Anacharis keeps dying. Are there other fast growing plants that fill that niche?

[vanalisa]

As do most of the hygrophila species. I have 3 different types across 4 tanks. No idea why it took me so long to discover them

I thought it was hard to grow.
However, I am very very low tech.

 

[CassCats]

I have mine just green in normal lighting but it grows like 2 inches a week. But fantastic plant. I, too, dont know why i never got this plant before either. Just liquid ferts used, but may not even be necessary unless you notice deficiencies.

@Irksome

 

[Salty&Onion]

I have mine just green in normal lighting but it grows like 2 inches a week. But fantastic plant. I, too, dont know why i never got this plant before either. Just liquid ferts used, but may not even be necessary unless you notice deficiencies.

@Irksome

It also should do great in hard water too then?

 

[Irksome]

I have no clue why you cant grow them. Anancharis is one of the hardest plants I have ever kept/grown. My pH is 7.4 - 7.6.

How many hours a day do you leave the lights on for? Do you have the ends buried in the substrate?

The ends are buried and the lighting is on for 6-8 hours, this time of year a bit of direct sunlight light gets to the tank if I forget to throw a blanket over it.

 

[Irksome]

So my list of possibilities now includes:
Water sprite
Hornwort
Cabomba
Hygrophila species
Pygmy chain sword
Pennywort

Thankyou for these suggestions everyone. I will start researching suppliers.

 

[FishGuest5123]

If you use Excel it will melt anacharis.

 

[JuiceBox52]

If you use Excel it will melt anacharis.

Really? That's interesting. Why?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Really? That's interesting. Why?

Because Anacharis is sensitive to aldehydes. (And Excel contains aldehydes)

 

[Metalhead88]

I have soft water (5dH) and anacharis is by far the easiest plant I've ever grown.

It will grow fairly fast with no ferts, but with a half dose of flourish every week, I take off about 4 inches of each planted stem per week as it has began to curve over the surface.

I pulled out some stems that I had floating a few weeks ago to give some to a friend, and realized most were about 4 ft long!!

 

[Byron]

Some plants are highly sensitive to glutaraldehyde, the ingredient in Excel (also in API's CO2 Booster, and some European "liquid carbon" supplements). Vallisneria is another group of plants that frequently melt when these products are used. I have never researched into why, but glutaraldehyde being an aldehyde, now we know.

If the products are overdosed, they can kill plants, fish and bacteria. Members have reported skin burns. And yet Seachem and API say these are "safe for fish." This from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:

Glutaraldehyde is used for a number of applications:

• disinfectant for surgical instruments that cannot be heat sterilized
• A cross-linking and tanning agent
• A biocide in metalworking fluids and in oil and gas pipelines
• An antimicrobial in water-treatment systems
• A slimicide in paper manufacturing
• A preservative in cosmetics
• A disinfectant in animal housing
• A tissue fixative in histology and pathology labs
• A hardening agent in the development of X-rays
• In embalming solutions
• In the preparation of grafts and bioprostheses
• In various clinical applications

Exposure to glutaraldehyde may cause the following symptoms: throat and lung irritation, asthma and difficulty breathing, dermatitis, nasal irritation, sneezing, wheezing, burning eyes, and conjunctivitis. Workers may be harmed from exposure to glutaraldehyde. Workers can be exposed to glutaraldehyde through inhalation or skin contact. The level of exposure depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done.

 

[StevenF]

Some thoughts
The sand substrate is smothering the roots
Not enough circilation
Water too warm

It didn't melt at 76 F water temperature of my aquarium.
It is not likely root smothering since it will send IT is often found in rivers and lakes floating on the surface
And really doesn't care about circulation.
When it was doing well in my tank it would grow about 1 foot a week.
Don't use liquid CO2 products This plant is damaged by them.

I pulled it out of my aquarium a some time ago. Since then it has been classified as an invasive species. And now when I want it I cannot get it.

Like all plants it needs nutrients to grow wll when all nutrients it needs are in the water it grows very fast. However many fertilizer are short or omit some nutrients. Calcium and copper and zinc for example. In my RO water tank In my RO water tank I have to add calcium and magnesium. Otherwise nothing grows. Because most fertilizer don't have calcium. Even Flourish comprehensive doesn't have enough calcium even though it is on the label. Flourish also list copper on the label but if you follow their dosing recomendation you get less than 0.001ppm of copper. Plants need about 0.006 to 0.10ppm of copper to do well. I stopped buying fertilizers a couple of years ago of because of all the problem I had and now make my own fertilizer. Most fertilizer have minimal to no calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and chloride because tap water typically (but not always) has a lot. With RO water or very soft water you don't have these nutrients.

So overall in my experience it is a weed. And if you cannot grow it you likely don't have enough nutrients in the water for it.

 

[vanalisa]

It didn't melt at 76 F water temperature of my aquarium.
It is not likely root smothering since it will send IT is often found in rivers and lakes floating on the surface
And really doesn't care about circulation.
When it was doing well in my tank it would grow about 1 foot a week.
Don't use liquid CO2 products This plant is damaged by them.

I pulled it out of my aquarium a some time ago. Since then it has been classified as an invasive species. And now when I want it I cannot get it.

Like all plants it needs nutrients to grow wll when all nutrients it needs are in the water it grows very fast. However many fertilizer are short or omit some nutrients. Calcium and copper and zinc for example. In my RO water tank In my RO water tank I have to add calcium and magnesium. Otherwise nothing grows. Because most fertilizer don't have calcium. Even Flourish comprehensive doesn't have enough calcium even though it is on the label. Flourish also list copper on the label but if you follow their dosing recomendation you get less than 0.001ppm of copper. Plants need about 0.006 to 0.10ppm of copper to do well. I stopped buying fertilizers a couple of years ago of because of all the problem I had and now make my own fertilizer. Most fertilizer have minimal to no calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and chloride because tap water typically (but not always) has a lot. With RO water or very soft water you don't have these nutrients.

So overall in my experience it is a weed. And if you cannot grow it you likely don't have enough nutrients in the water for it.

I just float mine or tuck it between rocks, wood, etc. I keep my lights on a bit longer than mentioned, and since they end up growing they also get near to the light.

I didn't understand what you meant about the roots in your post, but they are thin and and I dont imagine they can root well planted in sand.
I have never used sand substrate, though.
I do have to nip the bottom ends occasionally when they get weak or wilted.
I don't use ferts.

 

[Derekshatch]

Ya I have also had alot of trouble keeping anacharis alive but I just realized that when I just started my tank I had no trouble growing it but after about a month I started to use ferts and the anacharis died. But I have some hygrophila that is red but I got it from a river that was realley deep so I am wondering how it got enough light to turn that color.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

So my list of possibilities now includes:
Water sprite
Hornwort
Cabomba
Hygrophila species
Pygmy chain sword
Pennywort

Thankyou for these suggestions everyone. I will start researching suppliers.

I think among all the plants, Cabomba is the most beautiful...
Its fine leaves are so beautiful...
But some fish may eat it...

 

[Barry Tetra]

I have my Anacharis in my very soft water tank and have no problems with it, maybe it was from the natural river.