Identification Help For My Impulse Plant Purchase

[Camillemj]

Greetings,

So I was at PetSmart the other day and fell in love with this plant attached to drift wood. It just looks right.



Now I am having second thought as I have no idea if it is an aquatic plant. Also my tank set up has mostly java fern and no CO2 or added nutrients. It's currently in my 2.5 gallon fry tank, that has a sm florescent light, and one hour natural bright sunlight,(or more if I forget to close the window shades). If it gets big I have a 30 gallon tank it can be rehomed into.

My questions are: Plant Species? Light requirements? extra nutrient requirements? How big will it get?

Thanks for helping this plant newbie

Plant in tank picture

Plant out of tank picture

 

[Camillemj]

Having found Aquatic Eden blog, I think I my plant could be:

"Mondo Grass" Ophiopogon japonicus - This is a bushy grass with dark green leaves.

Can some one confirm this?

 

[Baccus]

The leaf texture would really help in identifying, from the picture the leaves seem a little too "spongy" (thickened) to be Mondo Grass Ophiopogan japonicus but that could be due to being water logged in an aquarium. Mondo's are a lily and some may survive short term total submersion I am not sure they would survive being kept in water full time. Can you see the root structure of the pant? Or is it covered by "potting" material to keep it alive and on the log? Mondo's tend to send out runners/ rhizomes that form new plantlets. Your Picture does look more like a lily than a grass (even though Mondo is not really a grass) and the only lily (aside from water lilies and lotus) that I can think of off the top of my head that will tolerate temporary submersion is the Spider Lily (also known as Murray Lily or Darling Lily) Crimum flaccidum and these have a true bulb often very deep underground. After our recent floods in Rockhampton (QLD) the only plants to survive the total water covering (with really muddy water) was the crinums, infact they seem to love it, just not on a permanant basis. There are a few other types of Crinum found throughout Asia, South Africa and Australia. One of the Asian crinums, Crinum asiaticum can be grown as a margin plant in a pond. Hope this helps in identifying.
I am guessing where you got it from doesn't know what it is either, but maybe if they check their order records it might turn up in that with its correct name from there it should be easy to find out all its other requirements.

 

[Camillemj]

No I couldn't see the root structure, but being curious I pulled it a part and took pictures. Putting it back after.



The big scale pet store I bought it at has no idea what kind of plant it is, however their web site sells clumps of Mondo Grass for aquariums. Hense my thought it could be that.

As for texture, it feels like a thick grass, smooth on top with little hair/brisles on the back.


More plant root picture

plant with ruler for scale

Hope this helps.

Thanks again for the answer.

 

[Baccus]

Hope you didn't damage the roots to much getting it out of that fibre potting stuff (all plant roots have little hairs that help with water and nutriant up take - that's why newly planted plants wilt in the garden without water straight away the act of transplanting often damges/ knocks off these fine hairs) but since you did go to the hassel of removing the fibre (good I'm sure I read somewhere that the fibre is not good for your fish - to much like fibre glass) did the roots seem brittle and easily snapped or flexible? With the new pics it does look more like a mondo grass ( The heavey stripping of the leaf veins also help identify it as possibly being in the mondo family- remember it's technically a lily not a grass) and I am still not sure it will really like being fully submerged permanantly in a tank. Many places sell plants as water plants for the aquarium but are really just plants that like moist environments with shade, take for example Aluminium Plant - Pilea cadierei which is all too often sold as a fish tank plant but is in reality a fully terresterial plant and they usually just end up rooting off where the stem touches the tank substraite. Of late I have seen pet shops selling juvanile Bangalow palms as tank plants and again these may survive for a while in a tank but not for ever also they will quickly have their leaves/ fronds out of the top of the tank.
So going with the idea that what you have is a mondo grass I would trial it in the tank but if it starts to look as though its rotting off (this might take a while as mondos are realitively slow growing), remove it to a pot or garden where it will most likely be much happier. If you do have to remove/ rehome it I would put it in a pot with potting mix and maybe keep the pot in a shallow water dish for a bit because going from techincally a "flood" to a "desert" is really going to shock the plant, if not a shallow dish then just ensure the potting mix stays moist.
Good luck with your plant

If you want I could give you some suitable aquarium plant suggestions for what ever look you are wanting. Some plants really will depend on the actual depth of your tank and available lighting.

 

[Camillemj]

The roots were flexible and not all that healthy looking if you ask me. Most were brown and squishy. Comparing them to the Orchid's roots I grow above my fish tank they are pathetic, when I see brown and swishy on my orchid's I know the root is dying. Anyway, I'll keep the plant in the tank for while more (just like the way it looks on the drift wood) Then it is destined for a new home in a pot - a slow transition intow soil.

Thank you very much for you help.

