Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Coontail

Started by Guest_dsaavedra_* , Jun 12 2009 04:37 PM

Next

Please log in to reply

20 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 04:37 PM

i found a lot of coontail in my creek and i'd like to put some in my tank to give it a more natural look.

from what i've read, coontail is rootless and free floating, and reproduces from fragmentation and seeds.

what would be the best way to get this stuff established in a 55gal tank with gravel substrate?

also, with live plants like this, how do you vaccuum the gravel? because how it is right now, i can dig the siphon into the gravel to thoroughly clean it, but with live plants, wouldn't this mess them up?

Back to top

#2 Guest_schambers_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 04:55 PM

Coontail grows best for me free floating. Any part of it you put under the substrate will rot. Sometimes I put a plant weight around it to sink part of it to the bottom, then it grows up towards the surface.

You're right, you can't vacuum the gravel in a planted tank. I was worried about that when I started using live plants. I was used to cleaning the gravel really well with each water change. Just gently clean the surface of the substrate around the plants. Mulm is just more plant food! :wink:

Back to top

#3 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 05:10 PM

so if i was to just toss a bunch of coontail in there, what could i expect? would it all just float around the surface?

i'd really like it anchored at the bottom and having the plant grow to the surface, like it is in the creek. how should i anchor it?

Back to top

#4 Guest_Newt_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 06:40 PM

You can tie a weight to the plant to sink it. Just be careful to use aquarium-safe materials. Stainless steel should be fine; those lead-free fishing weights would work too. You could also use non-metallic weights such as a piece of stone or glass.

Another option is to tie the plant to an existing decoration in the tank, such as a piece of driftwood.

Back to top

#5 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 06:52 PM

what will it look like if i don't weight it down?

why does the plant rot if i anchor it in the gravel...no light?

Back to top

#6 Guest_schambers_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 09:14 PM

It will float if not anchored down. If you do anchor it down, only the part near the surface will grow. At least that's been my experience.

Back to top

#7 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 12 June 2009 - 09:17 PM

since it is free floating, is this stuff eventually going to make its way to my filter intake and clog it?

Back to top

#8 Guest_schambers_*

Guests

Posted 14 June 2009 - 11:47 AM

I've never had a problem with it doing that. All my filter intakes are towards the bottom of the tank, and coontail/hornwort grows up. If it's happy, you'll eventually have to pull some out of the tank so it doesn't cover the surface.

Back to top

#9 Guest_UncleWillie_*

Guests

Posted 14 June 2009 - 07:48 PM

I agree with what everyone has said so far. It is a great plant, and can easily get out of control. I have tried hooking it on driftwood and whatnot, but eventually let it float in one giant mass. I have noticed it grows much faster and thicker this way.

since it is free floating, is this stuff eventually going to make its way to my filter intake and clog it?

Just be careful with BIG water changes. In my experience, drastic changes in water chemistry/temp with cause this plant to 'melt' If it does, you will have a big mess on your hands. When moving it from the the wild to the tank, or from tank to tank, just acclimate slowly - as you would a fish.

Back to top

#10 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 15 June 2009 - 02:28 PM

i put a bunch of this in my tank today.

i anchored a lot of it in the gravel and left one big mat up top. my sunfish REALLY seem to like this. stuff. they're swimming through it and picking all the little bugs and critters out of it lol.

it was really messy when i first turned the filter on, lots of plant fragments and such floating around, but things seem to have settled down now.

i really like the way this looks. its much better than my old plastic plants!

Posted Image

Edited by dsaavedra, 15 June 2009 - 02:42 PM.

Back to top

#11 Guest_Newt_*

Guests

Posted 15 June 2009 - 07:03 PM

Looks good! When Ceratophyllum is happy it grows shockingly fast, so be prepared for some pruning.

Back to top

#12 Guest_schambers_*

Guests

Posted 15 June 2009 - 09:58 PM

That looks great! I LOVE that wood! That's a great looking tank.

Back to top

#13 Guest_BTDarters_*

Guests

Posted 15 June 2009 - 10:01 PM

That looks great, Dave! Excellent aquascaping!

Brian

Back to top

#14 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 16 June 2009 - 11:50 AM

thanks guys.

a lot of the plants have come out of the gravel and are just floating around up top. it looks alright i guess. its too bad this stuff doesn't like to be anchored in the gravel...

Back to top

#15 Guest_schambers_*

Guests

Posted 16 June 2009 - 12:02 PM

Try a plant weight in the middle of the stem. You'll still have to keep re-doing it, but it will last two or three weeks.

Back to top

#16 Guest_diburning_*

Guests

Posted 26 June 2009 - 04:21 PM

I've collected coontail from a pond before and they were anchored in the substrate in the shallows.

Back to top

#17 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 27 June 2009 - 02:42 PM

i officially HATE this plant lol.

its soooooo messy and unorganized and it just looks like crap. i think i'm going to take it out and get some elodea to have anchored in the gravel.

Back to top

#18 Guest_gzeiger_*

Guests

Posted 28 June 2009 - 11:33 PM

I thought Elodea was the ugliest crappiest plant in the world :unsure:

I hate Ceratophyllum too, but Elodea just grows on up to the surface at about an inch a day, then drops all the submerged leaves and turns into an unattractive duckweed substitute on the surface where it grows much faster.

Back to top

#19 Guest_gerald_*

Guests

Posted 29 June 2009 - 03:56 PM

Coontail just falls apart in my soft water. In harder water its a very easy plant. I recently found some REAL Elodea in a local pond, E. canadensis i think (not Egeria densa, the stuff usually sold as Elodea or Anacharis). Elodea has much smaller stems and leaves than Egeria, and mostly 3 leaves per whorl. (vs Mostly 4 or more leaves per whorl in Egeria, and mostly 5 in Hydrilla). Will see how well it does for me.

Back to top

#20 Guest_dsaavedra_*

Guests

Posted 02 July 2009 - 09:12 PM

i like the look of elodea just fine, and its a much less fragile plant than this coontail, and if it will stay anchored in the gravel and eventually spread throughout the tank, it will work just fine for me.