# Hornwort not doing so well



## Tino (Sep 10, 2012)

So for the first time in years and years of fish-keeping I'm starting to try real plants (other than the Java moss I used to have)
For about a year now I've had some narrow leaf java fern tied to driftwood and it's doing ok (not great, but ok).
I wanted to get a good floating plant and picked up some Hornwort, but I've noticed in the 3 weeks I've had it that it's shedding a lot.

Setup is a 20 gal hex tall tank kept at 79F, no CO2, Lighting is 1 30W coil bulb on from 5:00pm-12:00am
Ambient light from a distant window during the day

Inhabitants are 3 Amano Shrimp, approx 25 juvie guppies, a dwarf gourami, and a massive infestation of pond snails.
No ammonia or nitrites in the tank, and about 10ppm of nitrates

Can anyone with more experience than I tell me what's killing the Hornwort?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Hmmm, that's a stumper. Do you have a picture of the tank? What kind of filtration is being used?


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## Tino (Sep 10, 2012)

I'll try and get a pic soon. Filtration is an Eheim Liberty 150 hob. Going to try a water change this weekend to see if there's any difference


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## Ischemia (Dec 19, 2012)

I had this happen before. I cut off any healthy sections and let them float and they rebounded quite well. You may also have the north American variety which goes through a shedding process as opposed to the tropical variety


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

What is the colour temp of the bulb, and what colour is the hornwort? Is there any new growth and are the whorls close together or spaced out?


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## Tino (Sep 10, 2012)

Ischemia, thanks, I had no idea there were 2 varieties. Any way to tell the difference?

BillD: Bulb is natural daylight. Hornwort was green when bought, now some parts have turned brown and the Guppies are nipping the crap out of it. The tips are still green so I have some hope, and I have no idea how to judge the whorls.

Here is one quick pic I took, I'll try to get a more detailed one tonight after my water-change.


Note: The water colour is not really as bad as the pic shows, not sure why it came out like that. I guess I can thank Blackberry for the crappy camera on my phone


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I would agree with Ischemia, and just cut off the unhealthy sections. It should rebound quickly.


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