Many lovers of domestic fish try to beautifully equip their dwelling, using for this aquarium plant Elodea. It refers to the family of water-flowers and is considered one of the most popular aquatic plants. Due to the accelerated growth and the ability to densely fill the water tank, this plant is called a water plague.
Elodea Description
The stems of the aquatic plant of the Elodei are long, cord-like and fragile. Stems, covered with whorls of leaves, branch strongly and often grow very long. The leaves of the plant are transparent bright green and have an oblong shape. The old stems of the Elodei have a dark shade. Due to its unpretentiousness this plant is suitable for beginning aquarists. Elodea in the aquarium grows very quickly. It has many useful properties:
- protects fry and live-bearing fish from other, more aggressive aquatic inhabitants;
- Used as a feeding for angelfish or goldfish;
- purifies the aquarium by playing the role of a kind of filter and collecting the suspended matter in the water;
- provides aeration of the aquarium ;
- sanitizes the aquatic environment of the container and does not allow it to develop in harmful unicellular organisms;
- absorbing nutrients from the water, prevents the appearance of unwanted algae in the tank;
- decorates the aquarium.
Elodea - Species
In aquarium farming, two main varieties of the aquatic Elodea are used: Elodia crenate and Canadian. They have a similar liano-like structure of stalks, long bright green leaves. These plants have an amazing ability to grow rapidly, they are unpretentious and care for them is simple. However, for all their similarity, these types of aquarium elodei also have some differences.
Elodea cogwheel
From South America, the genus Elodensa is leafy or dentate. Therefore, this aquatic plant is able to withstand high water temperatures, while other types of water plague from this may die. Toothed elodea has hard stems on which dense bright green leaves with serrated edges grow. The plant can change its appearance depending on the habitat.
To grow this plant, it must be provided with sufficient lighting and a suitable temperature. In the presence of bright light, leafy Elodea produces a large amount of oxygen, which is very useful for the underwater world of the aquarium. Under appropriate conditions, an aquatic plant elodey dentate can blossom in an aquarium. White flowers on a thin long leg blossom above the surface of the water.
Elodea Canadian
The native land of this plant is North America. Elodea is Canadian or anacharis, as it is also called - a very common aquarium plant. It is well suited for cold water aquariums and can easily withstand the reduction of water temperature up to + 12 ° С. The plant likes bright lighting, but can withstand moderate shading. The peculiarity of the Canadian Elodie is that if the temperature of the water in the aquarium is significantly reduced, its stems fall to the bottom and are in this condition until the conditions of the contents change.
Elodea - maintenance and care
Elodea is a freshwater plant. It grows well in any container, however, in an aquarium with salty sea water the plant will die. Eliminate does not require special care. The water temperature should be maintained in the range from + 14 ° C to + 25 ° C. Rigidity and acidity of water for plants are not important. However, it should be remembered that these conditions should not change too drastically, as this can adversely affect the growth of the water plague.
Since elodea grows very quickly, it can soon fill the entire space of the aquarium. Green plants decorate the house for fish very much, however, when thickets become too thick, they should be periodically cut and cut. To do this, the plant must be removed from the container, since the juice of the Elodea contains poison, which can kill both fish and all the remaining aquatic life of the aquarium.
Elodea - how to put in an aquarium?
Water elodea in the aquarium can grow without rooting, just swimming in the water. You can plant her stems in the ground. Well, if it's a big river sand. If you bought a plant in cotton wool, then before you lower it into the aquarium, you have to remove the cotton wool and thoroughly wash the roots, if any, and only then you can proceed to planting. Taking a pair of tweezers for the edge of the elodey stem, it is necessary to gently cut it into the ground. You can pinch the plant with a pebble on top. Such floating on the surface of the aquarium plants should be planted near its rear wall.
Elodea - reproduction
The aquarium plant of the elodea multiplies very easily by the cuttings of the stem. It is better to take root in a new place a stem about 20 cm long. It should be placed in an aquarium. After a while, he will have thin white roots, and then the elodeyu can be rooted in the ground or leave it to grow further, just floating in the water. Soon the elodey in the aquarium will grow and become a bright ornament for the fish house.