Mixed feelings about Hornwort

Blaxicanlatino

I want to buy Hornwort for my 10 gallon tank with 1 betta, and soon to be platys but ive heard some negative things about it. I heard that it changes the ph, it sheds like crazy, makes a mess out of the tank, ya cant plant it in the gravel, etc.

sooo should I get it? What do yall think?

fish_4_all

I will never use it again. Messy if it dies off at all and I ofund it hard to keep the whole plant alive.

Elodea is a better opton IMHO.

Oldman47

I have quite a bit of it and if I didn't need the cover for my livebearer fry it would be gone. It takes some maintenance to keep the exploded christmas tree look away from the tank bottom. It constantly sheds leaves that need vacuuming at least weekly but it keeps growing and protecting my fry. For me its a trade off but I'm considering putting fry protection duties into the hands of only my Java Moss.

Jasey

I have Hornwort floating in my 10 gallon tank. It grows really, really well in there because it is close to the bright light floating on top. I think it adds some nice cover and security to the top of the tank. As far as shedding, if you rinse it well in dechlorinated water before adding it to the tank, you can get most of the loose needles off. I did that and have never had a major shedding problem. There will be a few that settle down in the substrate every once in a while, but that's it.

herefishy

+1 for elodea.

okiemavis

I too have sworn off Hornwort. SUCH A PAIN IN THE BUTT! It's just messy, annoying, easily dislodged from wherever and it's really prickly, I hated putting my hand in the tank and feeling it.

Elodea is great. So is Java Moss and water lettuce.

Thaliesin

I too had major problems with this plant. It was very pretty when I bought it. 2 days later every single needle fell off, it was a major mess. All that was left was the skeletal vine. I was told it was due to my water having a neuteral Ph. I just bought a bunch of Elodea yesterday it is simialar and I've heard it's easy to care for. It also goes by the name Egeria najas. Another good one is Anachris aka Egeria densa but it's illegal now in a lot of states, but not in all

iam_koi

actually, i think this would really depend on what setup that you have for this plant.. i have Hornwort, its actually healthy, it gets 2-3 hours of direct sunlight..it helps sucks out excess nutrients therefore lessen the chances of algae bloom.
usually, breeder use this for fry protection..
and yes, it is a floater like riccia.

iamntbatman

All the negativity! I love my Hornwort! I bought a single bunch of it for $2.99 and it has since supplied the entire 20g it was put into, a second 20g, and a 5g with tons of the stuff. I've never used any CO2, fertilizer, or special lighting. I just keep the lights on about 14 hours a day or so. If your gravel is even moderately thick, you can effectively plant it. My mystery snails sometimes uproot it, but it's easily replanted. It *will* float if unanchored, so you can also sort of wrap it around driftwood or under logs for a good look. It also makes great floating cover.

I've never had the needle shedding problem. When I'm doing my weekly tank maintainence, I simply pluck off the stems that are losing some of their bright green color. That way, there are never any dying pieces to start shedding in the first place.

jmelissa82

When I bought this stuff I absolutely loved it. He grew very fast without mr having to do anything to it, no special lights nothing. The new growth was this goregous green, and whithin a week it was floating at the surface, making a nice cover. However a week or two later, and the pines where falling off everywhere. They were on the floor of my tank, floating around in the water. And I couldn't believe how messy it was. I'm still trying to get all the needles out. I find tem floating around once in a while and in my filter, and mind u I removed the plant a week ago so I don't know where its coming from. I know one thing for sure is I will never ever put it in any of my tanks again. I've seen that Guppy grass has a similiar look. But I've never owned it, so does anyone have any input on that?