Please Help ID This Plant

**elGatoNegro63** · 11-20-2007, 04:46 PM

I love having live plants in my aquarium. It goes with my philosophy of trying to keep my tank as natural as possible. However, with the exception of perhaps the Val. plant...I really don't know much about plants (what a shame). A couple of months ago, I had purchased some live plants from my local pet super store. Unfortunately, I didn't notate the names of the plants.

I now have this plant (see picture below) that is growing very large. Because I don't know the name of this plant (common or official); I cannot do any research on it. The plant shown in the picture is actually only one plant. I have pushed different segments of the plant in the gravel to hold it down...but I don't know If I should have done this. Previously, I had just let the complete plant float on the surface. It is probably at least three (3) feet long.

My first question is: can anyone tell me what kind of plant (name) this is? Secondly, will my burying the different segments of the plant hurt it in any way? Also, can I prune it (cut) into seperate plants? I have not experienced quite the success with plants as I have with fish. I want to learn more about them, so that I can manage a better, more natural enviornment for all of my aquatic friends.

Making their Internet Debut
Forground: (1) Male & (2) Female Pinapple Swordtails; (1) Male Blue Gourami
Background: (1) Pleco (behind the plant)

**country_boy454** · 11-20-2007, 05:11 PM

We are no experts at this but maybe it is Ceratophyllum submersum (hornwort).
Here is a aquatic plant website: http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=51

**elGatoNegro63** · 11-20-2007, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by country_boy454

We are no experts at this but maybe it is Ceratophyllum submersum (hornwort).
Here is a aquatic plant website: http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=51

Thank you very much for your reply. That definately looks like my guy. I will try to remember that name. I guess I am going to need to get a aquatic plant reference book. I had one once, but I cannot find it now.

**country_boy454** · 11-20-2007, 09:24 PM

We have "Aquarium Plant Paradise" and "Encyclopedia of Aquariums Plants" on my computer and they are both really good! We are trying to get as much knowledge out of these as we can and apply them to our planted 29 gallon.

**richberstler** · 11-20-2007, 10:36 PM

I just picked up Hornwort tonight and it looks the same as your pic. It doesn't root, but it will attach itself to anything in your tank. I can send you all the information I have on it if you PM me your email address, I have a spreadsheet of all the "easy" plants I've been looking into.