# Hornwort Shedding Everywhere!



## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Like I don't get enough shedding from my 8 cats. This hornwort I just bought (assuming Petsmart is labeling this plant correctly) is shedding all over in a small container. It shed tons in the bag on the way home, too. Should I put this in a tank or not? And can it be a floating plant? I mean, does it need to be planted in the substrate or can it free float?


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## rogue619 (May 28, 2010)

Hornwort is known to do that when it is stressed or acclimating to new water. Yes, it can float just fine.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Mine must've been major stressed then 'cause it's all over. What will happen to the stuff it sheds when I put it into the tank? And what will the stuff do to my filter? Or should I wait for it to destress and stop shedding first? 

Thanks for the info.


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## Wyvern (May 19, 2011)

I would let it destress first. Mine did that and it took me 2 weeks of every second day gravel vacs to get rid of the needles. Wont get it again.


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## Nymmers (May 2, 2011)

Mine always does that. I rinse it before putting it in the tank, because I hate its little leaves all over my sand, and it STILL does it. I've given up. lol.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Uh, do I really want this plant in my tank after all? I'm the neurotic cleanly kind, not sure I want these little needle things everywhere . . . darn, shoulda researched before purchase.


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## fishman12 (Sep 1, 2010)

Well if you kept the reciept you can return I think.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Might try that. Or else . . . well, they aren't THAT expensive. Vacuuming fish poo is bad enough, I don't think I want to have to vacuum needles every hour, either. I was looking for a nice floating plant but it can float right out to the lawn and garden bin.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

I haven't had much luck keeping hornwort alive...It really must hate my water params..It made such a mess in my tank...Got into my filter too... >_<
I ended up moving my fish into a bigger tank..so I cleaned out the smaller tank..and even after rinsing it in the tub there were still little pieces from the hornwort in the smaller tank...haha
Wisteria is nice floatedthe roots look neat when they grow downward.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Well, in a way I'm glad to hear all this. When I got it home and it looked so bad, I thought, "Dang, my Petsmart tricked me again and sold me a non-aquatic plant." At least this time Petsmart was honest. Although I did find a dead crowntail while I was there.  But this stupid thing . . . it's now residing at the bottom of the lawn and garden bin and good riddance. I'll try your suggestion, Littlebittyfish, and get wisteria. Thanks for all the input, everyone, you've helped a ton and probably saved me a lot of work. :-D


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Which is why I HATE hornwort!!!! Grrrr.............


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Sakura8 said:


> Uh, do I really want this plant in my tank after all? I'm the neurotic cleanly kind, not sure I want these little needle things everywhere . . . darn, shoulda researched before purchase.


Then youre gonna HATE THIS XD

Mine shed it nettles everywhere, always. No matter how long it was in there, even after it destressed.
It'd throw a fit and whine and just phwump. Dropped em.

If you cant return it and dont want it, I sent mine to a Betta Rescue that Im friends with on fb- they were grateful, because it helped keep their tanks healthier and needed less water changes  (Betterbettarescue)


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Ooh, and watersprite is nice. Its a little whiney, as it doesnt like sudden changes in the water, but its pretty.

I keep my wisteria rooted, it seems to do better that way, and my fish derp in it and get borderline stuck /__\ they so dumb.


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## Bettawolf19 (Jul 15, 2010)

I know my hornwort hated me the first few weeks to. It's now hhappy in oscar's tank and only sheds needles if it dies other then that it's happily growing ..all over lol


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

I put newly purchased hornwort in a side container with tank water. With each water change I dumped the old hornwort water and replaced it with the tank water being siphoned out. This removed the shedding while acclimating the plant to the tank water.

After about a week or two once I noticed fewer shreds during container dump I dropped the horny into the main tank


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I gave up on the thing. It's resting peacefully with the lawn clippings and may I never see its little bald root butt again. It wasn't worth returning for its price and I have a feeling by the time I shipped it to a betta rescue or a friend, it would have been utterly bald. Plants instinctively hate me, I think. I want water sprite but I haven't found any around here and for some reason the one website I found with it can't ship it to CA. Well, it IS considered an invasive species, I guess. I also want Java Moss but same thing, I can't find it.


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## Fermin (Apr 18, 2010)

Uggh. I feel for you. I got rid of all my hornwort because it made an absolute mess of my tank.

I ended up tossing it all in a ginormous bucket of water outside and a bunch of frogs decided to make it their new home.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Sweetaquatics.com might


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

PewPewPew said:


> Sweetaquatics.com might


I'll have to try that website. Right now I'm broke. :/ Who knew fish were so expensive? Gravel, plants, tanks . . . ah well. So worth it.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Fermin said:


> Uggh. I feel for you. I got rid of all my hornwort because it made an absolute mess of my tank.
> 
> I ended up tossing it all in a ginormous bucket of water outside and a bunch of frogs decided to make it their new home.


I love your avatar. What a handsome crowntail. I love his coloring and markings.  

I'm just glad I only bought one bunch of the stuff. I kept thinking, "It's a 10g, it needs more plants." Good thing I decided to go with extra Amazon Swords instead.


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## PinkBetta264 (May 9, 2011)

my boys seem to like their wisteria, i got mine from a LFS sold as a bundle for $2.99. it was pretty, reminded me of a bunch of parsley .. don't know if it was the water or led lights, but the thing started getting huge, so i split it into 3 and put some in 3 of the boys tanks. At night when I turn their light off they go and rest in the leaves. Anubias seem to do real well. The stories I read about HornWort sheading scared me off right from the get go , I don't have time either to clean needle debris!!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I did get a little Anubias for my guy's 3g tank. It's so cute because it's still small. And I wish I'd heard of the hornwort shedding before I bought it. Now I know. I feel like taping a post-it note to the plant tank at my Petsmart: "Do not buy hornwort. You will hate it."


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

If it likes the water, its a GREAT plant. Like, fabberlous.

But thats unlikely XD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

From what I'm reading on this thread, the odds that a hornwort will like your water are like the odds of winning the lottery.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

I think Burd or Creat has it with success. ONE IN ONE MEEELLLION.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

The magic hornwort touch. Lucky them.


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