For the aquarist, it is important not only the population of the home reservoir, but also its design. And in this regard, the leading role is played by the vegetation planted in the aquarium. Important is not only its decorativeness, but also the ease of care. If you use a capricious plant, then you will spend more time on maintaining its vital activity than on caring for the main asset of the "pool" - fish. Almost ideal planting on this side is the hygrophilous loosestrife. It is quite unpretentious, is an amphibian, which allows it to be used for external design, and, moreover, is beautiful in any design ideas.
Plant description
Hygrophilous loosestrife (photo attached) got its name due to the appearance of its leaves. In shape, they are almost identical to the leaves of all known willows. The color of the foliage is saturated green, dark shades. They grow from stiff and long stems of a reddish hue, growing vertically. If the plant is comfortable, hygrophilous loosestrife quickly forms dense thickets that serve as a refuge for both fry and adult fish.
If a plant releases leaves above the surface of the water, they are shorter than those below it - an average of eight centimeters versus 10-12. But the petioles are longer, which is actively used during propagation. The color of the surface of the leaves is also lighter, both on top of the plate and below. The same remark applies to veins: in water leaves they are darker, in air leaves they are lighter than the general color.
Hygrophilous loosestrife - contents
Despite all the unpretentiousness of this aquarium plant, some requirements must be met if you want your thickets not to thin.
- Temperature condition. Do not forget that the hygrophilous loosestrife is a tropical plant that has got into our aquariums from Southeast Asia. The optimum degree range is 22-28 Celsius. The plant also feels pretty well at constant higher temperatures. But their decrease affects him negatively.
- The acidity of the water is preferably neutral. Fluctuations in pH are between 6.5 and 7.5. With other values, the plant will wither away, and eventually die.
- Hygrophilous loosestrife requires fairly intense lighting. It should fit within the boundaries of 0.4-0.6 W / l, and daylight hours should be at least 10 (and preferably 12) hours. Otherwise, with a prolonged lack of light, the plant begins to grow with algae, the most active of which is the "black beard". From this plantation almost inevitably perishes.
Hygrophile also likes the water stream. Therefore, it is better to plant it closer to the filter or along the back wall, along which the stream flows.
A bit about the ground
For the successful growth of hygrophil, loosestrife in the aquarium needs a certain amount of sludge. For its spontaneous formation, sand or the smallest gravel, the fraction of which should not exceed 0.6 mm, is required. When planting for better survival under the root, a piece of clean clay will be correctly placed. The soil layer is not less than 3 cm, and better - 5. If such a thick layer is redundant (for aesthetic reasons or due to the peculiarities of the fish contingent), then the hygrophilous loosestrife is planted in shallow pots. True, this will prevent its growth. However, in a single landing, she also looks very impressive.
Some features
When planning an aquarium design, one must take into account that the hygrophilous loosestrife, growing, so to speak, from the inside, does not at all strive to leave the aquatic environment. She will creep along the surface, trying not to part with the usual conditions. But if you plant a stalk grown outside of water, barely reaching its border, he will rush to the light source and will try to avoid underwater placement.
The appearance of the plant is greatly affected by the intensity of the lamp illuminating it. Its brightness will lead to the fact that the leaf veins are painted in a brownish-red hue.
When growing surface hygrophils, you should consider lighting in such a way that direct sunlight does not fall on the plant. Moreover, a rather high air humidity is required, otherwise the branches will try to go under water. Humidity is especially important if you want your hygrophil loosestrife to bloom: dryness leads to the death of the apex.
The plant has another positive quality: when spawning, it produces a wonderful substrate.
How to grow a plantation
In the case when it seems to you that not all the allotted space is occupied by a hygrophilous loosestrife, reproduction can be carried out in two ways.
- Cuttings. 4 whorls are most suitable for them, in this case the acceptability is maximum. They are best planted in separate containers, which account for different illumination and water flow. It is advisable to soften the water, regularly change it and remove excess organics.
- Leaves. The plucked material is left to float on the surface until noticeable roots appear. The method is longer and laborious, since the sleeping kidney must be separated and carefully deepened into the ground.
Rejuvenation and its necessity
It is worth noting that the thickets that form the hygrophilous loosestrife, it is necessary to rejuvenate. Plants whose stems are almost bare should be removed; if you need dense foliage from below, pinch the top. Without doing this, you risk one day by no means a wonderful day to find only bare stems in the aquarium. If you ignore the situation, the stems can fill almost the entire space, parallel to the bottom.