By the way. Today I bought some Ceratophyllum demersum (Hornwort) from a the local Tropical Fishishy Shop. The Owner was very kind in giving me the scientific name of this lovely plant along with care instructions. I think it will be a much better addtion to my tiny (6" high by 6" wide by 12" long) fry tank as well as my larger 30 gallon community tank.

 

[Baccus]

Cool that you grow orchids, so do I although of late I have been neglecting them terribly. All of my orchids a few cats, dems, vandas, and phaly's are all hanging on an old clothes line underneath shade cloth in the back yard waaaaiiittttiing for the bush house to finish being made then they will mostly be getting put into logs or on depending on each plants preferance so I don't have to muck around repotting the more vigerous ones all the time.
Any way back to topic...
Great that you found a place that knows the plants they are selling by its scientific name and not just some dodgy common name, I would defiantly be getting more plants of them as you need them.
By the sounds of it the 'mondo' is already getting ready to throw its little roots to the heavens and keel over.
The 'mondo' on the timber would probably do really well potted up near your orchids, true Central Queensland is hot (sub tropical) and generally sunny but almost every time I have ever seen any mondos looking any good is when they are in shade or dappled shade instead of full balzing sun. It really does depend on the particular variety (and of course your local weather conditions) but I would give the plant a go up beside your orchids and if it still isn't happy try a brighter spot. Just remember they aren't the speediest growing plants so any improvements will be a bit slow at appearing straight away. But once it hits its straps and is happy and healthy you should end up with a really lovely healthy plant.
I recently purchased a black mondo that was nearly dead and reduced on a throw out table, since putting it where it gets a good amount of shade along with rain water run off and fish tank water (when we drop the tanks) it has gone a head in leaps and bounds and you would never suspect it was the same bedraggled almost dead plant from before.

Oh a last thought regarding the orchids as both my mum and I have ponds and orchids we both use the sludge that accumilates in the bottom of the ponds for our orchids and other plants. They seem to really enjoy the stuff and I figure because the ponds are fresh water there is little chance of getting a salt build up which can happen when using liquid sea weed solutions for fertilizing all the time. Just a possible use for all that lovely

fishy water besides going down a drain.

 

[Camillemj]

Cool that you grow orchids, so do I although of late I have been neglecting them terribly. All of my orchids a few cats, dems, vandas, and phaly's are all hanging on an old clothes line underneath shade cloth in the back yard waaaaiiittttiing for the bush house to finish being made then they will mostly be getting put into logs or on depending on each plants preferance so I don't have to muck around repotting the more vigerous ones all the time.

It being winter here in the middle of the North American Continent (literary I live few hundred kilometers south of the geological center of North America)My Orchids would love the sun you've got, however they enjoy the extra humidity above the fish tank and their weekly dose of fish water.

Any way back to topic...
Great that you found a place that knows the plants they are selling by its scientific name and not just some dodgy common name, I would defiantly be getting more plants of them as you need them.
By the sounds of it the 'mondo' is already getting ready to throw its little roots to the heavens and keel over.
The 'mondo' on the timber would probably do really well potted up near your orchids, true Central Queensland is hot (sub tropical) and generally sunny but almost every time I have ever seen any mondos looking any good is when they are in shade or dappled shade instead of full balzing sun. It really does depend on the particular variety (and of course your local weather conditions) but I would give the plant a go up beside your orchids and if it still isn't happy try a brighter spot. Just remember they aren't the speediest growing plants so any improvements will be a bit slow at appearing straight away. But once it hits its straps and is happy and healthy you should end up with a really lovely healthy plant.
I recently purchased a black mondo that was nearly dead and reduced on a throw out table, since putting it where it gets a good amount of shade along with rain water run off and fish tank water (when we drop the tanks) it has gone a head in leaps and bounds and you would never suspect it was the same bedraggled almost dead plant from before.

I'm glad to read that 'Mondo's like shade, my apartment is lucky to have a south kitchen window but I still don't have that much sun. I'm not sure it would survive a winter out doors so hopefully it enjoys a potted life. Anyway I'll definitly be shopping this other fish shop from now on. It has been fun chatting with you, thanks again for your help

Oh a last thought regarding the orchids as both my mum and I have ponds and orchids we both use the sludge that accumilates in the bottom of the ponds for our orchids and other plants. They seem to really enjoy the stuff and I figure because the ponds are fresh water there is little chance of getting a salt build up which can happen when using liquid sea weed solutions for fertilizing all the time. Just a possible use for all that lovely

fishy water besides going down a drain.

 

[catfishblues]

looks like a mondo grass to me which isn't a true aquatic plant and will eventually get moldy and the roots will rot out. it happened to me a lot of times at big chain stores until i looked it up online.