Landscaping aquariums is a very popular hobby these days. It is ideal for lovers of nature and a unique bewitching water world. Aquarists have a wide choice in the design of their aquariums and the settlement of many beautiful fish there, which can be watched for hours. They hunt for exotic plants that can become a highlight for their aquariums. Such plants are one of the finest representatives of the flora. The arrangement and care of all the inhabitants is also of great interest and even admiration.
Features of aquarium plants
Now there is simply a huge variety of different algae of all kinds, sizes and colors, suitable for decorating and landscaping the aquarium for every taste, in order to provide a good place for living and breeding many species of fish. Their main feature is that they are not picky about many environmental factors, therefore they always delight the eye of the owner, who does not have to work very hard to make the plant look good and healthy.
In this article, we will talk about wave aponogetone (the photo of which is presented in this article), one of the representatives of aquarium plants. We will consider its main characteristics, content at home and features of reproduction.
Aponogeton wavy: classification and origin
Now we will analyze its interesting origin. India is the place where it began to grow initially, and then gained wide popularity and began to move to other parts of the world. Now it is also common in countries such as Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and others.
Aponogeton wavy refers to aquarium plants. It belongs to the apogetone family. It is also called viviparous aponogetone, but this name is much less common.
In Russia, this alga can only take root in a certain area, since the climate of India is specific and sometimes very variable. Aponogeton prefers small swamps, ponds or ditches. Do not think that only in natural conditions will this algae feel comfortable. Wavy aponogeton, the content of which is of interest to all aquarists, grows well in the aquarium and does not require complex and expensive care, unlike many others. For this, he gained such great popularity among lovers of underwater plants.
Appearance
Externally, the aquarium plant wavy apogon is extremely attractive, has a pleasant light green or green-yellow hue, perfect for any plant combination. Its leaves have an unusual, interesting pattern in the form of patterns and definitely stand out from other algae. They are slightly narrowed upwards and have very wavy edges, for which aponogeton got its name.
Aponogeton wavy, whose appearance is quite attractive, is a kind of bush. This plant is able to reach as much as 60-70 cm in length and 3-4 cm in width, however, in small containers it is often undersized. It grows well throughout the year, but the most attractive type of undiluted aponetone has at the end of summer and autumn. Its rhizomes have a tuberous form.
Aponogetone content at home
Buying any plant should be taken very seriously, because you need to know how to plant, fertilize and propagate the selected plant, what are its features and preferences. In addition, many plants can not get along with any specific species of other algae or with fish. When buying apogon, it is extremely important to inspect the tuber. It should be hard and without rotting places, and there should be no unpleasant odor emanating from tubers.
Aponogeton is wavy, the cultivation of which is distinguished by the lack of need for special complex care, is as unpretentious as possible. Caring for it consists of several simple rules, which are absolutely not difficult to follow daily. It is great for planting by beginner aquarists, since in most cases the plant takes root everywhere. Aponogeton is characterized by a good decorative look, which is very suitable to complement the colorful and natural interior of any aquarium. After all, everyone wants to create a bewitching, unique underwater world in their aquarium. An ideal aagonogeton for filling the background next to the wall.
Mandatory Requirements
One of the mandatory requirements for growing is constant good bright lighting, the intensity of which should be strictly from 0.5 W / l, and also apogon need water of medium hardness, the pH of which is about 6-8. The plant does not tolerate prolonged blackouts very well and can die if light is not returned to it. These criteria are one of the most important in growing this plant if its owner wants to maintain a healthy and beautiful appearance of the algae.
Aponogeton benefits from natural sunlight. The necessary temperature for a favorable life is about 20-27 degrees Celsius. If it is not maintained at this level, the plant slows down its growth and becomes very dull.
