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Plants during the winter


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#1 strat guy

strat guy
  • NANFA Guest
  • Orland Park, IL

Posted 19 May 2015 - 08:24 PM

Anybody with planted tanks have issues with plants shedding their leaves during the winter? This coming winter will be the first time I'll be overwintering natives, and I would think it would be best to leave heaters off and let the tank cool. It would only get to about 65 at the lowest I would think, but I'm not sure if the species I have would shed their leaves if I did that. I don't want the mess, but I'm more worried about the plants dying from losing their leaves and potentially not having the energy to pop back if the temps raise at all. Species are in my sig. Thanks.


120 low tech native planted - Blackstriped Topminnow, Central Stoneroller, Fathead minnow, Golden Shiner, Black chin shiner, Carmine Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Orangethroat darter, Johnny Darter, and Banded Darter.


#2 swampfish

swampfish
  • NANFA Member

Posted 20 May 2015 - 01:33 PM

Most of my aquaria are in my basement where cold-water native fish, goldfish, and cold-water "tropical" fish including rosy barbs, celestial danios, and Vietnamese white clouds are kept in unheated tanks. Winter temperatures in my basement typically drop to 58 degrees F and dropped to 53 degrees F during the particularly cold winter of 2013-2014. The following plants survive those conditions without any apparent ill effects including browning leaves or leaf drop: Elodea, Egeria, Anubias barteri, Amazon Swordplant, Najas, Cryptocoryne usteriana, Java Moss, Hornwort, Sagitaria subulata, Italian Vallisneria, American Vallisneria. Of the above, Elodea, Hornwort, Sagitaria, and American Vallisneria are native to temperate N.A. I have kept extra hornwort from summer stock tanks in shallow tubs outdoors through the fall to sell in October and January fish club auctions. These tubs typically get surface ice and at least once the hornwort was frozen in the ice. In all cases, the hornwort stayed green with no leaf drop.

 

Phil Nixon

Central Illinois



#3 strat guy

strat guy
  • NANFA Guest
  • Orland Park, IL

Posted 20 May 2015 - 07:57 PM

Good to hear. I'm more worried about the sword more than anything. Good to know its fairly hardy.


120 low tech native planted - Blackstriped Topminnow, Central Stoneroller, Fathead minnow, Golden Shiner, Black chin shiner, Carmine Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Orangethroat darter, Johnny Darter, and Banded Darter.


#4 mattknepley

mattknepley
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  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 20 May 2015 - 08:14 PM

We certainly don't get IL calibre winters here in SC, but my outdoor stock pond froze a good four inches deep this past winter. The hornwort and Java moss rode it out just fine.
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."




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