• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Growing Plants in Blackwater

OllieNZ

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2009
Messages
990
Location
Witney, UK
Hi All

Im considering rescaping my tank and love the blackwater look I was wondering which (if any) plants will grow in blackwater?
The plants I want to use are: Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Elecoharis Parvula and Nymphaea(Tiger Lotus). There will be no co2 or excell.

Thanks

Ollie
 
Hi all,
Ollie a lot of the problem with real "black water" is the extreme acidity and very low nutrient levels. Most Black water rivers don't actually have any true aquatic vegetation, just dead leaves and wood, which are very slow to degrade in these extreme conditions. If you want a real "Rio Negro" biotope you are probably going to struggle to find S. American plants, although Echinodorus species would naturally grow in the flooded forest, which would become a black water lake for some part of the year. Wit enough light some species of Cabomba and Myriophyllum will also grow well.

If you are not so bothered by provenance and just want plants that will grow there is more of a range. Other than plants like Vallisneria and Ceratophyllum most plants will grow even at very low pH and nutrient levels, but they will mainly have low growth rates.

I would think all 3 of your choices will grow, although for example Eleocharis acicularis likes hard water. Other plants that I've grown in acid water are Anubias, most mosses and ferns, many other Cryptocorynes <http://www.xs4all.nl/~crypts/Cryptocoryne/>, Heteranthera, Isoetes, Utricularia gibba and Blyxa.

Although I'm sure people will add many more.

cheers Darrel
 
Thanks Darrel
Im looking for asian/SE asian plants. My problem is I dont know much about different types of plants and their origins :oops: the 3 I've listed and other crypts are the only types I can find from the area.
Thanks for the link Samc

Thanks

Ollie
 
Back
Top