Soil for the plant
Attention should also be paid to the soil in which the apogoneton should be planted. It should be slightly filled with silt. The latter is necessary in order to feed the roots of apogon. It is important not to go too far with it, because in case of an overdose, the roots can begin to rot and even die. Due to the structure of the tuberous root, the required soil thickness is from five centimeters. Soil should also be sufficiently nutritious. Sand or fine pebbles are perfect as a substrate.
When planting the plant, carefully place small pieces of peat or clay under the tubers and feed the plant from time to time with CO 2 . Sand or gravel superimposed on a fairly dense layer is perfect for soil. A mandatory requirement is to constantly ensure that the soil is not silty, otherwise there is a risk of decay of the apogoneton roots, and then the death of the plant, as we said earlier.
Apogetone Pests
Such small, but very harmful creatures like snails are quite dangerous for an underwater plant, since they can damage its delicate thin leaves, using them as food. It is also necessary to pay great attention to the fact that the plant does not overgrow strongly with other algae or there is a possibility that the apogon can drop its leaves.
Aponogeton wavy: breeding
Propagated vegetatively. A healthy adult plant is usually able to form up to seven daughter plants at a time. The process is carried out in such a way that the arrows first move away from the mother plant and stretch directly to the surface of the water. Then at the ends of the arrows nodules with young leaves begin to appear. There is a growth of the nodule and a gradual transformation into a tuber. At this stage, a plant with a tuber can already be planted in a separate place.
The roots of the undulating aponogeton begin to grow quite quickly. Moreover, if at this stage the plant is not transplanted to another place, then the tuber can increase to as much as 5 millimeters. Then the arrows rot, and the detached plant floats on the surface of the water, discarding new leaves. Old leaves, respectively, die. In the end, a plant heavy with its tuber begins to sink and sinks to the very bottom, where it begins to form a new root system. From here aponogeton received the name "viviparous".
Flowering plants
Aponogetone begins to bloom at about 10-13 months. You need to be careful when placing bright lamps illuminating the aquarium, as they strongly heat the water and their close proximity to the glass can easily burn and dry the flowers. While air with high humidity can cause the pollen to clump together. To avoid this, first of all, it is necessary to slightly raise the glass of the lid and fix it so that drier fresh air can enter the aquarium. If everything is done correctly, then nothing will interfere with the further growth of undulating apono-ketone.
Plant pollination
After small flowers begin to appear gradually on the inflorescences, one can proceed to the transfer of pollen, that is, pollination. It is recommended to perform this procedure in the late afternoon in the next 10-15 days. Pollination is not a particularly difficult process, as it might seem at first glance.
In order to transfer pollen, just use a cotton pad or a clean finger. They need to hold the flowers in a direction from top to bottom. With self-pollination, you can install a plastic ring around the ear of the plant. The ear must be immersed in water and make it smooth circular motion, and then put back in its original position. After this action, in the next month or two, the first seeds will begin to appear, most often from below. The success of pollination is not always guaranteed. For example, old plants that have already been pollinated several times may no longer bloom.
Seeds
Wavy aponogeton seeds are usually stored and grown in a separate vessel without soil, filling it with water up to about 10-20 cm and maintaining a temperature of about 24-28 degrees Celsius. When new thin roots are formed, they are transplanted into the soil of a small layer - from 2 to 3 cm.
Many aponogeton lovers are advised to transplant young plants as often as possible. This contributes to their easier tolerance of the transition to self-nutrition and allows them to develop evenly. In addition, plants become more tenacious.
Finally
Summing up, we can say that the corrugated aponetone is very versatile and ideal for growing a house in aquariums. Its unpretentiousness and the absence of special requirements for living conditions make it one of the best options for filling the plant’s green green environment. Its unusual pleasant appearance will help the aquarium to look much more interesting and attractive and will undoubtedly appeal to the inhabitants of the water.
However, you should always remember some very simple rules of care and do not forget to keep the plant in a fairly good light, temperature, and also transplant new tubers in time. Then nothing will stop the apogoneton from delighting with its always very suitable presence among the algae.