Will Green Hygro be fine for 5-8 days in low/nearly no light?

[Zander]

I just ordered a new 3 bulb T5HO fixture for my 90 gallon tank. It won't arrive for at least 5 days, likely a little longer.

Tomorrow I'm going to be out of town in a place where Hygro isn't illegal. I want to get some for my tank, but the fixture still won't have arrived yet. I'm wondering if the Green Hygro will survive in absolute garbage lighting for a period of around a week.

The only light I have on the tank now is a laughably underpowered Top Fin CFL that came with my 10 gallon starter kit over 2 years ago. Strangely enough, the anubias and java fern seem to be doing great in this light. My amazon sword is surviving but not thriving. I didn't think a 10 gallon light on a 90 gallon tank would grow anything. So for that reason I am optimistic that the Hygro would survive a week in poor lighting.

The only type of Hygro I've kept before was Water Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis ). It did very well until I had to dark out my tank for a period of about a week to rid myself of some cynobacteria. The wisteria died, the anubias didn't.

Sorry for rambling. Basically I am wondering if Green Hygro is particularly sensitive to a lack of light for a short period, as my Water Wisteria was.

[Cermet]

Its worth a try and weather often lowers light levels in the wild a great deal for a number of days with no ill effects. That all said, I assume you mean you are going to get the plant from a stream? If so, be very careful- vast host of bacteria (some might be deadly to fish) and parasites all exist on wild plants. So a long treatment in Alum is critical.

[Lady Hobbs]

It will be fine! Plants get shipped and are in the dark for several days in a row, right?

[Goes to 11!]

It will be fine! Plants get shipped and are in the dark for several days in a row, right?
+1

It will be a non issue but I have to ask, Is there a reason you HAVE to get the plants before the light gets there?

[Zander]

It's over 100 miles away and I'm going to be there anyway later today. If I waited until the lights came then I'd have to make a special trip, and I don't own a car. It would be extremely difficult.

It's not from a stream, it's a store in another state. In my state most types of Hygro have been added to invasive species lists and aren't allowed to be purchased at retailers.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try.

[Goes to 11!]

Ah, That was not clear before.

I completely understand about the Hygro, It's indestructible in tanks. :ssmile:

I make sure to either freeze or microwave [to mush] my cuttings before I dispose of them and I encourage you to do the same

It's on the list for a reason and better safe than sorry. :22:

[Lady Hobbs]

Put them in a pail of water out in the sunshine if it's of concern.

[Zander]

Good news. Not only did my new lights arrive extremely fast, at least 2 days before the earliest I ever expected it to arrive. I ordered it on Sunday night and it arrived Wednesday morning. Pretty amazing.

But the really good news is the plant is not what I expected. It was actually the plant I wanted even more. Even though the store had it labeled as 'Green Hygro' I am very confident in saying that it is Sunset Hygro, or at the very least whatever Sunset is a slight modification of. It hasn't turned red at the tips yet but otherwise looks identical.

I tried to get Sunset Hygro for awhile but I wasn't able to find anywhere that had any, and importing it to my state is illegal.

So yeah, great news. thumbs2:

[Lady Hobbs]

http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_Hygrophila_polysperma_Rosanervig.php

It is pretty but an invasive plant so make sure it doesn't end up in your water ways. Many of the hygro variety just grow and grow like the "bad weed" that it is.