# Fast-spreading plant species?



## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

Does anyone have suggestions for fast-spreading fresh water plant species? Basically, I would like to only have to buy a couple of plants and place them in a dedicated aquarium. After a reasonably short amount of time, they would spread and could be used to plant all my other aquariums. Specifically, I am looking for three basic types of plants:

1) A floating mossy or grassy plant that doesn't need to be rooted, and stays floating near the surface of the water.

2) A short rooted plant with broad leaves that spreads through bulbs or tubulars under the gravel.

3) A tall, rooted plant with smallish leaves that extends the total height of a normal 55 gallon tank, and spreads either through the root system or by breaking off pieces and rooting them.

I have seen numerous species of plants that fit into each of the above categories, but I am specifically looking for those that spread very quickly and can be used to plant a lot of aquariums in a relatively short amount of time.

Thanks in advance!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I think you need to narrow it by the light level you intent to have. For low-light, you can float hornwort and you can use java-fern for a long-leaf plant. It sometimes makes lots of little plants that grow out of an old-big leaf. Java moss is nice too.


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

My need is for use in aquariums with florescent plant lights, and they will be fertilzed with aquarium plant food pellets.


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

two words for you... Duck Weed


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

only thing i can think of that will grow and spread as fast as you want it to is ALGAE...and "fast growing plants" do not grow as fast as you may think..but the fastest growing aquatic plants that i know of are the aponogeton species..they can go from bare bulb to 2 feet tall within 90 days..maye sooner...but they are not so easy to propagate..


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

I didn't really specify what I mean by the relative term "fast". Of course I understand that plants take time to grow. What I mean to say is that if plants A, B, and C are all similar but C spreads 25% faster than A or B, then that is the one I'm looking for.

And again, I am looking for plants that spread faster than others, not necessarily that they grow faster.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

for some shorter plants ; try some cryptocoryne willisi..plant 6 of them and within 6-9 months they will for a beautiful little forest..


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

PaulLamb said:


> Does anyone have suggestions for fast-spreading fresh water plant species?


PL:

Anacharis
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+780&pcatid=780

They will grow as a rooted or floating plant.

TR


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## PaulLamb (Nov 15, 2009)

I talked to a friend of mine who breeds apple snails, and he told me that he came up with a way to take advantage of exponential plant division to grow a lot of food for his hungry snails. He said he uses Java Moss, which he grows in milk jugs with the top cut off, fertilized and placed under plant lights. Each time the clump in a milk jug doubles in volume, he divides it in half and places it into two milk jugs. 2 becomes 4, then 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc.. It starts off slow, but after a few divisions, they start producing a significant volume of plant growth. After a certain point, my friend was able to maintain some constant number of milk jugs and use the new growth as food for the snails.

A strategy like that would take care of category 1 (floating plant). I'm thinking I could also use something like this for category 3 (tall rooted plant) by cutting a plant into segments and placing them into milk jugs as above. Do any of the plants mentioned above (like hornwort or anacharis) do well when cut into pieces and allowed to regenerate?


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

PaulLamb said:


> A strategy like that would take care of category 1 (floating plant). I'm thinking I could also use something like this for category 3 (tall rooted plant) by cutting a plant into segments and placing them into milk jugs as above. Do any of the plants mentioned above (like hornwort or *anacharis*) do well when cut into pieces and allowed to regenerate?


Anacharis yes.

TR

BTW:

Amazon swords are also very fast growing but have some "drawbacks" for what you are after. Please research the internet.


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## sublime guy (Mar 28, 2009)

you can get a rooted plant u like that would grow branches. than u cut the branch at the base and shabam you just stemmed your own plant. i would get a plant that is already stemed to make that it likes that u know


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