Elodea in Gravel

dsaavedra

dsaavedra

wild fish keeper
Dec 27, 2008
213
0
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elodea is really my favorite looking plant, and i have pea gravel substrate (about 1cm pebbles).

i've heard elodea is not a good plant for rooting in gravel like this.

so what do you guys think, if i were to buy some elodea, could i stick it in my gravel and would it root and spread throughout the gravel?
 
It's weird because I can grow most medium light plants, but Anacharis never grew for me. I think it's supposed to be a floating plant but some people have it in their substrate. First, I'd try it with the subtrate but if the plants look like they're doing poorly, get some of those plant holders that bend to hold the plants down.
 
i'm not positive of the difference of elodia or egeria, or if they are the same species. i have had egeria najas which grewlike CRAZY but never really stayed rooted. i've had egeria densa which stayed rooted but died (i think it likes colder water)

they are cheap plants so experimenting prob wouldnt hurt your wallet too much. if you have trouble with them floating around plant tabs would be the way to go, like chrisinator said
 
There are several plants commonly (and in two cases incorrectly) called Elodea.

Elodea canadensis - canadian pondweed. Usually used in ponds.
Egeria densa - often called "Anacharis" in the US, a name even more out of date than "Elodea" for this plant. It's been in the genus Egeria for around 40 years but aquarium shops are notoriously behind on names.
Lagarosiphon major - often used in goldfish tanks, called "Elodea crispa" by pondkeepers.

There is of course also Egeria najas - a fourth species - but that's not commonly seen.

I'd google those names to establish which plant you are actually talking about; they are quite different - different genera. This confusion is why I always insist on knowing, and use, the correct scientific name for any plant. It has a defined meaning; the common names can refer to anything.
 
KarlTh said:
There are several plants commonly (and in two cases incorrectly) called Elodea.

Elodea canadensis - canadian pondweed. Usually used in ponds.
Egeria densa - often called "Anacharis" in the US, a name even more out of date than "Elodea" for this plant. It's been in the genus Egeria for around 40 years but aquarium shops are notoriously behind on names.
Lagarosiphon major - often used in goldfish tanks, called "Elodea crispa" by pondkeepers.

There is of course also Egeria najas - a fourth species - but that's not commonly seen.

I'd google those names to establish which plant you are actually talking about; they are quite different - different genera. This confusion is why I always insist on knowing, and use, the correct scientific name for any plant. It has a defined meaning; the common names can refer to anything.
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i don't really care which plant i get, they all look the same to me, i just care will they stay rooted? i had some hornwort that would not stay in the gravel (its not supposed to, elodea i think is supposed to grow roots) and it pissed me off to no end that it would just float around in my tank.
 
thats why we were asking which one. some stay down. some dont. if you want to be sure use some weights and they'll stay down for the most part but you may end up with some strays that might float up on you.
 
I have "anacharis"...never had much luck getting it to root. Works well as a bunch plant, 4-5 stems weighted down. When it gets too long, trim it and start another bunch.
 
dang this sucks. i was really hoping it would stay down on its own.

which elodea plants will root in gravel?
 
dsaavedra said:
i don't really care which plant i get, they all look the same to me, i just care will they stay rooted? i had some hornwort that would not stay in the gravel (its not supposed to, elodea i think is supposed to grow roots) and it pissed me off to no end that it would just float around in my tank.
Click to expand...

They look very different. They are different plants. Any of them will stay rooted IME if you weight them down initially in sufficient depth of gravel, with the exception of Elodea canadensis which grows rather like Ceratophyllum ("Hornwort"). However, they are all column feeders rather than root feeders and none produce extensive root systems. When you can be several feet long and largely reproduce vegetatively you can't rely on a root system for nutrients.
 
okay you're right, i should have rephrased that, they all look good to me ;)

i had major problems with hornwort coming out of my gravel, either my fish pulling them up or the plant rotting underneath the gravel (will this happen with elodea?) and coming up, or just getting pulled up from water current from the filter.
 
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