plant discovery

[TankWarrior]

Hey TFF, I've got a common office plant to share. It's the Aglaonema or Chinese Evergreen. There are loads of varieties - green and white, green and light tan, green and lighter green. What's interesting is it can thrive underwater too. We had one at home until we found out the leaves have a toxic calcium that's bad for dogs, cats, and even horses. Luckily, our cats couldn't reach it. I liked the plant, so I decided to try something different. I put the roots in one of my fish tanks, as I read it uses nitrogen from dissolving fish waste. But then it became accessible to our cats. So, I submerged the whole thing. And guess what? It grew just as well underwater. Here's a photo of the "Modestum" variety, I think. I took it right after I changed half the tank water this morning.

[bettaMagenta]

I've got a trio of Chinese Evergreen plants, two of them are different varieties, and they're doing great rooted in my tanks but growing above the waterline. The pink and green one is actually thriving in one of my filters, works out pretty well for both the plant and my tank's ecosystem.

[graye]

I remember when experimenting with terrestrial plant roots and aquariums first became a thing - Chinese evergreens were the go-to choice. Fast forward to today, and our options have expanded, but they're still a popular pick. I recall searching high and low for them in local stores, only to find them scarce. Now, they seem to be everywhere.

I recently picked up a great one at a discount store, and it's thriving. I'm planning to create paludariums out of two second-hand 20-gallon tanks I found, and this Chinese evergreen will be the centerpiece. My fishroom used to resemble a jungle 15 years ago, with vines covering everything. I'm gradually rebuilding that look, but I still prefer vines over Chinese evergreens. My peace lilies have developed massive roots, and there's something beautiful about integrating the natural world into our tanks.

Growing up, many aquarium plants we bought were actually plants that could tolerate flooding. They'd look great in tanks, only to eventually die. We'd end up replacing them. Plants like spider plants, snake plants, and vines do well above water. While Chinese evergreens are great, my top pick is still peace lilies. They can get huge, but are easily divided or moved to another tank.

I've had a Canna lily in my 40-gallon tank for a few years now, and it's been a showstopper. The enormous red flowers it produces a couple of times a year are a treat, especially during winter. They do require their roots to be buried, but they're definitely worth it.

[bettaMagenta]

My Nile Lilies in my African tank are thriving - I've got six pots of them in there and they're all doing great. When I plant like this, the plants usually go dormant for a bit, but these ones are already sprouting roots and new shoots are popping out of the pots.

[graye]

Nile lilies, a new one for me. Just looked them up and found a dwarf variety, might be worth checking out, thanks for the tip.

[TankWarrior]

Here's another Aglaonema that's doing well. I think it's a "Cutlass" variety. This one's in a 100 gallon trough, and it's really taken off. I used a four bulb strip light to help it grow. There are a dozen Goldfish in the trough, and they're providing all the nutrients the plant needs.

[bettaMagenta]

So I've got my Chinese Evergreens in hang-on-the-top pots, roots dangling into the tank, just like most of my other plants. I find it really interesting to observe the different rooting styles of various plants. The two Chinese Evergreens I mentioned earlier are variegated, and the roots they're sending out into the tank are noticeably thicker than those of my other plants - long, straight, and unbranched. I've noticed a similar pattern with my Nile Lilies. I'm starting to wonder if these plants might propagate via runners, and if those aren't typical roots. Given that Chinese Evergreens can also thrive underwater, I'm curious - might I eventually end up with submerged plants sprouting from these (if they are indeed runners)?

[graye]

I've been looking into Nile lilies, and it seems they spread through rhizomes - similar to Anubias spp., I'd imagine.

I do appreciate the robust roots on Chinese evergreens, but personally, I find the slender roots of peace lilies more aesthetically pleasing.

Submerging Chinese evergreens isn't something I'd recommend. While they can tolerate being underwater for short periods, that's more of a survival mechanism for when they're flooded. Once the floodwaters recede, the plants either recover or perish. I recall when stores would sell these plants as suitable for submersion, knowing full well they'd need to be replaced frequently.

[bettaMagenta]

I'm curious if submerged runners from my Chinese Evergreens might sprout underwater plants, potentially thriving with a long-term underwater life, as long as they stay connected to the parent plant above the water.

[TankWarrior]

Hello again. The "Ag" plants, I think, are one of the best natural filters for aquarium water. They have this large root system that's like a "nitrogen hog" - it grabs onto nitrogen as soon as it's available. And it's not just nitrogen, these plants also remove toxins from the water much faster than the bacteria can. In a tank with a large Aglaonema plant, the bacteria's job is pretty limited - it mainly works on the nitrogen at night when the plant's not actively removing it.