarium. You would also gain insights on how to care for water wisteria. To help you get started, you should know that this plant species requires a nutrient-rich substrate.
There are various planting options when it comes to this plant. You can have your water wisteria rooted and emersed in the substrate. Bury the cuttings into your sandy substrate (about an inch deep of two inches).
Cramming the plants can be pretty bad for them; hence, you need to create plenty of rooms. Ensure there is sufficient space between each to allow them to have less competition for light and nutrients.
However, it would help if you take note of the following water wisteria Tank Requirements:
- Lighting: it is essential to provide the plant with optimal and consistent light throughout the year. Twelve hours of sunlight per day would work well for most natural aquariums.
- Temperature: the water temperature should be around 72 degrees F. to 82 degrees F.
- pH: Water wisteria would thrive in a water pH of 6.5 to 7.5.
- Other plants: when introducing new species in a tank containing water wisteria, you may need to prune regularly. Such action would allow the new plant to get sufficient light and have access to nutrients.
- Fertilizer: I would advise that you read the manufacturer’s instructions for the fertilizers before their application.
- Fishes: the bigger fishes often uproot aquatic plants, and planting your water wisteria would be of no use. So, smaller fishes would be great, and the plant can shelter them. Kindly note that water wisteria would not be the right option for a Goldfish tank.
- Tank placement: ensure that your aquarium is not situated directly under intense sunlight. This plant requires optimum and not excessive sunlight.
If you are keen on knowing how to propagate water wisteria, you should look at this:
Stem cuttings and leaf cuttings work best for water wisteria propagation. You would be needing the cuttings situated close to the base of the already growing plant (mother plant). Alternatively, you can make use of the plantlets for the propagation of this plant.
How to Care for Water Wisteria
It would be pretty beneficial for folks who are new to water wisteria to know that the plant requires easy care. So you should not freight about the plant’s maintenance, as it wouldn’t take much of your time. For folks who have a busy schedule, maintaining water wisteria isn’t time-consuming.
However, you must test the water quality weekly. Ensure regular water changing schedules, remove waste products, excessive nitrates, and prevent undesirable nutrient accumulation.
If you are contemplating getting some fertilizers, it would interest you to know these species can survive without fertilizers. Applying some fertilizers would be a great start, but water wisteria is already a fast-growing plant.
Hence, it is in their nature to proliferate. This feature also comes in handy for folks thinking of tackling those algae in their aquarium. You can rest assured that the water wisteria you planted would fight off the algae growing in the tank. So, instead of investing further in potential solutions to get weeds away, you can invest in those colorful dresses you’ve always admired.
Sounds interesting, right?
As water wisteria floats, they take over the tank’s top and prevent sunlight from passing through. So, algae do not get sufficient sunlight for them to thrive. Still, this may seem quite disturbing if you have other plants propagated. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want them to get choked.
In such a case, proper trimmings would do. You can thin the water wisteria regularly to allow other plants to grow. It is pretty crucial to know how to trim water wisteria and ensure you do it right;
- You should start off at the base of the plant stem.
- Get your pruning shears or hedge clippers and remove any plant growth exceeding five inches.
- Try to look out for rots of brown discolorations on the leaves and cut off the affected leaves.
An adequately fertilized plant would yield good results. So, you should look out for fertilizers rich in phosphate, nitrogen, and iron. Since this plant’s leaves break off frequently, it would be best if you keep to a good maintenance routine.
Your aquarium should be safe for your fishes and serve as a point of attraction for your home parties and visitations. So, you can dispose of the excessive plant material to make it look clean and tidy. You should also try to work on the gangly-forming roots and make them appear better.
Common Issues with Water wisteria
When you decide to plant water wisteria in your aquarium, it will help to know the common problems associated with the plant. Such knowledge can also be of great help in ensuring you avoid significant issues. These column feeders can have some issues depending on the soil’s nutrients. Some common water wisteria problems include:
- They Grow Rapidly
Who doesn’t want their plants to grow fast? Everyone fancies rapid growth for their plant, but this might appear as a problem for aquarium owners with water wisteria. While nutrient supply and trimming seem like a regular care routine, it might become relatively often with water wisteria. These fast-growing plant species might cause some serious issues for local water channels.
Hence, they are termed invasive species and can start choking other plants. However, aquarium owners would ensure that they create a frequent maintenance routine. Trimming of the plants and disposal should be more frequent, and folks would have to change the water.
- They Clog the Aquarium Filter
The filters for your aquarium are constructed in a way that larger particles cannot pass through. Hence, it gets clogged when in contact with many large particles, such as the floating plant parts. When the aquarium holds rapidly multiplying plants, there are greater chances of the filter getting clogged.
So, the plant starts shedding off its part and decomposing, turning into particulate matter. At the end of the day, all these particles float and make their way to the aquarium filter. Whether it is a sponge, sump, or canister filter type, you would need regular maintenance to keep it unclogged.
- Pale Colored Leaves
When you start noticing your water wisteria plant having dull-colored leaves, it may be due to poor lighting. So, you should try to provide optimum light, and that should solve that issue.
- Excessive Plant Debris
For most neat freaks, excessive plant debris in the water tank can cause an eyesore. However, this might not be a severe problem for those who have snails in their aquarium. Your shrimplets and fry would benefit greatly, as they munch from the decomposing plant matter. Aside from that, you might keep noticing messy appearances. In turn, this might cause some issues regarding the water quality.
- Melting
This issue is pretty common among various aquatic plants. I must tell you that you would notice it soon, as many of them grow above water. Nevertheless, the dying plant part can give life to new plants before it starts rotting. So, you can get the dying plant part cut off and propagate a new plant before you start noticing it rot.
Conclusion
The excellent and attractive water wisteria plant has incredible features that can liven up various aquariums. It is among the favorite plants of aquarists, as it seems pretty hardy and easy to maintain. If properly cared for, water wisteria for aquariums can give off a vibrant decoration. Nevertheless, this article would help you with helpful insights on how to plant and manage your water wisteria.
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